Walter Massey, an excellent actor and even better man, has died at the age of 85.
Mr. Massey passed away in a Montreal hospital on Monday after an undisclosed illness. He was two weeks shy of his 86th birthday.
Mr. Massey was a linchpin in the Montreal acting community, appearing in dozens of movies, television shows and radio dramas in Montreal and across Canada.
But what really marked him was his generosity toward his fellow actors, especially young performers, including this one, just breaking into the business.
“Walter was a very special and kind person,” said Don Jordan, the president of the Montreal chapter of the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists.
A cousin of Toronto-born Hollywood star Raymond Massey, Mr. Massey was a founding member of Canadian Actors’ Equity and worked in theatre, television and movies for six decades.
He was best known for voicing Principal Herbert Haney on the animated series ‘Arthur’, and The Doctor in the English version of ‘The Mysterious Cities of Gold’, and for his role as Dr. Donald Stewart on the 1990s version of “Lassie”.
Mr. Massey’s Canadian theatre credits include a production of Blood Relations at Montreal’s Centaur Theatre and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
In 1988, the Canadian Actors Equity Association gave Mr. Massey the Larry McCance award for his service to the organization. He was also presented with the Montreal ACTRA Award of Excellence in 2007.
Mr. Massey leaves behind his wife, Sharman Yarnell.
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