RAYMOND MASSEY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Raymond Massey was born in Toronto, Ontario on August 30th, 1896 with the birth name Raymond Hart Massey.  His parents were Anna and Chester Daniel Massey who was a owner of a Tractor Company.  Massey attended college first at Upper Canada College, then Appleby College and then finally earning his degree from the University of Toronto.  
 
During World War I he joined the Canadian Army and served with the artillery on the Western Front.  He had his first chance to work on stage when in 1918 he was sent to serve in Serbia and entertained the American Troops.  When he was wounded in France he was sent back to Canada where he became involved with his fathers farm implement business. 
 
In 1922, he returned back to working on the stage as he had really enjoyed his experiences performing for the troops.  Raymond appeared on the London stage at the Everyman Theatre in the play, "In the Zone" (1922) which lead to the signing of a five year contract by Alexander Korda. 
 
He then made his film debut in, "High Treason" (1927) followed by portraying Sherlock Holms in, "The Speckled Band" (1931).  He was becoming quite well known in the industry and the films of the 30's and 40's had no shortage of his appearance.  He was cast in such features as, "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1934), "Things To Come" (1936), "Sante Fe Trail" (1940), "Possessed" (1947) in which he portrayed the husband character opposite Joan Crawford and "Seven Angry Men" (1955).   

When Massey, a Canadian actor was cast in the play, "Abe Lincoln in Illinois", portraying the American President, the public was not to thrilled, however, his performance was so well done that in 1940 he repeated the role in the film version and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.  

He had the opportunity to portray Lincoln again in the production, "The Day Lincoln Was Shot" (1956) and as his career continued to grow he became involved in a number of television shows and was well known as the character, Doctor Gillespie from the series, "Dr. Kildare".  
 
Throughout his lifetime, he married three times and had a total of three children.  His first wife with whom he had one child with was Margery Fremantle whom he married on June 8th, 1921 and remained with until 1929.  His second marriage was to Adrianne Allen from 1929 through 1939 and the couple had two children together.  His third and final marriage was to Dorothy Whitney from 1939 through July 15th, 1982 when she passed away.  

Just a little over a year later, Massey passed away on July 29th, 1983 in Los Angeles, California from Pneumonia right before he turned eighty seven.  Raymond Massey is interred in New Haven, Connecticut's Beaverdale Memorial Park.  

Massey was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame one for his contribution to the Motion Picture Industry and the other for Television.  There is also a cocktail drink named after him called the Raymond Massey which is made out of rye, ginger syrup and champagne.    

 
Filmography

1973 My Darling Daughters' Anniversary 
1973 The President's Plane Is Missing 
1972 All My Darling Daughters 
1971-1972 Rod Serling's Night Gallery
1969 Mackenna's Gold 
1967 Hallmark Hall of Fame 
1960-1967 Insight 
1966 The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
1961-1966 Dr. Kildare
1963 The Eleventh Hour  
1962 How the West Was Won 
1962 Kraft Mystery Theater
1961 The Queen's Guards 
1961 Adventures in Paradise
1961 The Fiercest Heart 
1961 The Great Impostor 
1960 Wagon Train
1960 Riverboat
1960 Zane Grey Theater
1960 Playhouse 90 
1959 Alfred Hitchcock Presents 
1955-1959 G.E. True Theater 
1959 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958 The Naked and the Dead 
1958 Now That April's Here 
1958 Armchair Theatre
1957 I Spy 
1957 Omar Khayyam 
1957 Kraft Theatre
1955-1957 Producers' Showcase
1956 Climax! 
1956 Goodyear Playhouse
1952-1956 Robert Montgomery Presents
1956 Ford Star Jubilee 
1956 Man's Heritage 
1955 The 20th Century-Fox Hour
1955 Seven Angry Men 
1955 East of Eden 
1955 Battle Cry 
1955 Prince of Players
1953 The Desert Song 
1952 Carson City 
1952 Lights Out
1951 Come Fill the Cup 
1951 David and Bathsheba 
1951 Lux Video Theatre 
1951 Sugarfoot
1950 Dallas
1950 Pulitzer Prize Playhouse 
1950 The Clock
1950 Barricade 
1950 Chain Lightning 
1948-1950 The Ford Theatre Hour 
1949 Roseanna McCoy 
1949 The Fountainhead 
1947 Mourning Becomes Electra 
1947 Possessed 
1946 Stairway to Heaven 
1945 Hotel Berlin 
1945 God Is My Co-Pilot 
1944 The Woman in the Window 
1944 Arsenic and Old Lace 
1944 A Canterbury Tale
1943 Action in the North Atlantic 
1942 Desperate Journey 
1942 Reap the Wild Wind 
1941 Dangerously They Live 
1941 49th Parallel 
1940 Santa Fe Trail  
1940 Abe Lincoln in Illinois 
1939 Footsteps in the Sand 
1938 Drums 
1938 Picture Page
1937 The Hurricane 
1937 The Prisoner of Zenda 
1937 Under the Red Robe 
1937 Dreaming Lips 
1937 Fire Over England 
1936 Things to Come 
1934 The Scarlet Pimpernel 
1932 The Face at the Window 
1932 The Old Dark House 
1931 The Speckled Band 
1929 The Crooked Billet
1929 High Treason