James Mason

James Mason was a British actor who achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was born on May 15, 1909, in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, to a wealthy wool merchant and a teacher. He studied Modern History at Oxford University, where he graduated with a first class degree. He then became a lecturer in economics and joined the Old Vic theatre in London. He had no formal training in acting and initially embarked upon it for fun. He 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. He made his film debut in Late Extra (1935) and soon became a popular leading man in British films such as Fire Over England (1937), The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1937), The High Command (1938), I Met a Murderer (1939), and Jamaica Inn (1939). He also starred in some Hollywood productions such as The Man in Grey (1943), The Seventh Veil (1945), and The Wicked Lady (1945). He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945. He moved to the United States in 1946 and became a naturalized citizen in 1959. He starred in such films as George Cukor's A Star Is Born (1954), Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959), Stanley Kubrick's Lolita (1962), Warren Beatty's Heaven Can Wait (1978), and Sidney Lumet's The Verdict (1982). He also starred in a number of successful British and American films from the 1950s to the early 1980s, including: The Desert Fox (1951), Julius Caesar (1953), Bigger Than Life (1956), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), Georgy Girl (1966), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). Mason was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes (winning the Golden Globe in 1955 for A Star is Born) and two BAFTA Awards throughout his career. He was also known for his distinctive voice and his sophisticated demeanor. He was married twice: first to Pamela Mason, a Yorkshire mill owner's daughter, from 1941 to 1964; they had two children, Portland and Morgan. His second marriage was to Australian actress Clarissa Kaye from 1971 until his death. He died of a heart attack on July 27, 1984, at the age of 75, at the Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland. His ashes were interred near the tomb of his close friend, fellow English actor Sir Charlie Chaplin.