Massey was born on 16 April 1868 in
Northumberland, the daughter of
Rose Massey, a well-known actress in her time, who died of consumption in 1883. Her father, who was not married to her mother, was the artist agent Alex Henderson (1828–1886, father of
Effie Adelaide Rowlands and later spouse of
Lydia Thompson). Massey appeared in plays,
Victorian burlesques and
Edwardian musical comedies as
A Run of Luck (1888),
Ruy Blas and the Blasé Roué (1889) (incorrectly listed as Blanche Massie),
Carmen up to Data (1890),
Cinder Ellen up too Late (1891),
The Geisha (1896),
My Friend the Prince (1897), and
Lady Madcap (1904). She appeared in both the 1893
West End production of
A Gaiety Girl and also the 1894
Broadway production, playing Alma Somerset, the title role, in the latter.
The New York Times reviewer wrote, after its Broadway debut in September 1894, that "Blanche Massey is only to be looked at, and few persons will ever tire of looking at her." Massey married George F. Tully (1876–1930), an Irish-born actor, who appeared in a few silent films in the 1910s. She died at age 61, on 27 September 1929. ==References==