Ben Masters, a soap opera actor best known for his role as Julian Crane on the long-running NBC series Passions, has died. The star passed away on January 11th, aged 75, after succumbing to his battle with dementia in Palm Springs, California. Masters is survived by his friends and family, together with a long and storied career in classical Hollywood.
Born May 6th, 1947 in Oregon, Ben Masters earned a college degree in theater in 1969 and made his stage debut with a role in the off-Broadway play The Boys in the Band. In addition, Masters also starred in productions of Captain Brassbound’s Conversations (1971) alongside Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman (Murder on the Orient Express) and The Cherry Orchard (1977) alongside Hollywood A-Lister Meryl Streep.
Ben Masters’ TV and Film Career: ‘Passions’ and More
In 1975, Ben Masters first made his film debut as Charles in Mandingo, a historical melodrama starring James Mason, Susan George, and Sylvester Stallone. In 1979, he would go on to star as Dr. Garry in Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz, followed by a role as Mark in the TV movie Shadow Box (1980), directed by Paul Newman. In 1985, he would star alongside Brook Adams in Key Exchange, followed by more roles in the late ’80s in films and TV movies such as Dream Lover (1986), The Deliberate Stranger (1986), Making Mr. Right (1987) and Noble House (1988).
Throughout the 1990s, Ben Masters’ television career would truly begin picking up speed, with Masters joining roles like Frank Johnston in Cruel Doubt (1992) and Prosecutor Dennis Chapin in A Twist of the Knife (1993). With a few more TV movie roles occupying the late ’90s, Ben Masters would enter his biggest role in 1999, when he accepted a role as Julian Crane in the NBC soap opera Passions, which was created to mimic the viewership spikes that took place during the heyday of Days of Our Lives. According to Deadline, Ben Masters would stay with the show until its conclusion in 2008, with his role as Julian Crane being his last on-screen role before his death.
On January 11th, 2023, Ben Masters died after losing his battle with dementia, though his official cause of death is attributed to COVID-19, according to TV Line. He is survived by his sister Cheryl Lerner and nieces Hannah and Clea Lerner.
