James Mason

Early life, family and education

Mason was born on 15 May 1909 in Huddersfield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the youngest of three sons of John Mason and Mabel Hattersley, daughter of Joseph Shaw Gaunt. A wealthy wool merchant like his father, John Mason travelled often on business, mainly in France and Belgium. Mabel—who was "uncommonly well-educated" and had lived in London to study and begin work as an artist before returning to Yorkshire to care for her father—was "attentive and loving" in raising her sons.

The Masons lived in a house in its own grounds on Croft House Lane in Marsh. It was replaced in the mid-1970s by flats called Arncliffe Court. A small residential development opposite where the house once stood is now called James Mason Court.

Mason was educated at Marlborough College and took a first in architecture at Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he became involved in stock theatre companies in his spare time. He had no formal acting training, and initially embarked upon it for fun.

Career

1931–1939: Early roles

After Cambridge, Mason made his stage debut in Aldershot in The Rascal in 1931. He joined the Old Vic theatre in London under the guidance of Tyrone Guthrie. While there he appeared in productions of The Cherry Orchard, Henry VIII, Measure for Measure, The Importance of Being Earnest, Love for Love, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, and Macbeth. Featuring in many of these were Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester. In the mid-1930s he also appeared at the Gate Theatre, Dublin, notably in Pride and Prejudice with Betty Chancellor. In 1933, Alexander Korda gave Mason a small role in The Private Life of Don Juan but sacked him three days into shooting.

From 1935 to 1938, Mason starred in many British quota quickies, starting with his first film Late Extra (1935), in which he played the lead. Albert Parker directed. Mason appeared in Twice Branded (1936); Troubled Waters (1936), also directed by Parker; Prison Breaker (1936); Blind Man's Bluff (1936), for Parker's The Secret of Stamboul (1936), and The Mill on the Floss (1936), an "A" movie. Mason had a key support role in Korda's Fire Over England (1937) with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. He was in another "A", The High Command (1937) directed by Thorold Dickinson, then went back to quickies, starring in Catch As Catch Can (1937), directed by Roy Kellino. Korda cast him as the villain in The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1937)

Mason began appearing in some televised productions of plays, made in the very early days of television: Cyrano de Bergerac (1938), The Moon in the Yellow River (1938), Bees on the Boat-Deck (1939), Square Pegs (1939), L'Avare (1939), and The Circle (1939). He returned to features with I Met a Murderer (1939) based on a story by Mason and Pamela Kellino, who also starred with Mason and whom he would marry. Her husband Roy Kellino directed.

1941–1957: Leading man status

Second World War

Mason registered as a conscientious objector during World War II (causing his family to break with him for many years), but his tribunal did not exempt him on the requirement for non-combatant military service, which he also refused. He appealed against that aspect of the tribunal's decision, but it became irrelevant once he was included in a general exemption for film work. In 1941–42 he returned to the stage to appear in Jupiter Laughs by A. J. Cronin. He established himself as a leading man in Britain in a series of films: The Patient Vanishes (1941); Hatter's Castle (1941) with Robert Newton and Deborah Kerr; The Night Has Eyes (1941); Alibi (1942) with Margaret Lockwood; Secret Mission (1942); Thunder Rock (1942) with Michael Redgrave; and The Bells Go Down (1943) with Tommy Trinder.

Mason became hugely popular for his brooding anti-heroes, and occasional outright villains, in the Gainsborough series of melodramas of the 1940s, starting with The Man in Grey (1943). The film was a huge hit and made him and co-stars Lockwood, Stewart Granger and Phyllis Calvert top-level stars. Mason starred in two wartime dramas, They Met in the Dark (1943) and Candlelight in Algeria (1944), then returned to Gainsborough melodrama with Fanny By Gaslight (1944) with Granger and Calvert; it was another big hit. He starred in Hotel Reserve (1944), a thriller, then did a ghost story for Gainsborough with Lockwood, A Place of One's Own (1945). Far more popular was a melodrama, They Were Sisters (1945).

Sydney Box cast Mason in a psychodrama about musicians, The Seventh Veil (1945), as the tyrannical guardian of pianist Ann Todd. It was a huge success in Britain and the US and demand for Mason was at a fever pitch. Exhibitors voted him the most popular star in Britain in each year between 1944 and 1947. They also declared him the most popular international star in 1946; he dropped to second place the following year. He was the most popular male star in Canada in 1948.

