Danny Masterson Bio
Daniel Peter Masterson, known professionally as Danny Masterson, is an American actor born on March 13, 1976, in Albertson, New York. He first gained notice as a child model and commercial actor in New York before building a decades-long career in television and film. Masterson is widely recognized for playing Steven Hyde on the long-running Fox sitcom That ’70s Show and Jameson “Rooster” Bennett on the Netflix comedy series The Ranch. In 2023, he was convicted of two counts of rape and is currently serving a 30 years to life prison sentence in California.
Early Life and Background
Daniel Peter Masterson was born on March 13, 1976, in Albertson, a hamlet on Long Island in Nassau County, New York. He is the son of Carol and Peter Masterson, and he grew up in Albertson along with the nearby communities of Garden City and East Williston. He has a brother, actor Christopher Masterson, known for playing Francis on the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. His maternal half-siblings, Jordan Masterson and Alanna Masterson, are also actors, and his cousin is former child star Angus T. Jones.
Starting at age four, Masterson worked as a child model, and by the time he was five, he was being featured in magazine articles and television commercials. He performed in musicals at the age of eight and began acting in the years that followed. By the time he was sixteen, Masterson had appeared in more than 100 commercials, including ads for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Hardee’s, Hostess, Tang, and Clearasil.
Path to Celebrity
Masterson’s early professional path moved from print modeling and commercial work to scripted television. In the early 1990s, he took a role in the film Beethoven’s 2nd and was cast as Justin on the CBS sitcom Cybill. After starring in the third and fourth seasons of Cybill, he chose to leave the show to audition for a new Fox project that was originally titled Teenage Wasteland. That project became That ’70s Show, the role that would define his public career for the next eight years.
His transition from supporting guest spots and commercials to a leading television role came through steady on-screen experience in the 1990s. Between tapings of That ’70s Show, Masterson pursued film work, guest appearances, and a popular side career as a club DJ, going by the names DJ Donkey Punch, DJ Donkey Pizzle, and later DJ Mom Jeans. He also owned a lounge and bar in Park City, Utah, called Downstairs, and appeared on the GSN series The James Woods Gang vs. The Unabombers in 2005.
Danny Masterson Career
Early Career (1980-1997)
Masterson’s first credited screen appearances came in the 1980s as a child, after he began modeling and appearing in television commercials in New York at a young age. He went on to appear in films including Top Gun (1986), and the early 1990s brought him more substantial roles, including a part in Beethoven’s 2nd and a recurring role on the sitcom Cybill. These early projects helped him transition from commercial acting to recurring television work.
By the mid-1990s, Masterson had added small parts in major studio releases such as Jerry Maguire (1996) and Mission: Impossible (1996), giving him wider industry exposure. His career start is officially listed as 1980, the year he began working in front of the camera. He had no individual award wins during this early period, but the steady flow of film and television credits laid the groundwork for his casting on That ’70s Show.
Breakthrough (1998-2006)
Masterson’s breakthrough arrived in 1998 when he was cast as Steven Hyde on the Fox sitcom That ’70s Show, a role he would play for all eight seasons of the series, ending in 2006. The show became a defining comedy of late 1990s and early 2000s network television, and his deadpan portrayal of Hyde made Masterson a familiar face to a generation of viewers. The role allowed him to pursue outside projects between tapings, including film appearances and television guest spots.
Alongside costars Ashton Kutcher and Wilmer Valderrama, Masterson co-hosted the Fox television special covering Woodstock 1999, expanding his presence beyond scripted acting. He took on additional projects during the run, including a part in the 2008 comedy Yes Man and the 2009 drama The Bridge to Nowhere, which co-starred his future wife, Bijou Phillips. In 2010, he portrayed activist Jerry Rubin in the film The Chicago 8.
Later Work and The Ranch (2012-2018)
In 2012, Masterson returned to a leading television role as Milo Foster on the TBS sitcom Men at Work, which ran until 2014. He also appeared in the 2012 film Alter Egos, directed by Jordan Galland, and guest-starred as James Roland on an episode of USA Network’s White Collar in 2011. These projects kept him working steadily in television comedy as That ’70s Show wound down its rerun legacy and syndication success.
Masterson’s final major television role was on the Netflix comedy series The Ranch, which ran from 2016 to 2018 alongside Sam Elliott, Elisha Cuthbert, and his former That ’70s Show costar Ashton Kutcher. He played Jameson “Rooster” Bennett, a role that was written out of the series in the middle of filming the third 20-episode season following rape allegations against him. He was also the only surviving main or supporting cast member of That ’70s Show not to be invited back for the sequel series That ’90s Show, and his character Steven Hyde was not mentioned in the new show.
Notable Works and Milestones
Masterson’s signature work remains his portrayal of Steven Hyde on That ’70s Show, a role that ran across eight seasons and established him as a leading television actor. His performance on the Netflix comedy The Ranch alongside Sam Elliott and Ashton Kutcher marked his last major screen credit before his character was written out of the series. The on-screen work of his career was bookended by child roles in commercials and early films, with no individual major industry award wins.
Danny Masterson Award Nominations
The verified biographical record does not include any major individual award nominations for Daniel Peter Masterson. While That ’70s Show earned nominations and awards for the series and its ensemble during its run, no individual acting nomination for Masterson is supported by the available verified sources.
Danny Masterson Awards Won
The verified biographical record does not include any major individual acting awards won by Daniel Peter Masterson. Because no individual award wins are clearly supported at the level of certainty required, no award summary table is included for this page.
Danny Masterson Family
Daniel Peter Masterson is the son of Peter Masterson and Carol Masterson. He has a younger brother, Christopher Masterson, who is also an actor and is known for playing Francis on the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. Through his mother’s side, Masterson has half-siblings Jordan Masterson and Alanna Masterson, both of whom have also worked as actors. He additionally has a paternal half-brother, Will Masterson, and a cousin, Angus T. Jones, who became a well-known child actor.
Personal Life
Masterson is a Scientologist and has been affiliated with the Church of Scientology for much of his adult life. He began dating actress Bijou Phillips in 2004, became engaged in 2009, and married her on October 18, 2011. The couple had one daughter, born in February 2014. On September 18, 2023, Phillips filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences and requesting full legal and physical custody of their child, as well as spousal support.