Editing James Mason (section)

==Career==
{{More citations needed|section|date=March 2023}}

=== 1931–1939: Early roles ===
After Cambridge, Mason made his stage debut in [[Aldershot]] in ''The Rascal'' in 1931.<ref>{{cite news| last=Russell| first= William| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19840728&id=0_89AAAAIBAJ&pg=2052,4920354| title=James Mason: Star of Magnetism and Menace| newspaper=[[The Glasgow Herald]]| date=28 July 1984| page=8| via=[[Google News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last=Sweeney| first=Kevin| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DVtVA4EajSgC&pg=PA5| title=James Mason: A Bio-bibliography| publisher=Greenwood Press| date=30 January 1999| page=5| isbn=978-0-313-28496-0}}</ref> He joined [[the Old Vic]] theatre in London under the guidance of [[Tyrone Guthrie]].<ref>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</ref> While there he appeared in productions of ''[[The Cherry Orchard]]'', ''[[Henry VIII (play)|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]].<ref>Christopher Fitz-Simon, ''The Boys'' (London: Nick Hern Books, 1994) p. 73 et seq.</ref> In 1933, [[Alexander Korda]] gave Mason a small role in ''[[The Private Life of Don Juan]]'' but sacked him three days into shooting.<ref>{{cite book| first=James| last=Mason| title=Before I forget: autobiography and drawings| location=London| publisher= Hamish Hamilton| date=7 September 1981| page=89|url-access=subscription | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=sGRZAAAAMAAJ&q=don+juan| isbn=978-0-241-10677-8}}</ref>

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 film)|Troubled Waters]]'' (1936), also directed by Parker; ''[[Prison Breaker]]'' (1936); ''[[Blind Man's Bluff (1936 film)|Blind Man's Bluff]]'' (1936), for Parker's ''[[The Secret of Stamboul]]'' (1936), and ''[[The Mill on the Floss (film)|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 film)|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 film)|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,<ref name="Thomson">Thomson, David (15 May 2009) [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/may/15/james-mason Every word a poison dart], ''[[The Guardian]]''</ref> but it became irrelevant once he was included in a general exemption for film work.<ref>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.</ref> 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 (film)|Hatter's Castle]]'' (1941) with [[Robert Newton]] and [[Deborah Kerr]]; ''[[The Night Has Eyes]]'' (1941); ''[[Alibi (1942 film)|Alibi]]'' (1942) with [[Margaret Lockwood]]; ''[[Secret Mission]]'' (1942); ''[[Thunder Rock (film)|Thunder Rock]]'' (1942) with [[Michael Redgrave]]; and ''[[The Bells Go Down]]'' (1943) with [[Tommy Trinder]].
[[File:A Star is Born trailer - James Mason as Norman Maine.jpg|thumb|right|190px|Mason as Norman Maine in ''A Star is Born'' (1954)]]
Mason became hugely popular for his brooding anti-heroes, and occasional outright villains, in the [[Gainsborough Pictures|Gainsborough]] [[Gainsborough melodramas|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.<ref name="edward">{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-film-moguls-ted-black/|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|date=1 December 2024|access-date=1 December 2024|title=Forgotten British Film Moguls: Ted Black}}</ref> 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 (film)|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).<ref>[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]</ref><ref>Gaumont-British Picture: Increased Net Profit, ''The Observer'', 4 November 1945</ref>

[[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 [[UK|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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26173214 |title=James Mason named again as Britain's brightest star |newspaper= [[The Mercury]] |location=Hobart, Tasmania |date=2 March 1946 |access-date=24 April 2012 |page=3 Supplement: The Mercury Magazine |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46266039 |title=FILM WORLD. |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |location=Perth |date=28 February 1947 |access-date=27 April 2012 |page=20|edition=SECOND |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> He was the most popular male star in Canada in 1948.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26631567 |title=FILM NEWS. |work= [[The Mercury]] |location= Hobart, Tas. |date=11 June 1949 |access-date=4 March 2013 |page=14 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

