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Sad story: Michael Massee, ‘The Crow’ Actor Who Accidentally Shot Brandon Lee, Dies at 61
http://variety.com/2016/film/news/michael-massee-dead-dies-shot-brandon-lee-crow-1201901578/
Michael Massee, who accidentally fatally shot Brandon Lee on the set of their 1994 film “The Crow,” in which he played Funboy, has died, his agent confirmed to Variety. He was 61.
Actor Anthony Delon first annouced the news in an Instagram post on Monday, writing “R.I.P. my friend Michael. You were ‘five seconds away from a clean getaway.'” Massee and Delon worked together on the 2014 French TV series “Interventions.”
Details of his death weren’t immediately available.
<snip>
The actor, who has almost 80 film and television credits, is also known for his role as the man at the massage parlor in David Fincher’s 1995 thriller “Seven.” He worked with the director again in 1997 on “The Game.” His other film credits include “Lost Highway” (1997), “Catwoman” (2004), “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012), and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014), in which he portrayed Gustav Fiers — aka The Gentleman.
On TV, Massee had recurring roles as villain Ira Gaines on the first season of the Fox’s “24” and baddie Charles Hoyt on TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles,” in addition to making appearances in “The X-Files,” “Alias,” “Supernatural,” “House,” and “The Blacklist.”
</snip>
Michael Massee, who accidentally fatally shot Brandon Lee on the set of their 1994 film “The Crow,” in which he played Funboy, has died, his agent confirmed to Variety. He was 61.
Actor Anthony Delon first annouced the news in an Instagram post on Monday, writing “R.I.P. my friend Michael. You were ‘five seconds away from a clean getaway.'” Massee and Delon worked together on the 2014 French TV series “Interventions.”
Details of his death weren’t immediately available.
<snip>
The actor, who has almost 80 film and television credits, is also known for his role as the man at the massage parlor in David Fincher’s 1995 thriller “Seven.” He worked with the director again in 1997 on “The Game.” His other film credits include “Lost Highway” (1997), “Catwoman” (2004), “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012), and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014), in which he portrayed Gustav Fiers — aka The Gentleman.
On TV, Massee had recurring roles as villain Ira Gaines on the first season of the Fox’s “24” and baddie Charles Hoyt on TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles,” in addition to making appearances in “The X-Files,” “Alias,” “Supernatural,” “House,” and “The Blacklist.”
</snip>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Massee#Career
In 1993, Massee portrayed the character Funboy in the film The Crow, starring Brandon Lee. Massee was the actor who fired the shot that killed Lee by accident on the set in 1993, due to an improperly prepared prop gun. He was so traumatized by the event that he returned to New York and took a year off from acting. He refused to view the film. In an interview in 2005, 12 years after the incident, Massee revealed that he still had nightmares about it, going on to say, "I don't think you ever get over something like that."
In 1993, Massee portrayed the character Funboy in the film The Crow, starring Brandon Lee. Massee was the actor who fired the shot that killed Lee by accident on the set in 1993, due to an improperly prepared prop gun. He was so traumatized by the event that he returned to New York and took a year off from acting. He refused to view the film. In an interview in 2005, 12 years after the incident, Massee revealed that he still had nightmares about it, going on to say, "I don't think you ever get over something like that."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crow_(1994_film)#Brandon_Lee.27s_death
Brandon Lee died of a gunshot wound on March 31, 1993, after an accidental shooting on set at EUE Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina.
