Athena Massey

Last updated
Athena Massey
Born
Athena Marie Massey

(1967-11-10) November 10, 1967 (age 55)
Orange, California, USA
OccupationActress
Years active1991-present
Known forSeinfeld, Star Trek: Voyager, Command & Conquer Video Games
Height163 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Children2

Athena Massey (born November 10, 1967) is an American actress, voice over artist and entrepreneur. She has appeared in commercials, music videos, film, television and video games. [1] Among other achievements, she is known for guest roles on notable shows such as Seinfeld, [2] Star Trek: Voyager, as well as recurring roles in the Command & Conquer Video Game [3] series.

Contents

Film and Television

Massey's Hollywood debut was in Steven Seagal's film Out for Justice [2] in the early 1990's, followed by leading and supporting roles in both film and television. Massey's first starring role was opposite Don "The Dragon" Wilson in HBO's World Premiere, "Virtual Combat". Trained in boxing, kickboxing, and Krav Maga, [4] she performed her own stunts in Virtual Combat and again used her martial arts skills in "Cybertracker 2." Massey continued with other starring roles in films such as "Undercover," "Shadow of a Scream", "Star Portal," [5] "Termination Man" and "Harold Robins' Body Parts." [6]

Massey also worked with other notable Hollywood stars such as Eddie Murphy in "The Nutty Professor", [7] Jaime Pressley in "Poison Ivy: The New Seduction", [8] Elisabeth Shue in "Molly" and James Farentino in "Termination Man". [9]

She made many guest-starring appearances on Emmy Award-winning television shows "Seinfeld" and "The Larry Sanders Show". Other television credits include: "Doogie Howser M.D.," "Dark Justice", "Murder One", "LA Heat", "Young and the Restless", "Nash Bridges", "Red Shoe Diaries", "Black Scorpion" and the highly-acclaimed series, "Star Trek: Voyager."

In preparing for various roles Massey, along with her self defense skills mentioned previously, has trained in firearms, tomahawk throwing and whipcracking. [4] She learned tight-rope walking and flying trapeze from Richie Gaona of the Flying Gaona's Circus Family. She participated in the 1996 Hollywood Classic/Challenge of the Dragon '96, that was hosted by Don Wilson, her co-star on Virtual Combat. [10]

After building a very successful portfolio in the entertainment business, Massey took time off to raise a family. Now that her daughters are grown, she is once again setting her sight back on her career, [1] most recently as the Associate Producer on the short film "Super Break-Up" that was a finalist in The Flight Deck Film Festival and as herself in the documentary "We Kill for Love" [11] , which chronicles many films Massey starred in that although provocative, the films were really about female empowerment. In a review on the documentary, Forbes refers to her as one of the "major stars of the era" [12] .

Star Trek

In a 2017 interview on Larry Nemecek's TREKLAND, Massey talks about her experience on Star Trek: Voyager,. She recounts working along side Garrett Wang, who played Ensign Harry Kim in the television series and her character, Jessen, that was a pivotal role in the Enaran plot line. [13] In an interview on the podcast "The Space Between", Massey talks about her surprise at how long the legacy of working on Star Trek has stayed with her. Massey has been active in the Star Trek community

having been a guest at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention in 2017, [14] 2018 [15] and the "55-Year Mission Tour" in 2021. [16]

Video Games

Massey broke into the video game genre as the Head Cheerleader on the multi-platformed "Quarterback Attack with Mike Ditka". She went on to featured characters in the highly successful Command & Conquer franchise playing Kodiak Pilot Brink in "Tiberian Sun" [17] and Lieutenant Eva Lee in "Red Alert 2" and "Yuri's Revenge".

Press

Massey started her modeling career at the age of 15, after being inspired by seeing a friend's professional photos. From there, she went on to do print work in magazines, newspapers and calendars, plus appeared in numerous music videos, commercials and voice overs, which ultimately led to film and television. [18] She has appeared in a variety of magazines, books and journals and has graced both cover and pages in Hair and Fashion Magazine, [19] LA Weekly, [20] Los Angeles Herald Examiner, [21] EXPOSURE Magazine, [22] Women's Wear Daily, [23] and Eres Magazine [24] to name a few.