Mason had a relatively minor role in The Wicked Lady (1945) with Lockwood, a big hit. He then received his best reviews to date playing a mortally wounded IRA bank robber on the run in Carol Reed's Odd Man Out (1947). He turned producer with Sydney Box on The Upturned Glass (1947), which starred Mason with a script by Mason's wife. It was not particularly successful. Neither was Bathsheba, a play the Masons did on Broadway. Mason went to Hollywood for his first film, Caught (1949), directed by Max Ophüls, then played Gustave Flaubert in MGM's Madame Bovary (1949). He did another with Ophüls, The Reckless Moment (1949), and followed it with East Side, West Side (1949) with Barbara Stanwyck at MGM and One Way Street (1950) at Universal. He made Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) with Ava Gardner. None of these films were particularly successful.

Films at 20th Century Fox

Mason's Hollywood career was revived when he was cast as General Rommel in The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951), directed by Henry Hathaway. To do the film he agreed to sign a contract with 20th Century Fox for seven years at one film a year. Mason did a film at Republic Pictures written by his wife and directed by Roy Kellino, Lady Possessed (1951). At Fox, he played a spy in 5 Fingers (1951), directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. MGM hired him to play Rupert of Hentzau in The Prisoner of Zenda (1952) opposite Granger. He was in the lower budgeted Face to Face (1952) then went to Paramount to play a villainous sea captain opposite Alan Ladd in Botany Bay (1953).

Mason was one of many stars in MGM's The Story of Three Loves (1953). At Fox, he reprised his role as Rommel in The Desert Rats (1953), then he was reunited with Mankiewicz at MGM, playing Brutus in Julius Caesar (1953), opposite Marlon Brando. The film was very successful. Mason worked with Carol Reed in The Man Between (1953), then Fox used him as a villain again in Prince Valiant (1954). Mason did another film with a screenplay by his wife and directed by Roy Kellino, Charade (1954).

Warner Bros. Pictures hired him to play fading screen actor and Judy Garland's leading man Norman Maine in the George Cukor-directed musical drama film A Star Is Born (1954). He took the role after Cary Grant turned it down. Mason won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Jack Moffitt of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film writing, "A Star Is Born is the perfect blend of drama and musical — of cinematic art and popular entertainment."

He went over to Disney to play Captain Nemo in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), a huge hit which also starred Kirk Douglas, Paul Lukas, and Peter Lorre. During 1954 and 1955, Mason was the host of several episodes of Lux Video Theatre on CBS television. Mason appeared with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in the fantasy romantic comedy Forever, Darling (1956) and then starred in and produced a film at Fox, Bigger Than Life (1956), directed by Nicholas Ray. Mason played a small-town school teacher driven insane by the effects of cortisone. He did another for Fox, the hugely popular melodrama Island in the Sun (1957).

1958–1970: Established actor

Mason began appearing regularly on television in shows such as Panic!, General Electric Theater, Schlitz Playhouse, Goodyear Theatre and Playhouse 90 (several episodes including John Brown's Raid). He starred in two thrillers for Andrew L. Stone, Cry Terror! (1958) and The Decks Ran Red (1958), then played a suave master spy hunting down Cary Grant with romantic assistance from Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest (1959), directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

In 1959, he had a huge hit returning to Jules Verne as the determined Scottish scientist and explorer Sir Oliver Lindenbrook in Journey to the Centre of the Earth, taking over the role meant for Clifton Webb. He did a comedy, A Touch of Larceny (1960), and portrayed Sir Edward Carson in The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960). He continued to appear on TV shows like The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Golden Showcase, Theatre '62 and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

He played a happily-married college professor asked to father a child by a Swedish visitor in The Marriage-Go-Round (1961), then played Lolita's sexually obsessive stepfather Humbert Humbert in Stanley Kubrick's Lolita (1962), receiving BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. He starred in Tiara Tahiti (1962) and Hero's Island (1962), which he also produced. He starred as an Italian submarine captain in Torpedo Bay (1963).

In 1963, Mason settled in Switzerland and embarked on a transatlantic career. He began to drift into supporting roles: Timonides in the epic The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), a cuckold in The Pumpkin Eater (1964) with Anne Bancroft, a river pirate who betrays Peter O'Toole's character in Lord Jim (1965), a Chinese noble in Genghis Khan (1965), a man in a love triangle in The Uninhibited (1965), a guest role on Dr. Kildare, and an older employer pursuing his employee's virginal young daughter in the Swinging London-set Georgy Girl (1966), a role that earned him a second Academy Award nomination (Best Supporting Actor).

In 1967, Mason narrated the documentary The London Nobody Knows. An ardent cinephile on top of his career interests, Mason narrated two British documentary series supervised by Kevin Brownlow: Hollywood (1980), on the silent cinema and Unknown Chaplin (1983), devoted to out-take material from the films of Sir Charlie Chaplin. Mason had been a long-time neighbor and friend of the actor and director Charlie Chaplin. In the late 1970s, Mason became a mentor to up-and-coming actor Sam Neill.

