Michael Jace (born July 13, 1962) is an American former actor. He is best known for his role as Los Angeles Police Officer Julien Lowe in the FX drama The Shield from 2002 to 2008.
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.
Career
Jace was born in Paterson, New Jersey. 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." When police arrived, they found Jace's wife, April, dead from gunshot wounds. After being questioned by police regarding his wife's death, Jace confessed to the shooting.
On May 20, 2014, Jace was arrested on suspicion of murder. On May 22, 2014, he was formally charged with murder by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. On May 31, 2016, Jace was found guilty of second-degree murder. Notably, the LAPD was able to crack the password-protected security on April's iPhone 5c. On June 10, 2016, he was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison. He is incarcerated at the Corcoran State Prison.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1992 Law & Order Otis Cooke Episode: "Conspiracy" 1993-2001 NYPD Blue A.D.A. Vernon Shore / Vernon McGee 2 episodes 1994 Forrest Gump Black Panther #2 Film debut 1994 Clear and Present Danger Coast Guardsman #31994 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 Episode: "Sympathy for the Devil" 2010 Burn Notice Jeff Taylor Episode: "Brotherly Love" 2011 Private Practice Randy Hatcher Episode: "A Step Too Far" 2011 The Mentalist Lawrence Episode: "Rhapsody in Red" 2011 Nikita Captain Tony Merrick Episode: "Game Change" 2011 Division III: Football's Finest Roy Goodwyn Final film role
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