She was featured in Douglas Kirkland's book "Body Stories". [25] Massey shares the focal point of Kirkland's lens with other notable subjects like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Jack Nicholson, Coco Chanel, John Lennon and Margot Kidder. [26] She was similarly featured in French-born Veronique Vial's photography book "Hollywood Splash", [27] sharing the pages with Rosanna Arquette, U.S. Synchronized Swimming Team and Tom Cruise. Authors Leigh M. Clark and Pen Ken featured Massey in their book "The Dream is in Your Hands: She Can Do It" [28] as one of 39 women showcased from multiple industries and backgrounds who have achieved their biggest dreams.

She was among a select group of actors featured in the "Costume & Couture: Dressing TV's Hottest Stars" fashion spread in the November issue of "Emmy" magazine [29] and in the "TV Guide Special Edition - Seinfeld Forever" as one of Jerry Seinfeld's 23 girlfriends on the series. She is noted as the girlfriend, Melanie, that ate her peas one at a time. [30]

"Femme Fatales" magazine featured her numerous times from 1996 to 2000 with both in depth interviews [31] [32] as well as tantalizing photo shoots. [33] [34] [35] [36] Massey details how she relates to her namesake of Athena, light-eyed, flute-playing, warrior Goddess. In his 1996 interview, Douglas Eby referred to her as an "action siren". However, Massey stated "had I known then what I know now, I wouldn't have done Undercover. I had signed a contract that I could not get out of." So as not to be typecast, she also choose other roles and had been cast to play in Shakespeare's "Othello and Desdemona," but unfortunately the project fell through [31] which made her available to star in Roger Corman's "Shadow of a Scream" and "Star Portal" which were both filmed in Ireland. Research, she muses, has been the key to her success. "Training and experience is critical. In between jobs, I am always in acting class. Each job helps me understand my craft more and makes me a better actress." [32]

Expanding her portfolio into writing, Massey along with Emmy Award winning Writer and Director, Brooks Wachtel, produced a self-titled comic book "Athena: Warrior Eternal" [37] [38] and promoted it at the world famous San Diego Comic-Con.

Personal life

Massey said her biggest influence growing up was her mother, inheriting her wild, liberal, hippy side while still balanced by her father's Christian, conservative, Republican side. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California with her two daughters. [39]



Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1991 Out for Justice VictimUncredited
1995UndercoverCindy Hannen
Virtual CombatLiana
Cyber-Tracker 2Kessel
1996 The Nutty Professor Sexy Girl
Shadow of a Scream Alice RedmondAlso known as "The Unspeakable" and "Criminal Pursuit"
1997 Poison Ivy: The New Seduction Rebecca
James Dean: Race with DestinyElizabeth TaylorScenes deleted
Star PortalQuad Rena / SarahAlso known as "Not of this Earth II: Final Contact"
1998Termination ManDelilah Shane
1999MollyLauris
2001Harold Robbins' Body PartsRachel Kinnick
Black Scorpion ReturnsDr. Gail Waters / Hurricane
2019Guinevere and the Divinity FactoryShort
Super Break-UpAssociate ProducerShort film
2023We Kill for LoveSelfDocumentary

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1992 Doogie Howser, M.D. Boring WomanEpisode: "Will the Real Dr. Howser Please Stand Up"
The Young and the Restless MariannaEpisode: #1.5020
1993 Dark Justice RoxanneEpisode: "Crash Course"
1995 The Larry Sanders Show Woman #1Episode: "Hank's Sex Tape"
Seinfeld MelanieEpisode: "The Engagement"
1996 Murder One ColletteEpisode: "Chapter Twenty"
Star Trek: Voyager JessenEpisode: "Remember"
Red Shoe Diaries Edna Gaines' Granddaughter & Edna GainesEpisode: "Slow Train"
1997 L.A. Heat Meredith KnollEpisode: "Green Justice"
1998Madcap Magic PAX TV Special, Turner Classic MoviesMagician Assistant
1999 Nash Bridges Dori DitlowEpisode "Power Play"
2000Episode "Jackpot: Part 1"
2001 Black Scorpion Dr. Gail Waters / Hurricane3 episodes