He was in several episodes of ITV Play of the Week and he had the lead in The Deadly Affair (1967) for Sidney Lumet (playing a character based on George Smiley, though it was renamed); and Stranger in the House (1968). He provided a supporting role in Duffy (1968), The Blue Max (1966) and Mayerling (1968) but was top billed in The Sea Gull (1968) for Sidney Lumet and starred as Bradley Morahan in Age of Consent (1969) for Michael Powell, a film which Mason also produced. The movie featured Helen Mirren's first major film role, and was Powell's last major film. It was also through this film that Mason met his second wife, Clarissa Kaye. Mason also had the star role in Spring and Port Wine (1970).

1970–1985: Later roles

Mason supported Charles Bronson in Cold Sweat (1970) and Lee Van Cleef in Bad Man's River (1971). He had a supporting role in Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! (1971) and top billed in Child's Play (1972) for Lumet, replacing Marlon Brando. He was one of many stars in The Last of Sheila (1973) and played the evil Doctor Polidori in Frankenstein: The True Story (1973). He had supporting roles in The MacKintosh Man (1973), 11 Harrowhouse (1974), The Marseille Contract (1974), and Great Expectations (1974) and was top billed in Mandingo (1975).

Mason's later 70s performances included Kidnap Syndicate (1975), The Left Hand of the Law (1975), Autobiography of a Princess (1975), Inside Out (1975), The Flower in His Mouth (1975), Voyage of the Damned (1976), Hot Stuff (1977), Cross of Iron (1977), Jesus of Nazareth (1977), The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go (1978), The Water Babies (1978), Heaven Can Wait (1978), The Boys from Brazil (1978), Murder by Decree (1979) (as Dr. Watson), The Passage (1979), Bloodline (1979) and as the vampire's servant, Richard Straker, in Salem's Lot (1979).

Mason was in North Sea Hijack (1980), supporting Roger Moore, Evil Under the Sun (1982), Ivanhoe (1982), and A Dangerous Summer (1982). One of his last roles, that of the corrupt lawyer Ed Concannon in The Verdict (1982), opposite Paul Newman, earned him his third and final Oscar nomination. He had parts in Yellowbeard (1983), Alexandre (1983), and George Washington (1984).

Having completed playing the lead role in Dr. Fischer of Geneva (1985), adapted from Graham Greene's eponymous novella for the BBC, he stepped into the role in The Shooting Party originally meant for Paul Scofield, who was unable to continue after being seriously injured in an accident on the first day of shooting. This was to be Mason's final screen performance in a feature film. He did appear on television in A.D. (1985) and The Assisi Underground (1985).

Recordings

James Mason recorded an album for York Records. The 13-track spoken word album, James Mason Reads from the Bible was issued on York BYK 703 in 1971.

Personal life

Mason was a devoted lover of animals, particularly cats. He and his wife, Pamela Mason, co-authored the book The Cats in Our Lives, which was published in 1949. James wrote most of the book and also illustrated it. In The Cats in Our Lives, he recounted humorous and sometimes touching tales of the cats (as well as a few dogs) he had known and loved.

In 1952, Mason purchased a house previously owned by Buster Keaton. There he discovered reels of nitrate film of some of Keaton's work that was considered lost, including The Boat (1921). He arranged to have the decomposing films transferred to safety stock, saving them from oblivion.

In his youth, Mason was a keen fan of his local Rugby League team, Huddersfield. In later years, he also followed the fortunes of Huddersfield Town.

Mason was married twice:

• From 1941 to 1964 to British actress Pamela Mason (née Ostrer) (1916–1996). They had one daughter, Portland Mason Schuyler (1948–2004), and one son, Morgan (who is married to Belinda Carlisle, the lead singer of the Go-Go's). Pamela Mason filed suit for divorce in 1962 for lack of support, claiming adultery on his part with three Jane Does. According to their son Morgan and other sources, Pamela herself had had numerous affairs, but due to her attorney Marvin Mitchelson's skill, she won a monetary settlement of at least $1 million ($9.275 million today) when the marriage was finally dissolved in 1964; it was reported as "America's first million-dollar divorce". As a result of this success, Mitchelson became a sought-after celebrity divorce attorney.
• Australian actress Clarissa Kaye (1971 – his death). Tobe Hooper's DVD commentary for Salem's Lot reveals that Mason regularly included contractual clauses in his later work guaranteeing Kaye bit parts in his films.

Mason's autobiography, Before I Forget, was published in 1981.

