Michael Jace

American actor and convicted murderer (born 1962) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michael Jace (born July 13, 1962)[1] is an American former actor and convicted murderer. He is best known for his role as Los Angeles Police Officer Julien Lowe in the FX drama The Shield from 2002 to 2008.

Born (1962-07-13) July 13, 1962 (age 63)
OccupationActor
Yearsactive1992–2014
KnownforThe Shield
Quick facts Born, Occupation ...
Michael Jace
Born (1962-07-13) July 13, 1962 (age 63)
OccupationActor
Years active1992–2014
Known forThe Shield
Spouses
Jennifer Bitterman
(m. 1996; div. 2002)
(m. 2003; died 2014)
Children3
Criminal information
Criminal statusIncarcerated
MotiveMarital problems, financial difficulties
ConvictionSecond-degree murder
Criminal penalty40 years to life in prison
Details
VictimsApril Jace
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
WeaponGun
Date apprehended
May 20, 2014
Imprisoned atCorcoran State Prison
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In 2014, Jace fatally shot his wife, track and field athlete April Jace. He was convicted of second-degree murder and in 2016 was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.[2]

Career

Jace was born in Paterson, New Jersey.[1] He 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 boxer 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

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."[3] When police arrived, they found Jace's wife, April, dead from gunshot wounds. After being questioned by police regarding his wife's death,[4] Jace confessed to the shooting.

On May 20, 2014, Jace was arrested on suspicion of murder.[5] 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.[2][9] He is incarcerated at the Corcoran State Prison.[10]

Filmography

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Role Notes
1994 Forrest Gump Black Panther #2 Film debut
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

NYPD Blue Fools Russian

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 Final film role
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References

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