Video Games

YearTitleRoleNotesPlatform
1995 Quarterback Attack with Mike Ditka Head CheerleaderSega Saturn / 3DO (1995), DOS (1996), Android / iPhone / iPad (2016)
1999 Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun & Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (Platinum Edition)Kodiak Pilot BrinkCastWindows
2000 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 / Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (Collector's Edition)Lieutenant Eva LeeLive action cast & in-game voiceWindows
2001 Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge Lieutenant Eva LeeLive action cast & in-game voiceWindows

Music video appearances

YearTitleBandOriginal artist(s)Director(s)
1988"Flower" Soundgarden Chris Cornell Mark Miremont
1991 "Paper Doll" P.M. Dawn Attrell Cordes, Jarrett Cordes Neil Abramson

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Mulgrew</span> American actress (born 1955)

Katherine Kiernan Maria Mulgrew is an American actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Captain Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager and Red on Orange Is the New Black. She first came to attention in the role of Mary Ryan on the daytime soap opera Ryan's Hope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LeVar Burton</span> American actor, director, and television host (born 1957)

Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994), Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots (1977), and was host of the PBS Kids educational television series Reading Rainbow for 23 years (1983–2006). He received 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award as host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Louis-Dreyfus</span> American actress and comedian (born 1961)

Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedian. Often described as one of the greatest performers in television history, she is widely known for her roles as various characters on Saturday Night Live (1982–1985), Elaine Benes on Seinfeld (1989–1998), Christine Campbell on The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–2010), and Selina Meyer on Veep (2012–2019). Her list of accolades makes her one of the most award-winning actresses in American television history, and she has received more Primetime Emmy Awards and more Screen Actors Guild Awards than any other performer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Marie Saint</span> American actress (born 1924)

Eva Marie Saint is a retired American actress of film, theatre, radio and television. In a career spanning over 70 years, she has won an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, alongside nominations for a Golden Globe Award and two British Academy Film Awards. Saint is both the oldest living and earliest surviving Academy Award-winner, and one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illeana Douglas</span> American actress and filmmaker

Illeana Hesselberg, known professionally as Illeana Douglas, is an American actress and filmmaker. She appeared in three episodes of Six Feet Under, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series and won the Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series award from OFTA, the Online Film & Television Association, and in the TV series Action opposite Jay Mohr, for which she won a Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. As of 2015, she can be seen on Turner Classic Movies where she hosts specials focused on unheralded women directors from film history.

"Caretaker" is the series premiere of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. It was first broadcast as a double-length episode on January 16, 1995, as the first telecast of the fledgling UPN network. It was later split into two parts for syndication, but released in its original one-episode format on DVD and streaming services. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet and Maquis crew of the starship USS Voyager after they are stranded in the Delta Quadrant far from the rest of the Federation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase Masterson</span> American actress, singer

Chase Masterson is an American actress and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxann Dawson</span> American actress (born 1958)

Roxann Dawson, also credited as Roxann Biggs and Roxann Biggs-Dawson, is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as B'Elanna Torres on the television series Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001). In the 2000s, she transitioned to a career primarily as a director, and has directed numerous episodes of television series including Star Trek: Enterprise, Crossing Jordan, Cold Case, Heroes, The Closer, The Mentalist, The Good Wife, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Mercy Street, The Deuce and Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane English</span> American film director

Diane English is an American screenwriter, producer and director. She is best known for creating the television show Murphy Brown which was won multiple awards, including18 Primetime Emmy Awards from 62 nominations. She also wrote and directed the 2008 feature film The Women. She has won numerous awards, including 3 Emmy Awards, and received numerous nominations.

