The Raunchy Film Career Of Jerry Seinfeld’s Infamous On-Screen Girlfriend

By Brian Myers
| Published 8 seconds ago

Fans of the hit 90s series Seinfeld are all in on the running joke surrounding the title character’s lack of romantic commitment. It seemed like the New York-based comedian had a new lady every episode, with many observers deeming these characters as Jerry’s “flame of the week.”

Though his 70+ short-term relationships were far less than the 180 episodes of NBC’s “show about nothing,” an average of one new companion every 2.5 installments is quite impressive. Of all the ladies to experience this short-term role, one in particular has a film resume that she admittedly regrets.

Seinfeld followers will remember Athena Massey as Jerry’s girlfriend Melanie, who gets the ax from the show’s star because he can’t stand how she eats her peas at dinner (one at a time). What some might be surprised to know is that Massey wrapped production on the soft-core movie Undercover Heat only a few months earlier, typecasting her as an erotic thriller star.

How Athena Massey Became A Skinemax Star

Massey had been earning a living as a model during the 1980s and early 90s. She had a strong desire to break into the film world, landing her first bit of screen time in a 1988 music video by the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden. Bit parts in television shows soon followed, including episodes of Doogie Howser, M.D., the daytime soap The Young and the Restless in 1992, and an additional music video performance for the band P.M. Dawn.

In 1995, Massey was offered the leading role in filmmaker Gregory Dark’s steamy project, Undercover Heat. Dark had developed a career in adult film the previous decade, but was transitioning into the Skinemax world under the name Gregory Hippolyte. The project would mark Massey’s first time in a starring role and cement her reputation as a B-movie regular.

Undercover Heat Has Massey Solving Crime In A Brothel

Undercover Heat was a far cry from the adult films that Dark served at the helm of in the past, but still managed to give viewers a steamy 90 minutes of gratuitous skin and simulated intimacy. Massey plays the part of Cindy Hannen, a cop who takes an undercover assignment to help solve a murder.

In a script that seems almost standard for late-night 1990s Cinemax, Hannen’s job leads her to a brothel, where she must pose as a sex worker so that the killer can be unmasked and brought to justice. Aside from a handful of sex scenes featuring Massey and several of her co-stars, viewers also get a look at Jerry’s future girlfriend in full bondage gear.

As the film progresses, Hannen discovers she is beginning to get a thrill from her undercover work, which could jeopardize the investigation. No spoilers here on the ending, not that the plot and dialogue alone are what many of the film’s viewers were tuning in for to begin with.

Athena Has Regrets, But Ended Up On Star Trek And In Your Computer

Massey later stated in an interview that she regretted the part, feeling it put her in a box she couldn’t fully escape. The rest of the decade saw the actress appearing in a handful of television shows, including Star Trek: Voyager in 1996 and Nash Bridges in 1999. Massey also had small roles in major Hollywood productions, including the hit Eddie Murphy film The Nutty Professor.

Athena did make several B-movies after Undercover Heat. In 1996, she co-starred in the Roger Corman production Shadow of a Scream, followed by a 1997 remake of Corman’s 1957 sci-fi cult film Not of This Earth, retitled as Star Portal.

Massey performed in two more raunchy Corman projects, Termination Man in 1998 and Harold Robbins’ Body Parts in 2001. The latter film was directed by Corman’s nephew, Craig Corman, and produced by his brother, Gene.

Her career on film ended in the early years of the new millennium. Athena did appear in a handful of music videos after her final film role in 2001, and made a living appearing on interactive CD-ROMs.