Raymond Massey - Northernstars.ca

Raymond Massey
b. August 30, 1896 in Toronto, Ontario
d. July 29, 1983 in Los Angeles, California

All of the images used on this page are from The Northern Stars Collection.

This biography is Copyright © 2003 by: Ralph Lucas and may not be reproduced without prior written permission. For more information about copyright, click here.

Born August 30 1896 in Toronto, Raymond Hart Massey grew up in comfort as a member of one of the richest families in Canada at the time. His early life is uneventful, except it is important to mention his time at Appleby College in Oakville, a short drive west of Toronto. It is at Appleby that Massey discovered he

Raymond Massey in a still from the 1937 film, Dreaming Lips.
now part of The Northernstars Collection.

just might have what it takes to be an actor. An odd career to consider when you've been born into a family that was famous for making farm equipment.

He rounded out his education, first at the University of Toronto and then Balliol College in Oxford, England. Massey continued acting at both. With the outbreak of "The War to End All Wars," he enlisted in the Canadian Field Artillery. His brother, Vincent also served during the First World War. While on duty in Siberia, Massey broke the monotony of army life and appeared in an army minstrel show. Later when he was wounded in France, Massey went sent home. The war was over for him. While recuperating he decided to join the family business. It was what was expected of him. His brother, Vincent, would also join the family firm following the war, and become its president in the early 1920s. But Raymond Massey missed the stage and made the critical decision to return to acting. It was a decision that would ultimately impact not just on his working life, but on his personal life as well.

Through most of the 1920s he honed his abilities in innumerable stage appearances. And while the stage would always hold a special place for him, he could not help but recognize the rise of the film industry. He had his first chance to act for the camera when he landed a small role in the 1928 film High Treason. But he was quickly back in theatre enjoying the thrill of working before a live audience.

Then comes 1931, a pivotal year for Massey. On Broadway he appears as Hamlet. But from England comes the call that he has been offered the lead as Sherlock Holmes in the film The Speckled Band. The film is based on the play written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Massey begins the first of 10 years of shuttling back and forth between England and the United States. This in an era when there are no easy sea crossings, and trans-Atlantic flights are few and far between. While the film turns out to be singularly dull, The Speckled Band served as the launching pad for his film career. For example, in the 1930s he will make a total of 12 films, including starring or co-starring classics like The Scarlett Pimpernel in 1934, Things to Come and Fire over England in 1936, and The Prisoner of Zenda in 1937.

In 1940, back in the United States, Massey is cast to play Abraham Lincoln in Abe Lincoln in Illinois. He is perhaps best remembered for this role because he looked so much like the former president. His acting is masterful and while he did not

Cary Grant and Raymond Massey face off in a scene from Aresenic and Old Lace. This is a detail from an original studio publicity photo for the film, now part of
The Northernstars Collection.

pick up the coveted Oscar, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in this film. A year later brought his powerful performance in The 49th Parallel. Massey decided to serve as narrator for A Canterbury Tale in 1944 and then accepted a role in the now classic Arsenic and Old Lace, working with fellow Northern Stars Jean Adair and Jack Carson. But 1944 also brought an important decision in his personal life. After 10 years of travelling back and forth, splitting his career almost equally between England and the United States, Massey made the decision to make his permanent home in the U.S.. A few years later, in 1944, he became a U.S. citizen.

Massey's early military experience served as a solid foundation for his role in 1947 as Brigadier General Ezra Mannon in Mourning becomes Electra. Later that same year he appeared in the cinematic version of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. He worked steadily throughout the 1950s, and was most effective when he appeared with James Dean in 1955's East of Eden.

Not limited to just the big screen, with the advent of television and its growth in popularity, Massey appeared in the early suspense anthology series Lights Out, which made its debut in 1949. He also appeared in a number of one-off dramas from

Raymond Massey in a publicity still from his last film, MacKenna's Gold, which is part of The Northernstars Collection.

the so-called Golden Age of Television that brought quality productions on programs like the Goodyear Television Playhouse, the Kraft Television Theater, the General Electric Theater and Playhouse 90. His also appeared as Dr. Gillespie on the Dr. Kildare (1961–66) series, but he had not turned his back on film. For example, he narrated Jacqueline Kennedy's Asian Journey in 1962, after having reprised his role as Abe Lincoln in How the West Was Won. His last film was Mackenna's Gold in 1969, a film that featured an all-star cast and was narrated by Victor Jory. His career was nearly over. In fact, he only made a few made-for-television movies, the last in 1973.

Raymond Massey died in California of pneumonia in 1983. Although he had been an American citizen for almost 40 years, he remained, largely because of his name, distinctly Canadian. The family name graces Toronto's Massey Hall, a historic concert hall his grandfather paid to have constructed in 1894 for $150,000. And the history of Canadian farming is forever tied to the farm implement company that began life as Massey-Harris.

Massey was married three times. Children Daniel Massey and Anna Massey, both born in England in the 1930s, became successful actors. It is interesting to note that while Raymond Massey eventually became an American citizen, his brother, Vincent Massey, acquired his own special place in Canadian history. After running the family business for a number of years he accepted the post as ambassador to the United States from 1926 to 1930. He later became Canada's High Commissioner in London, England, from 1935 until 1946, and went on to be the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada, serving from 1952 to 1959. Raymond Massey published two autobiographies: When I Was Young, in 1976, and A Hundred Lives in 1979.

Looking back at his career it is safe to conclude that Raymond Massey made quite a name for himself in Hollywood, and beyond, leaving an extensive list of films, many of which have become classics, which will serve to keep his name and reputation alive for generations of filmgoers yet to be born.

Go to Raymond Massey's filmography