"Endgame" is the series finale of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, episodes 25 and 26 of the seventh season and 171 and 172 in the overall series. It was originally shown May 23, 2001, on the UPN network as a double-length episode and later presented as such in DVD collections, but it is shown in syndicated broadcasts as a two-part story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Russ</span> American actor (born 1956)

Timothy Darrell Russ is an American actor, musician screenwriter, director and amateur astronomer. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager, Robert Johnson in Crossroads (1986), Casey in East of Hope Street (1998), Frank on Samantha Who?, Principal Franklin on the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly, and D. C. Montana on The Highwaymen (1987–1988). He appeared in The Rookie: Feds (2022) and reprised his role as Captain Tuvok on Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenda Strong</span> American actress (born 1960)

Brenda Strong is an American actress. She began her career in television, including guest starring appearances in Twin Peaks, Party of Five, Seinfeld, Scandal, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Blossom and Sports Night. She was a regular cast member in the series Desperate Housewives (2004–2012), Scorch (1992), and The Help (2004).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Herd</span> American actor (1932–2020)

Richard Thomas Herd Jr. was an American actor, appearing in numerous supporting, recurring, and guest roles in television series and occasional film roles, from the 1970s to the 2010s. He was well known in the science fiction community for his role in the 1983 NBC miniseries V and 1984 sequel V: The Final Battle, as John, the Visitors' Supreme Commander. Other major roles in his career included recurring parts on the NBC series seaQuest DSV as Admiral William Noyce; on Star Trek: Voyager as Admiral Owen Paris, the father of helmsman Tom Paris; and as George Costanza's boss Matt Wilhelm on Seinfeld. In two guest appearances on Quantum Leap, he played children's show host "Captain Galaxy", a would-be time traveler, and a miner named Ziggy Ziganovich. He also voiced Father Elijah in the Dead Money expansion for Fallout: New Vegas. Herd appeared at a number of fan conventions for his science fiction roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Kovack</span> American actress

Nancy Kovack is a retired American film and television actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian McNamara</span> American actor

Brian McNamara is an American actor. His first major role was in the film The Flamingo Kid (1984). He then went on to appear in a few films, such as Short Circuit (1986), Caddyshack II (1988), Arachnophobia (1990) and Mystery Date (1991).

Harold Thomas Wright is an American television and film actor. He has appeared in The Brother from Another Planet (1984), Matewan (1987), Creepshow 2 (1987), City of Hope (1991), Passion Fish (1992), Seinfeld (1994), Extreme (1995), Star Trek: Voyager (1996), Martial Law (1998-1999), Sunshine State (2002), Barbershop (2002), Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004), Honeydripper (2007), Granite Flats (2014), Medical Police (2020), and Daisy Jones & the Six (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Erwin</span> American actor

William Lindsey Erwin was an American film, stage and television actor and cartoonist with over 250 television and film credits. A veteran character actor, he is widely known for his 1993 Emmy Award-nominated performance on Seinfeld, portraying the embittered, irascible retiree Sid Fields. He also made notable appearances on shows such as I Love Lucy and Star Trek: The Next Generation. In cinema, his most recognized role is that of Arthur Biehl, a kindly bellman at the Grand Hotel, in Somewhere in Time (1980).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musetta Vander</span> South African actress, model and dancer (born 1963)

Musetta Vander is a South African actress, model and dancer.

<i>Star Trek: Voyager</i> (season 4) Season of television series

The fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager commenced airing on UPN in the United States on September 3, 1997, and concluded on May 20, 1998, after airing 26 episodes. Set in the 24th century, the series followed the adventures of the Starfleet and Maquis crew of the starship USS Voyager after they were stranded in the Delta Quadrant, far from the rest of the Federation. Season Four featured the debut of new main cast member Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, nicknamed Seven, and the departure of Jennifer Lien, who portrayed Kes during the first three seasons of the show. At the end of the season, co-creator and executive producer Jeri Taylor retired.

Karen J. Westerfield is an American make-up artist. In 2022 she was elected business representative of the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild, the top post for the guild; she was the first Asian-American and first woman to be elected to that post.

