- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJames Neville Mason
- Height1.80 m
- James Mason was born in Huddersfield and had a film career spanning over 50 years during which he appeared in over 100 films in England and America but never won an Oscar. Whatever role he played, from the wounded Belfast gunman in Odd Man Out to Rommel in The Desert Fox, his creamy velvet voice gave him away. Like Charlie Chaplin James left the screen to spend his later life living in Switzerland. His first marriage had been to Pamela Kellino, a Yorkshire mill owner's daughter and his second to Australian actress Clarissa Kaye.- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5
- SpousesClarissa Kaye-Mason(August 13, 1971 - July 27, 1984) (his death)Pamela Mason(February 22, 1941 - August 31, 1964) (divorced, 2 children)
- Children
- ParentsJohn MasonMabel Mason
- RelativesJames Duke Mason(Grandchild)
- Sophisticated, upper-class demeanor
- Deep, mellifluous voice
- In 1952, while remodeling his home, he discovered several reels of Buster Keaton's lost films (Mason had purchased Keaton's Hollywood mansion) and immediately recognized their historical significance and was responsible for their preservation.
- Reportedly, he once saved the life of Max Bygraves' son Anthony. Max Bygraves and Anthony were at a party at Judy Garland's house. Anthony fell into the pool, and Max did not notice. Mason did notice and, fully clothed, jumped into the water and pulled Anthony out.
- At Liza Minnelli's request, Mason read the eulogy at Judy Garland's funeral.
- Was scheduled to play James Bond 007 in a 1958 television adaptation of "From Russia with Love", which was ultimately never produced. Later, despite being in his 50s, Mason was a contender to play Bond in James Bond 007 contre Dr. No (1962) before Sean Connery was cast.
- He refused to wear make-up.
- [From Bill Fairchild] In a noisy world, he spoke quietly and, yet, his voice will be remembered by millions who never knew him.
- How do I wish to be remembered, if at all? I think perhaps just as a fairly desirable sort of character actor.
- I'm a character actor: the public never knows what it's getting by way of a Mason performance from one film to the next. I therefore represent a thoroughly insecure investment.
- [on not showing up at the 27th Academy Awards, even though he had been nominated as Best Actor for Une étoile est née (1954) and had agreed to go] The Oscar show is always a little better when things go wrong, so I had no need to feel guilty about letting them down.
- [1970 comment on Jean Renoir] He's my style. Renoir's good for actors. Renoir obviously loves actors and understands actors, and La grande illusion (1937), which I saw recently, is so modern that it could have been made this year - the acting and the staging of it are absolutely modern and true.
- La mouette (1969) - $25,000
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