James Mason Biography

James Neville Mason (born May 15th, 1909 – July 27th, 1984) was an English actor. James acquired considerable achievement in British cinema before becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. He was the top box office affinity in the UK in 1944 and 1945, with notable movies including The Seventh Veil (1945) and The Wicked Lady (1947), the first receiver of the BAFTA Award for Best British Movie.

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10 Quick Facts About James Mason

1. Name: James Neville Mason
2. Age: 75 years old (dead)
3. Birthday: May 15
4. Zodiac Sign: Taurus
5. Height: Average
6. Nationality: English
7. Occupation: Actor
8. Marital Status: Deceased
9. Salary: Under Review
10. Net worth: $10.2 million

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James Mason Sunrise and Sunset

James died on July 27th, 1984 at the age of 75 years, he was born on May 15th, 1909 in Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. He celebrated his birthday on May 15th every year before he died and his birth sign was Taurus.

James Mason Height and Weight

Mason appears to be quite tall in stature in his photos, relative to his surroundings, are anything to go by. However, details regarding his actual height and other body measurements are currently not publicly available. We are keeping tabs and will update this information once it is out.

James Mason Education

As of educational background, not much is known. We only know that Mason was educated at Marlborough College and earned a first in Architecture at Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he became involved in stock theatre companies in his spare time. He had no formal training in acting and initially embarked upon it for fun. Further details about it will be updated soon.

James Mason Family

He was born in Huddersfield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to his parents Mabel Gaunt Hattersley (mother) and John Mason(father). His dad was a wealthy textile merchant. James is probably the only son to his parents since details about his siblings are not known.

James Mason Spouse

During his death, James was engaged. He was married twice. He was married to Pamela Ostrer Mason, a British actress and they were blessed with two children; one daughter known as Portland Mason Schuyler and one son known as Morgan who is married to Belinda Carlisle, the lead singer of the Go-Gos. Pamela Mason was widely reported to be a devotee of the Holywood social scene and was always not true to her husband.

She proceeded the divorce against him in 1962, saying adultery on his part. This led to a divorce and made a star of her lawyer Marvin Mitchelson. Mason then got married to Clarissa Kaye, an Australian actress from 1971 till his death. Tobe Hooper’s DVD commentary for Salem’s Lot states that Mason frequently worked contractual clauses into his later work assuring Kaye bit parts in his movie features.

James Mason Net Worth

James has an estimated Net Worth of $10.2 Million as of 2022. He acquired his money and wealth while he was alive via his career in acting.

James Mason Measurements and Facts

Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about James Mason

James Mason Wiki

• Full Names: James Neville Mason
• Gender: Male
• Occupation / Profession: Actor
• Nationality: English
• Race / Ethnicity: Not Known
• Religion: Not Known
• Sexual Orientation: Straight

James Mason Birthday

• Age / How Old?: 75 years (dead)
• Zodiac Sign: Taurus
• Date of Birth: May 15th, 1909
• Place of Birth: Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
• Birthday: May 15

James Mason Body Measurements

• Body Measurements: Not Known
• Height / How Tall?: Average
• Weight: Moderate
• Eye Color: Black
• Hair Color: Black
• Shoe Size: Not Known

James Mason Family and Relationship

• Father (Dad): John Mason
• Mother: Mabel Gaunt Hattersley
• Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Not Known
• Marital Status: Deceased
• Wife/Spouse: Was married to Pamela Ostrer Mason and Clarissa Kaye
• Dating / Girlfriend: Deceased
• Children: Sons (Morgan) Daughter (Portland Mason Schuyler)

James Mason Net Worth and Salary

• Net Worth: $10.2 Million
• Salary: Under Review
• Source of Income: Actor

James Mason Actor

He gave acting a shot after completing his studies. This was primarily for fun and he did not intend to take it up professionally. Mason made his stage debut in Aldershot for ‘The Rascal’ in 1931. About his fun tryst, he took a step ahead in acting and got himself enrolled at the Old Vic theatre in London, under the guidance of Tyrone Guthrie. In 1933, he secured a small role in Alexandra Korda’s film ‘The Private Life of Don Juan’ but was sacked after three days.

James continued with theatre and firmed his position as a theatre actor. Mason became popular as a stage actor and starred in a number of theatre shows. Starting from minor roles, he soon found himself large roles in British quota quickies or B-pictures. These were mostly minor films that accommodated law mandating a certain percentage of film shows in Britain to be British made.

During the Second World War, James registered himself as a conscientious objector. His tribunal, however, exempted him only on the requirement to do non-combatant military service. Throughout the 1940s, Mason developed his reputation as an actor. Though he played the role of the protagonist in minor films, he had refined his acting talent and developed his position as one of Britain’s major film stars of the 1940s.

