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Michael Jace

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Michael Jace
Born (1962-07-13) July 13, 1962 (age 62)[3]
Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1992–2014
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1]
Criminal statusIncarcerated[1]
Spouses
Jennifer Bitterman
​
​
(m. 1996; div. 2002)​
​
​
(m. 2003; died 2014)​
Children3
MotiveMarital problems, financial difficulties
Conviction(s)Second-degree murder
Criminal chargeMurder[1]
Penalty40 years to life in prison[2]
Details
VictimsApril Jace
CountryUnited States
State(s)California
WeaponGun
Date apprehended
May 20, 2014[1]
Imprisoned atCorcoran State Prison

Michael Andrew Jace (born July 13, 1962) is an American convicted murderer and former character actor, best known for his role as Los Angeles Police Officer Julien Lowe in the FX drama The Shield. He also played Andre Tibbs, an ex-convict mover accused of murder, in an episode of Cold Case.

On May 20, 2014, Jace was arrested after he fatally shot his wife, April Jace. A jury convicted him of second-degree murder on May 31, 2016, and on June 10, 2016, sentenced him to 40 years to life in prison.[2]

Career

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Jace began his professional acting career in 1992, appearing in an episode of Law & Order. In 1994, he appeared in several TV shows, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and films including Clear and Present Danger and Forrest Gump, where he portrayed the leader of the Black Panthers.

Jace's other film appearances include Strange Days, playing a bodyguard to a corrupt record executive; The Replacements, playing a prison inmate-turned-football player; The Great White Hype, playing antagonist Marvin Shabazz; Boogie Nights, playing Jerome; The Fan, playing an arrogant ticket scalper; and Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes remake, playing Major Frank Santos.

Jace's TV appearances include the 1995 HBO TV movie Tyson (as boxer Mitch Green), Cold Case, and the 1999 Fox Family Channel TV movie Michael Jordan: An American Hero (as Jordan).

In 2002, Jace was cast as Officer Julien Lowe on FX's hit show The Shield. He was part of the main cast and appeared in 88 episodes through all seven seasons.

After his role on The Shield, Jace appeared, uncredited, in the film State of Play with Russell Crowe. From 2009 to 2013, he had a small recurring role on the television series Southland.

Murder conviction

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Jace was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department on the evening of May 19, 2014, at his Hyde Park, South Los Angeles home, following a domestic violence report as well as Jace's own 9-1-1 call, in which he stated, "I shot my wife."[4] When police arrived, they found Jace's wife, April, dead from gunshot wounds. After being questioned by police regarding his wife's death,[5] Jace confessed to the shooting.

On May 20, 2014, Jace was arrested on suspicion of murder.[1] On May 22, 2014, he was formally charged with murder by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.[6] On May 31, 2016, Jace was found guilty of second-degree murder.[7] Notably, the LAPD was able to crack the password-protected security on April's iPhone 5c.[8] On June 10, 2016, he was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.[9] He is incarcerated at the Corcoran State Prison.[10]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1994 Forrest Gump Black Panther #2
1994 Clear and Present Danger Coast Guardsman #3
1994 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 1st Officer, USS Odyssey
1995 Strange Days Wade Beemer
1996 The Great White Hype Marvin Shabazz
1996 The Fan Scalper
1997 Boogie Nights Jerome
1997 Bombshell Detective Jefferson
1998 Thick as Thieves Malcolm
1999 Michael Jordan: An American Hero Michael Jordan TV movie
2000 The Replacements Wilkinson
2001 Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man Samuel Pinckney TV movie
2001 Planet of the Apes Major Frank Santos
2002 Scorcher MacVaughn
2002–2008 The Shield Officer Julien Lowe Main role
2003 Cradle 2 the Grave Odion
2005 Fair Game E
2006 Gridiron Gang Mr. Jones
2009 State of Play Officer Brown
2009–2013 Southland Terrell 4 episodes
2010 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Unknown 2 episodes
2010 Rizzoli & Isles Malcolm Senna 1 Ep: Sympathy for the Devil
2010 Burn Notice Jeff Taylor 1 Ep: Brotherly Love
2011 Private Practice Randy Hatcher 1 Ep: A Step Too Far
2011 The Mentalist Lawrence 1 Ep: Rhapsody in Red
2011 Nikita Captain Tony Merrick 1 Ep: Game Change
2011 Division III: Football's Finest Roy Goodwyn

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "LASD Inmate Information Center – Inmate Search". Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD). Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Digon, Sno-Ann (June 2, 2016). "Michael Jace Guilty Of Wife's Murder; Sentenced To 40 Years". Parent Herald. IQADNET LLC. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  3. ^ "Biographical facts on arrested actor Michael Jace". The Associated Press. May 20, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  4. ^ Longeretta, Emily (May 20, 2014). "Michael Jace Charged For Shooting & Killing Wife In Front Of Kids". Hollywood Life. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  5. ^ "Actor Michael Jace held over fatal shooting of wife, April Jace at home in Los Angeles". CBS News. San Francisco, California: CBS Interactive Inc. May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  6. ^ McNary, Dave (May 22, 2014). "Prosecutors Charge 'The Shield' Actor With Murder in Wife's Death". Variety. Los Angeles, California: Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  7. ^ Lara, Jovana; ABC7.com staff (May 31, 2016). "Former 'Shield' actor Michael Jace found guilty of wife's murder". ABC7 Los Angeles. Los Angeles, California: ABC Inc. Associated Press. Retrieved May 31, 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "LAPD hacks into locked iPhone of actor Michael Jace's slain wife". Los Angeles Daily News. May 5, 2016.
  9. ^ Myers, Amanda Lee (June 11, 2016). "'Shield' actor gets 40 years to life in wife's killing". CTV News. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Bell Media. Associated Press.
  10. ^ "CDCR Public Inmate Locator Disclaimer".
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