Chase Masterson


Chase Masterson is an American actress, singer and producer best known for her role as Leeta on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She has appeared in the TV shows General Hospital, Sliders, and ER and voiced characters in several animated films. As a singer, she has released several albums. In 2008, Masterson won the Best Feature Film Producer award at the LA Femme Film Festival for the film Yesterday Was a Lie, in which she also acted. In 2013, Masterson co-founded the Pop Culture Hero Coalition to speak out against bullying, racism, misogyny, homophobia and other forms of hate.

Early life

Masterson was born Christianne Carafano in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As her father was in the Army, she grew up in several places, among them West Haven, Connecticut and three years in Germany. Her family settled in El Paso, Texas when she was in the sixth grade. Masterson graduated from the University of Texas and has one child.

Career

Acting

Masterson's first major role came in 1994 as Ivy Lief on General Hospital. She then spent five years portraying the Bajoran Dabo girl Leeta on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine from 1995 to 1999. Her prominent feature film roles include starring as a sultry singer in James Kerwin's sci-fi film noir Yesterday Was a Lie, which she also produced, and voicing Janice Em in the animated film Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles. Her television guest-starring roles include ER and Sliders; in the latter, her role was that of Kelly Welles, the sister of Wade Welles.
Masterson hosted an Entertainment Tonight-style news program for the Sci-Fi Channel in the 1990s called Sci-Fi Entertainment and an Internet-based radio talk show for the website The Fandom in 2004–2005.
Since 2010, Masterson has reprised her role as Leeta from Deep Space Nine, both in hologram form and in her "mirror universe" guise, in Cryptic Studios' Star Trek Online. After Masterson appeared in two Doctor Who audio adventures from Big Finish Productions, it was announced on October 19, 2012, that she would star in her own spin-off series, Vienna, as "impossibly glamorous bounty hunter" Vienna Salvatori.
Masterson is voicing the title character "Auto" in monochrom's science fiction comedy film Je Suis Auto. The film is a farcical comedy that deals with issues such as AI, politics of labor, and tech culture.

Singer and live performer

Masterson has released two commercial records: 2011's Yesterday Was a Lie and 2012's Burned With Desire. In addition, she has released several independent jazz CDs: Thrill of the Chase, whose title is a play on her stage name, the follow-up EP AD ASTRA!, the limited edition Crystal Anniversary: Songs from the Holosuite in honor of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's fifteenth anniversary, and the "greatest hits" compilation Jazz Cocktail.
Masterson was special guest star at the 20th anniversary edition of cocktail robot festival Roboexotica in Vienna and performed a live jazz set for "robots and humans".

Film producer

Masterson was named Best Feature Film Producer of 2008 by the LA Femme Film Festival for her work as producer of the mystery/drama Yesterday Was a Lie.

Advocacy

In 2013, Masterson, who experienced bullying herself while in school, co-founded the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, a non-profit organization speaking out against "bullying, racism, misogyny, cyber-bullying, LGBT-bullying, and other forms of hate."

Public image

In 2004, as a result of her genre work, Masterson was named one of the world's "50 Sexiest Women" by the men's magazine Femme Fatales, and the "Favorite Science Fiction Actress on Television" in a TV Guide reader's poll. In December 2009, AOL named her one of the "Ten Sexiest Aliens on TV", reporting that Masterson is "regularly voted the most popular guest at Star Trek conventions."

Lawsuit against Matchmaker.com

Following a series of stalking incidents instigated by a man in Berlin, Masterson – under her birth name of Christianne Carafano – was the petitioner in Carafano v. Metrosplash.com, an online dating service, formerly Matchmaker.com, on which the man had created a fictitious dating profile that contained Masterson's home address, telephone number, four photographs of her, and a description of her that characterized her as licentious. As a result, she received a series of unwanted communications, including obscene telephone calls. When the matter was brought to the attention of Matchmaker.com they removed the profile from the site. Masterson then sued Matchmaker.com for defamation, invasion of privacy, misappropriation of the right of publicity and negligence. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled against Masterson, deciding the man who created the profile was responsible for it, and not Matchmaker.com. The court cited Communications Decency Act, which states that "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider."

Discography

  • Yesterday Was a Lie
  • "Burned with Desire"

    Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1984SongwriterGirl in Bedcredited as Christie Carafano
1985Confessions of a Serial KillerProstitutecredited as Christie Carafano
1993Robin Hood: Men in TightsGiggling Court Lady
1995Digital ManSusie
1997Ballerina FinaleLori
1998Sometimes They Come Back... for MoreMajor Callie O'Grady
1999SammyvilleMiranda Clark
2000The SpecialsMoira Murphy
2001Lightning: Fire from the SkyAnna
2002Terminal InvasionCathy Garrett
2004Comic Book: The MovieHerself
2004Creature UnknownKat
2005Take OutNicole Blu
2006ManticoreAshley Pierce
2006ChastityMadam
2007Through Your EyesHerself
2008Yesterday Was a LieSinger
2008Star Trek: Of Gods and MenXela
2011The Truth Is Out ThereHerself
2013The Search for SimonThe Publisher
2013R.U.R.: GenesisSulla
2016Star Trek: Captain PikeLieutenant Susan Kelly
2019ManipulatedKaren Jones
2020Unbelievable!!!!!Captain Connie Garrison / Natasha
2021Skipping StonesMrs. McDowell
2024Hacking at LeavesInterviewee / Two Anonymous Medical Professionals
2024Je Suis AutoAuto
scope="row" rowspan="2" Tempest: An Angels WrathDr. Angel Conch
The Inspector ChroniclesAnnabelle WagnerAnnounced – in development-

YearTitleRole
2007Robotech: The Shadow ChroniclesJanice
2009Fist of the North Star: The Shin SagaMamiya
2009–2010Starship Farragut – The Animated EpisodesCarmen Renata / Sheila Johnson / Medical Assistant
2010Star Trek OnlineLeeta / Empress Leeta
2011Lun Lun the Flower GirlVarious Characters
2011Lun Lun the Flower Girl 2Various Characters
2011Fist of the North Star: The Ray SagaMamiya
2011Fist of the North Star: The Souther SagaMamiya
2011Fist of the North Star: The Toki SagaMamiya
2011StarzingerQueen Lacet
2012Doctor Who: The Shadow HeartVienna Salvatori
2012Doctor Who: Night of the StormcrowPeggy Brooks
2013–2017ViennaVienna Salvatori
2014–2015SurvivorsMaddie Price
2015The Worlds of Big FinishVienna Salvatori
2021Master!Vienna Salvatori
2023Star Trek: Lower DecksLeeta