James Mason Hatter’s Castle

During the first half of the 1940s, he featured in a couple of melodramatic flicks as an anti-hero, including, ‘The Man in Grey’ and ‘The Wicked Lady’. Apart from that, he starred alongside Deborah Kerr and Robert Newton in ‘Hatter’s Castle’. He took up a lead role in the film, ‘The Seventh Veil’ in 1945. That film became hugely popular and garnered him worldwide recognition and fame.

He followed it up with the 1947 film, ‘Odd Man Out’ wherein he played the character of a mortally wounded IRA bank robber. The year 1949 was a big one for James since he made his Hollywood debut with the movie, ‘Caught’. For the next four decades, he successfully acted in Hollywood films as well as TV. The decade of 1950 saw James come up with his finest performances.

He played Brutus in ‘Julius Caesar’ in 1953, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in ‘The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel’ and a valet turned spy in ‘5 Fingers’. In 1954, Mason starred as a declining actor in the first remake of ‘A Star is Born’. The film won him his first Golden Globe award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The same year, he portrayed the role of Captain Nemo for ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’.

James Mason Bigger Than Life

Towards the end of the 1950s, a film like ‘Bigger Than Life’, ‘North by Northeast’ and ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ saw him play a varied variety of roles. Interestingly, artistically skilled as he was, Mason played them all with perfection. In 1963, he moved to Switzerland. Following his residential change, Mason gave his vocation a twist as he embarked on a transatlantic career. He essayed the role of Humbert in Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Lolita’.

Following this, he played a river pirate in ‘Lord Jim’, Bradley Morahan in ‘Age of Consent’, Doctor Polidori in ‘Frankenstein: The True Story’, Richard Staker in ‘Salem’s Lot’ and Captain Hughes in ‘Yellowbeard’ In 1975, Mason starred in ‘Mandingo’ that bombed badly at the box office.

James Mason The Verdict

However, he soon made up for it with a powerful performance in ‘Heaven Can Wait’ and ‘Murder by Decree’. In the 1980s, Mason brought to life the role of a corrupt lawyer, Ed Concannon in ‘The Verdict’. His brilliant portrayal of the character won him his third Oscar nomination. The 1985 film ‘The Shooting Party’ was Mason’s last film as an actor.

Interestingly, the film wasn’t offered to him in the first place. It was a mishap caused on the sets that replaced original choice, Paul Scofieldwith Mason. The film turned out to be his final outing at the big screen. Other than films, Mason narrated two British documentary series Hollywood’ and ‘Unknown Chaplin’. He even mentored the upcoming actor Sam Neill.

James Mason Movies

• North by Northwest
• A Star Is Born 1954
• Odd Man Out 1947
• Lolita 1962
• The Verdict
• The Seventh Veil
• 20000 Leagues Under the Sea 1954
• The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
• Julius Caesar 1953
• The Man in Grey
• Georgy Girl
• The Reckless Moment
• The Wicked Lady
• Bigger Than Life 1956
• Heaven Can Wait
• The Deadly Affair
• Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
• 5 Fingers
• The Shooting Party
• Journey to the Center of the Earth 1959
• Mandingo
• The Man Between
• Murder by Decree
• Cross of Iron
• The Boys from Brazil
• The Desert Rats
• One Way Street 1950
• East Side, West Side 1949
• They Were Sisters
• Child’s Play 1972
• The Upturned Glass
• Fanny by Gaslight
• The Prisoner of Zenda 1952
• Cry Terror!
• Age of Consent 1969
• A Place of One’s Own
• Madame Bovary 1949
• The Mackintosh Man
• The Fall of the Roman Empire (film)
• The Blue Max
• Caught 1949
• Lord Jim 1965
• Mayerling 1968
• The Last of Sheila
• North Sea Hijack
• A Touch of Larceny
• The Night Has Eyes
• Prince Valiant 1954
• Hotel Reserve
• The Story of Three Loves
• Cold Sweat 1970

James Mason TV Shows

• George Washington (miniseries)
• Unknown Chaplin
• Ivanhoe 1982
• Salem’s Lot 1979
• Jesus of Nazareth
• Frankenstein: The True Story
• The Search for the Nile
• Lux Video Theatre

James Mason Death

Mason survived a severe heart attack in 1959. He died as a 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 subsequently had Mason’s ashes interred in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland.

The remains of Mason’s old 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.

James Mason A Star is Born

The 1954 musical statement of A Star is Born could have been named A Star is Reborn, in that it represented the victory return to the screen of Judy Garland after a four-year absence. The batman adheres close to the plotline of the 1937 original: An alcoholic movie star, on his last professional legs, gives a career increase to a not known wanna be an actress.

Frequently Asked Questions About James Mason

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