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IMDbPro

James Mason(1909-1984)

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000106
James Mason
While Europe stands on the brink of World War I in Autumn 1913, Sir Randolph Nettleby hosts a weekend of shooting on his estate for European aristocrats.
Play trailer3:16
The Shooting Party (1985)
55 Videos
99+ Photos
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 was his trademark. 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.
BornMay 15, 1909
DiedJuly 27, 1984(75)
BornMay 15, 1909
DiedJuly 27, 1984(75)
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000106
  • Nominated for 3 Oscars
    • 12 wins & 15 nominations total

Photos444

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+ 438
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Known for

Sue Lyon in Lolita (1962)
Lolita
7.5
  • Prof. Humbert Humbert
  • 1962
Judy Garland and James Mason in A Star Is Born (1954)
A Star Is Born
7.5
  • Norman Maine
  • 1954
Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock, Eva Marie Saint, and Philip Ober in North by Northwest (1959)
North by Northwest
8.2
  • Phillip Vandamm
  • 1959
James Mason and Kathleen Ryan in Odd Man Out (1947)
Odd Man Out
7.6
  • Johnny McQueen
  • 1947

Credits

IMDbPro

Actor

  • The Assisi Underground (1985)
    The Assisi Underground
    6.1
    • Bishop Nicolini
    • 1985
  • A.D. (1985)
    A.D.
    7.2
    TV Mini Series
    • Tiberius
    • 1985
  • James Mason, Edward Fox, Cheryl Campbell, and Rebecca Saire in The Shooting Party (1985)
    The Shooting Party
    6.8
    • Sir Randolph Nettleby
    • 1985
  • Dr. Fischer of Geneva (1984)
    Dr. Fischer of Geneva
    7.0
    TV Movie
    • Dr. Fischer
    • 1984
  • George Washington (1984)
    George Washington
    7.8
    TV Mini Series
    • General Braddock
    • 1984
  • Frank Oz and Cookie Monster in Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1983)
    Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
    7.9
    TV Movie
    • Demon
    • 1983
  • Alexandre (1983)
    Alexandre
    6.0
    • The Father
    • 1983
  • James Mason, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Tommy Chong, Marty Feldman, Eric Idle, Madeline Kahn, Cheech Marin, Peter Boyle, Peter Cook, Martin Hewitt, and Michael Hordern in Yellowbeard (1983)
    Yellowbeard
    5.9
    • Captain Hughes
    • 1983
  • Socrates
    8.2
    TV Movie
    • Socrates
    • 1982
  • Paul Newman in The Verdict (1982)
    The Verdict
    7.7
    • Ed Concannon
    • 1982
  • James Mason and Tom Skerritt in A Dangerous Summer (1982)
    A Dangerous Summer
    3.7
    • George Engels
    • 1982
  • Sam Neill, Anthony Andrews, Lysette Anthony, and Olivia Hussey in Ivanhoe (1982)
    Ivanhoe
    6.7
    TV Movie
    • Isaac of York
    • 1982
  • James Mason, Jane Birkin, Roddy McDowall, Diana Rigg, Maggie Smith, Peter Ustinov, Colin Blakely, Nicholas Clay, Sylvia Miles, and Denis Quilley in Evil Under the Sun (1982)
    Evil Under the Sun
    7.1
    • Odell Gardener
    • 1982
  • The Search for Alexander the Great (1981)
    The Search for Alexander the Great
    7.2
    TV Mini Series
    • Narrator
    • 1981
  • James Mason, Roger Moore, and Anthony Perkins in North Sea Hijack (1980)
    North Sea Hijack
    6.3
    • Admiral Brinsden
    • 1980

Producer

  • James Mason and Helen Mirren in Age of Consent (1969)
    Age of Consent
    6.3
    • producer
    • 1969
  • James Mason and Kate Manx in Hero's Island (1962)
    Hero's Island
    5.5
    • producer
    • 1962
  • James Mason in Bigger Than Life (1956)
    Bigger Than Life
    7.4
    • producer
    • 1956
  • General Electric Summer Originals
    6.9
    TV Series
    • producer
    • 1956
  • The Child
    Short
    • producer
    • 1954
  • James Mason and Pamela Mason in Charade (1954)
    Charade
    6.4
    • producer
    • 1954
  • Lady Possessed (1952)
    Lady Possessed
    6.2
    • producer
    • 1952
  • James Mason, Rosamund John, and Pamela Mason in The Upturned Glass (1947)
    The Upturned Glass
    6.9
    • producer
    • 1947

Writer

  • Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre (1955)
    Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre
    7.4
    TV Series
    • story
    • 1958
  • James Mason in Bigger Than Life (1956)
    Bigger Than Life
    7.4
    • Writer (uncredited)
    • 1956
  • James Mason and Pamela Mason in Charade (1954)
    Charade
    6.4
    • writer (segments "Portrait of a Murderer", "The Midas Touch")
    • 1954
  • Lady Possessed (1952)
    Lady Possessed
    6.2
    • rewrite
    • 1952
  • James Mason and Pamela Mason in I Met a Murderer (1939)
    I Met a Murderer
    6.0
    • story
    • scenario
    • 1939

Videos55

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Clip 1:28
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Clip 1:27
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Clip 1:27
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Clip 1:40
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Clip 1:24
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:34
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:18
Official Trailer

Personal details

  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • X
  • Alternative name
    • Enoch Gates
  • Height
    • 5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
  • Born
    • May 15, 1909
    • Huddersfield, Yorkshire [now in Kirklees, West Yorkshire], England, UK
  • Died
    • July 27, 1984
    • Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland(heart attack)
  • Spouses
      Clarissa Kaye-MasonAugust 13, 1971 - July 27, 1984 (his death)
  • Children
      Morgan Mason
  • Parents
      John Robert Hattersley Mason
  • Relatives
      James Duke Mason(Grandchild)
  • Other works
    Illustrated book (w/Pamela Mason; as "Pamela Kellino"): "The Cats in Our Lives"
  • Publicity listings
    • 6 Print Biographies
    • 2 Interviews
    • 22 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 20 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

  • Trivia
    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.
  • Quotes
    [From Bill Fairchild] In a noisy world, he spoke quietly and, yet, his voice will be remembered by millions who never knew him.
  • Trademarks
      Sophisticated, upper-class demeanor
  • Salary
    • The Sea Gull
      (1968)
      $25,000

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