Raymond Massey was a modest celebrity who regarded himself extremely uninteresting but lived a life at odds with the description. He had three kids before he passed away, but none survived the passage of time.
Raymond Massey was a famous entertainer known for his commanding stage-trained voice and modesty. He fathered four kids while alive, but one was born premature, and his youngest passed away first.
The three kids who lived were named: Daniel, Anna, and Geoffrey Massey. Geoffrey was his first child with his first wife, while the other two children were products of his marriage to his second, English actress Adrianne Allen.
Pictures of Raymond Massey from "Dr. Kildare" and another of him with his wife and children | Photo: Getty Images
All three kids have passed on, but they lived exemplary lives that would have made any parent proud while alive. Get acquainted with the Massey family.
WHO WAS RAYMOND MASSEY?
Raymond Massey died as a talented actor, but he did not start that way. He spent years getting educated at the University of Toronto & Balliol College, Oxford, before joining the Canadian Field Artillery in World War I.
During the dreadful war, he served in France and got wounded. His debut on stage was in Siberia in 1918 — a time the American Forces were occupying it.
Raymond Massey appearing in the Walt Disney Television via Getty Images tv movie "The President's Plane Is Missing." | Photo: Getty Images
After the war, he returned to Canada to work on the farm implement business; however, the allure of the stage was too much for him to resist.
Raymond began his acting career in 1922 when he appeared at the Everyman Theatre, London in "In the Zone." His talent spoke for him, and not long after, he signed a five-year contract with Alexander Korda.
He lived in London until 1939, when he moved to the US. He starred in several hit movies and series, cementing his role as a talented actor who could thrive anywhere.
The modest man, who had such hatred for traveling by sea and plane, passed away from pneumonia complications at 86.
Raymond Massey in publicity portrait for the film "The Woman In The Window," circa 1944. | Photo: Getty Images
GEOFFREY MASSEY
Geoffrey is Raymond's eldest child, and he welcomed her with the first woman he married, Peggy Fremantle. They were married for eight years, and Geoffrey was their only child.
Geoffrey was born on Oct. 29, 1924, in London, England. His mother, Peggy Fremantle, was the daughter of a British Admiral named Sydney Fremantle.
After her relationship with Raymond ended in 1929, Geoffrey never saw his mother again until he was 40 years old. She wanted nothing to do with him, and he did not have much love in reserve for her having been brought up by his father and his second wife.
Raymond Massey in the role of Dr. Gillespie for a publicity handout from the television medical drama, "Dr. Kildare." | Photo: Getty Images
Unlike his father, he grew up to become an architect. Thanks to Artist BC Binning, he got a job at the architectural firm of Thompson, Berwick, and Pratt, where he met Arthur Erickson, whom he befriended.
As Arthur Erickson's architectural partner, he helped design local icons like the famous Simon Fraser University and the MacMillan Bloedel Building.
He was involved in some political movements and was also one of the early owners, architects, and developers at Whistler in the 1960s. His job brought him into the path of Ruth Killam when she hired him and Erickson to build a house at a spectacular location.
The Massey family get together for a family reunion on 24th November 1964. | Photo: Getty Images
They fell in love. She decided he was the one after giving her an intelligent answer when she asked him what instrument was playing at The Symphony. He married her in 1955.
Massey retired from architecture in 1991. The longest-lived of all three kids, he died from pneumonia at the age of 96 in 2020. He is survived by his four children, Eliza, Raymond, Vincent, and Nathaniel.
DANIEL MASSEY
Daniel was the second male child of Raymond Massey. He was a sophisticated and versatile actor who performed with ease and was an essential member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theater for many years.
Raymond Massey, in a scene from the movie, "Abe Lincoln in Illinois". He is shown as Lincoln holding a sword outside. | Photo: Getty Images
As an actor, he had a commanding presence, had charm in spades, and possessed a rich, mellow voice. He played a variety of roles in "Shakespeare, "Ibsen," and "Chekhov," but he specialized in comedy.
His main reason for becoming an actor was revealed in an interview in 1996. It had to do with seeing Ralph Richardson play Falstaff, he said:
"I can remember the whole thing photographically, and at the end of it had to be peeled out of my chair. I was only 11, but I still think it was the best piece of theater I've ever seen."
Although he was most known for his stage credits, he also worked in films and on television, playing a wide variety of characters.
Raymond Massey appearing in the Walt Disney Television via Getty Images tv movie "All My Darling Daughters." | Photo: Getty Images
He was married thrice in his lifetime, and he had two kids Alice and Paul. His first wife was actress Adrienne Corri, and his second was Penelope Wilton, with whom he welcomed his daughter Alice.
His third wife was Ms. Wilton's sister, Lindy Wilton. Daniel Massey died of heart failure in a London hospital in 1998. He was 64.
English actor Daniel Massey (1933 - 1998), UK, 26th July 1974. | Photo: Getty Images
ANNA MASSEY
Anna also followed her brother, mother, and father into the showbiz world. She started acting as a teenager when she made a debut at 17 without any prior training.
She had a privileged childhood but suffered from loneliness because her parents, both entertainers, were never home to cater to her. Instead, she was left with the nanny, whom she relied on for emotional support.
That resonant solitude made itself known in her work as an actress but only positively. Nevertheless, she is constantly dazzled with her intelligence and acting talent and is best known for her award-winning works in TV and film.
English actress Anna Massey (1937 - 2011), UK, 8th August 1975. | Photo: Getty Images
She was cast in nannies, nuns, and nurses roles, and she starred in many British and American films, including "The Importance of Being Earnest" and "Possession."
She was married twice. Her first marriage was to actor Jeremy Brett in 1958. They welcomed one child together before their marriage was dissolved in 1963.
In 1988 Anna tried her hand at love again when she married Uri Andres, a Russian metallurgist at London's Imperial College. She died of cancer aged 73 in 2011.
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