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 [[Irish Republican Army|IRA]] bank robber on the run in [[Carol Reed]]'s ''[[Odd Man Out]]'' (1947).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49341927 |title=JAMES MASON TOP OF BRITISH BOX OFFICE. |newspaper=[[The Courier-Mail]] |location=Brisbane |date=20 December 1946 |access-date=10 July 2012 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=JAMES MASON 1947 FILM FAVOURITE|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=2 January 1948|page=7}}</ref> 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 film)|Caught]]'' (1949), directed by [[Max Ophüls]], then played [[Gustave Flaubert]] in MGM's ''[[Madame Bovary (1949 film)|Madame Bovary]]'' (1949). He did another with Ophüls, ''[[The Reckless Moment]]'' (1949), and followed it with ''[[East Side, West Side (1949 film)|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.
[[File:Garland Star Born recrop.jpg|thumb|170px|Mason acted alongside [[Judy Garland]] in ''[[A Star is Born (1954 film)|A Star is Born]]'' (1954)]]

'''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.<ref>{{Cite news|title=English Stars Thrive Happily in Unusual Marital Melange|author=Schallert, Edwin|date=6 May 1951|work=Los Angeles Times|page=E1}}</ref> 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 film)|The Prisoner of Zenda]]'' (1952) opposite Granger. He was in the lower budgeted ''[[Face to Face (1952 film)|Face to Face]]'' (1952) then went to Paramount to play a villainous sea captain opposite [[Alan Ladd]] in ''[[Botany Bay (film)|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 (film)|The Desert Rats]]'' (1953), then he was reunited with Mankiewicz at MGM, playing Brutus in ''[[Julius Caesar (1953 film)|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 film)|Prince Valiant]]'' (1954). Mason did another film with a screenplay by his wife and directed by Roy Kellino, ''[[Charade (1953 film)|Charade]]'' (1954).

Warner Bros., hired him to play [[Judy Garland]]'s leading man in the [[George Cukor]] directed musical drama film ''[[A Star Is Born (1954 film)|A Star Is Born]]'' (1954). He took the role after [[Cary Grant]] turned the role 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 (screenwriter)|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."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/a-star-is-born-review-1954-movie-1149092/|title= 'A Star Is Born': THR's 1954 Review|website= [[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date= 3 October 2018|accessdate= 31 July 2023}}</ref>

He went over to Disney to play [[Captain Nemo]] in ''[[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]'' (1954), a huge hit which also starred [[Kirk Douglas]]. During 1954 and 1955, Mason was the host of some episodes of ''[[Lux Video Theatre]]'' on CBS television.<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Becker| first1=Christine| title= Televising Film Stardom in the 1950s| journal= Framework| date=1 October 2005| url=https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-1001342431}}{{dead link|date=July 2021}}</ref> Mason appeared with [[Lucille Ball]] and [[Desi Arnaz]] in ''[[Forever, Darling]]'' (1956) 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 (film)|Island in the Sun]]'' (1957).

===1958–1970: Established actor===
[[File:North by Northwest movie trailer screenshot (27) James Mason.jpg|thumb|upright|Mason in Hitchcock's ''North by Northwest'' (1959)]]
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]].

At Fox he had a huge hit returning to [[Jules Verne]] science fantasy as the determined Scottish scientist and explorer in ''[[Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959 film)|Journey to the Centre of the Earth]]'' (1959), taking over a role meant for [[Clifton Webb]]. He did a comedy ''[[A Touch of Larceny]]'' (1960) and was [[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 did ''[[The Marriage-Go-Round (film)|The Marriage-Go-Round]]'' (1961), then played Dolores' sexually obsessive stepfather Humbert Humbert in [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s version of ''[[Lolita (1962 film)|Lolita]]'' (1962). He starred in ''[[Tiara Tahiti]]'' (1962), then ''[[Hero's Island]]'' (1962), which he also produced. He was in ''[[Torpedo Bay (film)|Torpedo Bay]]'' (1963).

