Ben Masters

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Ben Masters
Born
Benjamin Masters

(1947-05-06)May 6, 1947
Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.
DiedJanuary 11, 2023(2023-01-11) (aged 75)
Palm Springs, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1974–2008

Benjamin Masters (May 6, 1947 – January 11, 2023) was an American actor who is best known for his portrayal of Julian Crane in daytime drama Passions from July 8, 1999, to the show's final episode on August 7, 2008.

Early life

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Masters was born in Corvallis, Oregon, and graduated from the University of Oregon as a theater major.

Career

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Masters moved to New York City and landed a role in the off-Broadway play The Boys in the Band. He also had a 13-month run in Kevin Wade's Key Exchange off-Broadway. The Broadway plays Captain Brassbound's Conversion with Ingrid Bergman and The Cherry Orchard with Irene Worth, Raul Julia, and Meryl Streep followed. Masters portrayed Nick, the older brother of the titular character in the 1976–1977 Saturday morning series Muggsy.[1]

Masters started in daytime dramas when he portrayed Vic Strang on Another World for three months in 1982.

Masters later appeared as corporate raider Linc Bartlett in the television miniseries Noble House in 1988.[2]

On May 14, 1994, Masters was one of the guests in the Walker, Texas Ranger two-hour special episode titled "The Reunion".[3][4]

In 1999, he signed a contract for NBC's Passions, as the womanizing billionaire Julian Crane. His role on the daytime drama landed him Soap Opera Digest Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2001 and 2002 and Outstanding Lead Actor in 2005.[5] After NBC announced that it was cancelling Passions in February 2007, Masters said "I will miss getting to play this part so much. I had such a great time playing Julian Crane. I wanted to do it until I couldn't do it anymore."[6] Passions was later picked up by Directv for the 2007–2008 season.

Masters died on January 11, 2023, at the age of 75, from complications of COVID-19 while battling dementia.[7][8]

Filmography

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Film
Year Title Role Notes
1975 Mandingo Charles
1979 All That Jazz Dr. Garry
1985 Key Exchange Philip
1986 Dream Lover Michael Hansen
1987 Making Mr. Right Steve Marcus
1994 Walker Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion Senator Julian Knox
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1976–1977 Muggsy Nick Malloy 13 episodes
1980 The Shadow Box Mark TV movie
1984 Celebrity Kleber Cantrell Miniseries
1986 Kate's Secret Jack Stark TV movie
1986 The Deliberate Stranger Det. Mike Fisher TV movie
1988 Noble House Linc Bartlett 4 episode
1988 Street of Dreams Kyd Thomas TV movie
1988–1989 HeartBeat Dr. Leo Rosetti 18 episodes
1992 Cruel Doubt Frank Johnston 2 episodes
1993 A Twist of the Knife Prosecutor Dennis Chapin TV movie
1995 Lady Killer Ross Mitchell
1997 The Second Civil War Matthew Langford TV movie
1997 Spy Game General Sam Wellish
1999–2008 Passions Julian Crane 749 episodes

References

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  1. ^ TV Guide Guide to TV. Barnes and Noble. 2004. p. 435. ISBN 0-7607-5634-1.
  2. ^ Wisehart, Bob (February 20, 1988). "Japanese Prison Freed His Muse: James Clavell Lived a Lifetime in 3 Years As a POW". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 18.
  3. ^ "Saturday Prime Time Television". Lincoln Journal Star. May 14, 1994.
  4. ^ Burlingame, Jon (May 14, 1994). "Mac goes treasure hunting on 'Atlantis'". Intelligencer Journal.
  5. ^ Ben Masters biography Archived November 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine TV.com
  6. ^ "Passions Star: 'We're Not Dead Yet!'". Soap Opera Weekly. February 13, 2007. p. 4.
  7. ^ Ben Masters Dies: ‘Passions’ Soap Star Was 75
  8. ^ Rice, Lynette (2023-01-11). "Ben Masters Dies: 'Passions' Soap Star Was 75". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
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