That ‘70s Show

Background:

“If I could make millions of dollars being a softball player, I would quit acting in a second.” Danny Masterson

A tall, slender, curly-haired American actor who started modeling as a child before segueing into acting, Danny Masterson acquired television stardom as Steven Hyde in Fox’s hit sitcom “That ‘70s Show” (1998-2006), in which he picked up a Young Artist and Teen Choice nominations. He is also memorable for playing Justin, the love interest and young son, in “Cybill” (1996-1998), and has made guest performances on a number of television series, including in “Roseanne” (1994), “Party of Five” (1996) and “Mad TV” (2002-2004).

As a movie actor, Masterson is probably best recalled for his bright appearance in the Paul Reiser comedy Bye Bye, Love (1995). Other films he has acted in include The John Travolta-Nicholas Cage action Face/Off (1997), Dirt Merchant (1999) and Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000 (2000). Recently appearing in Mekhi Phifer’s Puff, Puff, Pass (2006), the young performer is scheduled to play various roles in the upcoming comedies the Gregg Araki-helmed Smiley Face (2006), You Are Here (2006) and Capers (2007).

Off screen, Masterson, whose favorite band is Pearl Jam, is good friends with musician-actor Tony Lucca, his co-star in 1996’s TV film Her Last Chance. He is a scientologist and has used his celebrity name to support the gala opening of Scientology’s controversial “Psychiatry: An Industry of Death” Museum. As for his love life, the afro-haired performer has been romantically involved with Chrissie Carnell, Bobette Riales (started dating in August 2003, no longer together) and model-actress Bijou Phillips (dating as of 2004).


Donkey Punch

Childhood and Family:

Daniel Peter Masterson was born on March 13, 1976 in Albertson, Long Island, New York. His parents, Peter and Carol Masterson, divorced when he was 8 years old. Daniel is the older brother of actor Christopher Masterson of the television series “Malcolm in the Middle.” He has three half-siblings, Alanna (born in 1988), Jordan (born in 1986) and Will (born in 1987), from his parents’ next marriages.

The Long Island native currently resides in Los Angeles and New York City. While in L.A, he often serves as a guest DJ in a number of Los Angeles nightclubs under his name, DJ Donkey Punch. Additionally, he co-owns “Dolce,” a Los Angeles restaurant, with “That ‘70s Show” costars Ashton Kutcher and Wilmer Valderrama.


Cybill

Career:

Hailed from Long Island, Danny Masterson began his career in showbiz as a child model at age four and by age 16, had appeared in hundreds of commercials. In 1984, he acted in his first Off-Broadway play in “Dragons,” as well as made his TV acting debut with a guest role in an episode of “Jake and the Fatman,” four years later. He continued to star in the regular role of Leo Gennero, the teen nephew of the title character, on the brief ABC sitcom “Joe’s Life” in 1993, and segued to film later that same year with a supporting part, as Seth, in the Charles Grodin-Bonnie Hunt comedy/family feature Beethoven’s 2nd, directed by Rod Daniel.

After a recurring role as Darlene’s new boyfriend in “Roseanne” (1994), Masterson made a small, but memorable, turn as a less-than-good friend to Paul Reiser’s bothered daughter in Bye Bye, Love (1995), a comedy film by director Sam Weisman. He returned to series TV to play Skeeter, a snowboarding thrill-huntsman, in the short-lived ABC adventure drama “Extreme” (1995) and played supporting roles in the drama made-for-television film Her Last Chance and the miniseries thriller “Seduced by Madness: The Diane Borchardt Story” (both NBC, 1996). Still in 1996, he starred as Matt in three episodes of the popular series “Party of Five,” as well as guest starred in episodes of “American Gothic,” “Tracey Takes On...” and “NYPD Blue.”

Masterson’s small career eventually gained momentum when he booked a regular role in the CBS sitcom “Cybill.” He played Justin Thorpe, the young son of Maryann (Christine Baranski) and the lover of Cybill’s daughter Zoe (Alicia Witt) from 1996 to 1998. While working on the show, he also appeared along side John Travolta and Nicholas Cage in the action-packed movie Face/Off (1997), and appeared in the direct-to-video-release Trojan War and the children’s film Star Kid (both 1997).

After leaving “Cybill,” the young actor received even more attention when he moved into another regular series role on the Fox retro comedy “That ‘70s Show” (1998-2006). Playing Steve Hyde, the somewhat more complicated of the six suburban Wisconsin youngsters, he a Teen Choice nomination for TV - Choice Sidekick and a Young Artist nomination for Best Performance in a TV Series - Young Ensemble, sharing with costars Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Wilmer Valderrama and others.

Despite his series commitment, Masterson went on to pursue his movie career. He appeared in Wild Horses (1998), Too Pure (1998), The Faculty (1998) and starred in director-writer B.J Nelson’s comedy Dirt Merchant (1999). Following a feature role in Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000 (2000), he costarred in drama film Alex in Wonder (2001), Hip, Edgy, Sexy, Cool (2002), Hold On (2002) and Pancho's Pizza (2005). Moreover, he undertook guest roles in such shows as “Grounded for Life” (2001), “Strange Frequency” (2001), “King of the Hill” (2003), “Robot Chicken” (2005), “Stephen King’s Dead Zone” (2005) and regularly appeared in “Mad TV” (2002-2004).

Recently, Masterson teamed up with filmmaker Mekhi Phifer for the comedy Puff, Puff, Pass (2006), playing Larry, opposite Jonathan Banks, Malik Barnhardt, Justin Chon and Mo Collins. He also used his voice to bring the character Quinn to life in one episode of the animated series “Disney’s Kim Possible” (2006).

Masterson is set to collaborate with Gregg Araki for his upcoming comedy film Smiley Face (2006), starring Anna Faris. Besides, he will play small role Derek in the comedy/romance You Are Here (2006) and star as Fitz in Capers, a comedy scheduled for 2007 release.


Awards:
---