In the scene in which Lee was accidentally shot, Lee’s character walks into his apartment and discovers his fiancée being beaten and raped by thugs. Actor Michael Massee's character fires a .44 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 629 revolver at Lee as he walks into the room.[4]
A previous scene using the same gun had called for inert dummy cartridges fitted with bullets, but no powder or primer, to be loaded in the revolver. For close-up scenes which utilize a revolver, where the bullets are clearly visible from the front, and do not require the gun to actually be fired, dummy cartridges provide a more realistic appearance than blank rounds, which have no bullet. Instead of purchasing commercial dummy cartridges, the film's prop crew, hampered by time constraints, created their own by pulling the bullets from live rounds, dumping the powder charge then reinserting the bullets.[5][6]
However, they unknowingly left the live percussion primer in place at the rear of the cartridge. At some point during filming the revolver was apparently discharged with one of these improperly-deactivated cartridges in the chamber, setting off the primer with enough force to drive the bullet partway into the barrel, where it became stuck (a condition known as a squib load). The prop crew either failed to notice or failed to recognize the significance of this issue.
In the fatal scene, which called for the revolver to be actually fired at Lee from a distance of 12–15 feet, the dummy cartridges were exchanged for blank rounds, which feature a live powder charge and primer, but no bullet, thus allowing the gun to be fired without the risk of an actual projectile.
As the production company had sent the firearms specialist home early, responsibility for the guns was given to a prop assistant who was not aware of the rule for checking all firearms before and after any handling. Therefore, the barrel was not checked for obstructions when it came time to load it with the blank rounds.[5][6] Since the bullet from the dummy round was already trapped in the barrel, this caused the .44 Magnum bullet to be fired out of the barrel with virtually the same force as if the gun had been loaded with a live round, and it struck Lee in the abdomen, mortally wounding him.[7]
He was rushed to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC, where he underwent six hours of surgery. However, attempts to save him were unsuccessful, and Lee was pronounced dead at 1:03 pm on March 31, 1993 at the age of 28. The shooting was ruled an accident.
The video footage of his death was used as evidence in the investigation. It was later destroyed as part of the lawsuit settlement.
</snip>
Brandon Lee died of a gunshot wound on March 31, 1993, after an accidental shooting on set at EUE Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina.
In the scene in which Lee was accidentally shot, Lee’s character walks into his apartment and discovers his fiancée being beaten and raped by thugs. Actor Michael Massee's character fires a .44 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 629 revolver at Lee as he walks into the room.[4]
A previous scene using the same gun had called for inert dummy cartridges fitted with bullets, but no powder or primer, to be loaded in the revolver. For close-up scenes which utilize a revolver, where the bullets are clearly visible from the front, and do not require the gun to actually be fired, dummy cartridges provide a more realistic appearance than blank rounds, which have no bullet. Instead of purchasing commercial dummy cartridges, the film's prop crew, hampered by time constraints, created their own by pulling the bullets from live rounds, dumping the powder charge then reinserting the bullets.[5][6]
However, they unknowingly left the live percussion primer in place at the rear of the cartridge. At some point during filming the revolver was apparently discharged with one of these improperly-deactivated cartridges in the chamber, setting off the primer with enough force to drive the bullet partway into the barrel, where it became stuck (a condition known as a squib load). The prop crew either failed to notice or failed to recognize the significance of this issue.
In the fatal scene, which called for the revolver to be actually fired at Lee from a distance of 12–15 feet, the dummy cartridges were exchanged for blank rounds, which feature a live powder charge and primer, but no bullet, thus allowing the gun to be fired without the risk of an actual projectile.
As the production company had sent the firearms specialist home early, responsibility for the guns was given to a prop assistant who was not aware of the rule for checking all firearms before and after any handling. Therefore, the barrel was not checked for obstructions when it came time to load it with the blank rounds.[5][6] Since the bullet from the dummy round was already trapped in the barrel, this caused the .44 Magnum bullet to be fired out of the barrel with virtually the same force as if the gun had been loaded with a live round, and it struck Lee in the abdomen, mortally wounding him.[7]
He was rushed to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC, where he underwent six hours of surgery. However, attempts to save him were unsuccessful, and Lee was pronounced dead at 1:03 pm on March 31, 1993 at the age of 28. The shooting was ruled an accident.
The video footage of his death was used as evidence in the investigation. It was later destroyed as part of the lawsuit settlement.
</snip>
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