Death

Mason survived a severe heart attack in 1959. He died as result of another heart attack on 27 July 1984 in Lausanne, Switzerland, and was cremated. Mason left his entire estate to his second wife, Clarissa Kaye, but his will was challenged by his two children. The lawsuit had not been settled when she died on 21 July 1994 from cancer.

Clarissa Kaye Mason left her holdings to the religious guru Sathya Sai Baba, including the actor's ashes, which she had retained in their shared home. Mason's children sued Sai Baba and had Mason's ashes interred in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. The remains of Mason's friend Charlie Chaplin are in a tomb a few steps away. Mason's children specified that his headstone read: "Never say in grief you are sorry he's gone. Rather, say in thankfulness you are grateful he was here", words that were spoken to Portland Mason by U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy after the actor's death.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Radio

Awards and nominations

References

References

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2. (2 December 2010). "No Buyer for Mason Poster". The Free Library.
3. James Mason: A Bio-Bibliography, Kevin Sweeney, Greenwood Press, 1999, p. 3
4. Russell, William. (28 July 1984). "James Mason: Star of Magnetism and Menace". [[The Glasgow Herald]].
5. Sweeney, Kevin. (30 January 1999). "James Mason: A Bio-bibliography". Greenwood Press.
6. Brian McFarlane [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/447497/index.html "Mason, James (1909–1984)"], BFI screenonline; McFarlane (ed) ''The Encyclopedia of British Film'', London: Methuen/BFI, 2003, p.438
7. Christopher Fitz-Simon, ''The Boys'' (London: Nick Hern Books, 1994) p. 73 et seq.
8. Mason, James. (7 September 1981). "Before I forget: autobiography and drawings". Hamish Hamilton.
9. Thomson, David (15 May 2009) [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/may/15/james-mason Every word a poison dart], ''[[The Guardian]]''
10. Eric Ambler, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/31418 Mason, James Neville (1909–1984)], rev. ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
11. Vagg, Stephen. (1 December 2024). "Forgotten British Film Moguls: Ted Black".
12. [https://books.google.com/books?id=xtGIAgAAQBAJ&dq=hungry+hill+film+box+office&pg=PA209 Robert Murphy, ''Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939–48'', p 207]
13. Gaumont-British Picture: Increased Net Profit, ''The Observer'', 4 November 1945
14. (2 March 1946). "James Mason named again as Britain's brightest star". [[The Mercury]].
15. (28 February 1947). "FILM WORLD.". [[The West Australian]].
16. (11 June 1949). "FILM NEWS.". [[The Mercury]].
17. (20 December 1946). "JAMES MASON TOP OF BRITISH BOX OFFICE.". [[The Courier-Mail]].
18. (2 January 1948). "JAMES MASON 1947 FILM FAVOURITE". The Irish Times.
19. Schallert, Edwin. (6 May 1951). "English Stars Thrive Happily in Unusual Marital Melange". Los Angeles Times.
20. Vagg, Stephen. (3 November 2025). "Wrecking Australian Stories: Botany Bay".
21. (3 October 2018). "'A Star Is Born': THR's 1954 Review".
22. (July 2021). ["Televising Film Stardom in the 1950s"](https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-1001342431}}{{dead link). Framework.
23. Kevin Sweeney. ''James Mason: A Bio-Bibliography'', Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999, p.47
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26. (20 March 2008). "Obituary: Paul Scofield". BBC News.
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28. Fonorama - [http://www.fonorama.cz/firmy/Y/York.htm YORK RECORDS, Stars On Sunday, BYK 703 JAMES MASON READS FROM THE BIBLE LP 01.1971]
29. Bailey, Steve. "The Boat". The Love Nest.
30. (26 May 2013). "James Mason - Home James (1972)".
31. (24 November 1962). "Actress Charges Habitual Cruelty". Morning World.
32. Smith, Dinitia. (2 July 1996). "Pamela Mason, 80, An Author, Actress And Talk-Show Host". [[The New York Times]].
33. Edge, Simon. (24 April 2009). "James Mason: The Sad Cad". [[Daily Express]].
34. Pleck, Elizabeth H.. (2012). "Not Just Roommates: Cohabitation After the Sexual Revolution". Univ. of Chicago Press.
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36. James Mason Obituary, ''[[Variety Obituaries. Variety]]'', 1 August 1984.
37. (24 April 2009). "James Mason: The sad cad". [[Daily Express.
38. Davies, Caroline. (25 November 2000). "James Mason's ashes finally laid to rest". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
39. (10 March 1999). "15 years after his death, film star finds rest". [[The Guardian]].
40. (10 February 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". [[The Decatur Daily Review]].