References

  1. 1 2 "Quarterback Attack with Mike Ditka | Reviewing Every U.S. Saturn Game | Episode 32 of 246". YouTube. 15 Oct 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Athena Massey". IMDB. Retrieved 22 Sep 2023.
  3. ↑ "Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun - Windows credit (1999)". Moby Games. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Treksperience: Meet Athena Massey - Star Trek Voyager!". Facebook. 10 Aug 2020.
  5. ↑ "Star Portal (1997) - Credits". Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  6. ↑ "Harold Robbins' Body Parts". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "The Nutty Professor (1996) - Credits". Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  8. ↑ "Poison Ivy: The New Seduction - Cast & Crew". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "Termination Man - Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Hollywood Classic Tournament; Best Ever?". Martial Arts Gazette: 25. 1998.
  11. ↑ Kenigsberg, Ben (31 Aug 2023). "'We Kill for Love' Review: What They Did in Hollywood's Shadows". The New Youk Times.
  12. ↑ Phillips, Scott (13 Apr 2023). "Horror Films Take New Orleans By Storm At the Overlook Film Festival". Forbes.
  13. ↑ "STV: Athena Massey "Remembers" Jessen of Star Trek: Voyager". YouTube. 17 Mar 2017.
  14. ↑ "The Official Star Trek 2017 Convention – Las Vegas". Rostercon. 30 Oct 2016.
  15. ↑ "The Official Star Trek 2018 Convention – Las Vegas". Rostercon. 24 Jul 2018.
  16. ↑ "55-Year Mission Tour (2021)". Rostercon. 6 Aug 2021.
  17. ↑ "Athena Massey - interview after RED ALERT 2". YouTube. 21 July 2016.
  18. ↑ "This Podcast is Making Me Thirsty Seinfeld Podcast - Seinfeld Podcast | Athena Massey | 117". YouTube. 20 Jun 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  19. ↑ "Cover". Hair and Fashion Magazine. 3 (2): 1. Jul 1991.
  20. ↑ "Le Lace (Ad)". LA Weekly. 14–20 Jun 1991.
  21. ↑ "High Style". Los Angeles Herald Examiner. 26 Jul 1989.
  22. ↑ "Leather | Lingerie". EXPOSURE Magazine. 1989 (12): 34. Dec 1989.
  23. ↑ "Leslie Hamel". Women's Wear Daily. 1990 (12): 107. Oct 1990.
  24. ↑ "Penafiel Light Ad". Eres Magazine. 3 (68). July 1991.
  25. ↑ Kirkland, Douglas (1 January 1997). Body Stories. Leonardo Arte. ISBN   978-8878137592.
  26. ↑ Weaver, Jackson (4 Oct 2022). "Douglas Kirkland, Canadian artist who famously photographed Marilyn Monroe, dead at 88". CBC News. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  27. ↑ Vial, Veronique (1 July 2003). Hollywood Splash (1st ed.). powerHouse Books. ISBN   1-57687-183-5.
  28. ↑ Clark, Leigh M. (2022). The Dream is in Your Hands: She Can Do It. Aurora Corialis Publishing. pp. 40–42. ISBN   978-0990317449.
  29. ↑ "Costume & Couture: Dressing TV's Hottest Stars". Emmy. 2000 (Aug). Aug 2000.
  30. ↑ Kaltman, Naomi (Spring 1998). "First time ever: 23 of Jerry's girlfriends in one sizzling photograph!". TV Guide - Special Edition - Seinfeld Forever (Spring 1998): 55, 70.
  31. 1 2 Eby, Douglas (Apr 1996). "Warrior Goddess". Femme Fatales. 4 (7): 8–13.
  32. 1 2 Kinkade, Amelia (Jan 1997). "Portrait: Rising Star". Femme Fatales. 5 (7): 41–47.
  33. ↑ "Mickey Spillane Homage". Femme Fatales. 6 (10/11). Apr 1998.
  34. ↑ "Vampire's Appeal". Femme Fatales. 7 (4). Sep 1998.
  35. ↑ "Black Scorpion". Femme Fatales. 7 (5). Oct 1998.
  36. ↑ "The Femmes of Mickey Spillane". Femme Fatales. 7 (7). Dec 1998.
  37. ↑ "Athena Warrior Eternal". Plunge. 5 (2). Nov 1998.
  38. ↑ Scapperotti, Dan (4 Feb 2000). "Athena Massey". Femme Fatales. 8 (11): 6.
  39. ↑ "This Podcast is Making Me Thirsty Seinfeld Podcast - Seinfeld Podcast | Athena Massey | 117". YouTube. Retrieved 25 Sep 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.