In 1963 Mason settled in Switzerland, and embarked on a transatlantic career.<ref>Kevin Sweeney. ''James Mason: A Bio-Bibliography'', Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999, p.47</ref> He began to drift into support roles, or second leads: the epic ''[[The Fall of the Roman Empire (film)|The Fall of the Roman Empire]]'' (1964); ''[[The Pumpkin Eater]]'' (1964), with [[Anne Bancroft]]; a river pirate who betrays [[Peter O'Toole]]'s character in ''[[Lord Jim (1965 film)|Lord Jim]]'' (1965); a Chinese noble in ''[[Genghis Khan (1965 film)|Genghis Khan]]'' (1965); ''[[The Uninhibited]]'' (1965); a guest role on ''[[Dr. Kildare (TV series)|Dr Kildare]]''; James Leamington in the [[Swinging London]]-set ''[[Georgy Girl]]'' (1966), a role that earned him a second Academy Award nomination, this one for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

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 TV series)|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 neighbour and friend of the actor and director Charlie Chaplin. In the late 1970s, Mason became a mentor to up-and-coming actor [[Sam Neill]].<ref>{{cite news| last=Iley| first=Chrissy| title=Put it away, Sam ...| url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/jul/24/features.features11| access-date=17 October 2013| newspaper=[[The Guardian]]| location=Manchester| date=23 July 2006}}</ref>

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 (1967 film)|Stranger in the House]]'' (1968). He provided a supporting role in ''[[Duffy (film)|Duffy]]'' (1968), ''[[The Blue Max|The Blue Max (1966)]]'' and ''[[Mayerling (1968 film)|Mayerling]]'' (1968) but was top billed in ''[[The Sea Gull]]'' (1968) for [[Sidney Lumet]] and starred as Bradley Morahan in ''[[Age of Consent (film)|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. He also had the star role in ''[[Spring and Port Wine (film)|Spring and Port Wine]]'' (1970).

===1970–1985: Later roles===
[[File:Genterispetto mason+oneill.jpg|thumb|left|Mason in 1975's ''[[The Flower in His Mouth]]'']]
Mason supported Charles Bronson in ''[[Cold Sweat (1970 film)|Cold Sweat]]'' (1970) and [[Lee Van Cleef]] in ''[[Bad Man's River]]'' (1971). He was a support in ''Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!'' (1971) and top billed in ''[[Child's Play (1972 film)|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 [[John William Polidori|Doctor Polidori]] in ''[[Frankenstein: The True Story]]'' (1973). He had support roles in ''[[The MacKintosh Man]]'' (1973), ''[[11 Harrowhouse]]'' (1974), ''[[The Marseille Contract]]'' (1974), and ''[[Great Expectations (1974 film)|Great Expectations]]'' (1974) and was top billed in ''[[Mandingo (film)|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 film)|Inside Out]]'' (1975), ''[[The Flower in His Mouth]]'' (1975), ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'' (1976), ''[[Hot Stuff (1971 film)|Hot Stuff]]'' (1977), ''[[Cross of Iron]]'' (1977), ''[[Jesus of Nazareth (miniseries)|Jesus of Nazareth]]'' (1977), ''[[The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go]]'' (1978), ''[[The Water Babies (film)|The Water Babies]]'' (1978), ''[[Heaven Can Wait (1978 film)|Heaven Can Wait]]'' (1978), ''[[The Boys from Brazil (film)|The Boys from Brazil]]'' (1978), ''[[Murder by Decree]]'' (1979) (as [[Dr. Watson]]), ''[[The Passage (1979 film)|The Passage]]'' (1979), ''[[Bloodline (1979 film)|Bloodline]]'' (1979) and as the [[Kurt Barlow|vampire]]'s servant, [[Kurt Barlow#Straker|Richard Straker]], in ''[[Salem's Lot (1979 miniseries)|Salem's Lot]]'' (1979).

Mason was in ''[[North Sea Hijack]]'' (1980), supporting [[Roger Moore]], ''[[Evil Under the Sun (film)|Evil Under the Sun]]'' (1982), ''[[Ivanhoe (1982 film)|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, for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He had parts in ''[[Yellowbeard]]'' (1983), ''[[Alexandre (film)|Alexandre]]'' (1983), and ''[[George Washington (miniseries)|George Washington]]'' (1984).

Having completed playing the lead role in ''[[Dr. Fischer of Geneva]]'' (1985), adapted from [[Graham Greene]]'s [[Doctor Fischer of Geneva|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.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4313352.stm| work=BBC News| title=Obituary: Paul Scofield| date=20 March 2008}}</ref> He did appear on television in ''[[A.D. (miniseries)|A.D.]]'' (1985) and ''[[The Assisi Underground]]'' (1985).