James Mason

James Mason is an English actor, writer and producer. He was born into a wealthy merchant family on September 15, 1909. James never studied acting - he began to play for his own pleasure, and received his education at Marlborough College and Cambridge University (he mastered the profession of architect). In his spare time, the young man did not deny himself the pleasure of playing in theater productions and as a result, after graduating from Cambridge, he entered the London Old Vic Theatre. In 1931, more

James Mason is an English actor, writer and producer. He was born into a wealthy merchant family on September 15, 1909. James never studied acting - he began to play for his own pleasure, and received his education at Marlborough College and Cambridge University (he mastered the profession of architect).

In his spare time, the young man did not deny himself the pleasure of playing in theater productions and as a result, after graduating from Cambridge, he entered the London Old Vic Theatre.

In 1931, Mason made his first appearance at the Royal Aldershot Theatre. One of the spectators of this performance was a correspondent of The Daily Telegraph, who noted that he had not seen such a large actor with a characteristic appearance of a villain in the theater for a long time.

On stage, Mason enjoyed great success and later moved to the Dublin Theatre. His most memorable role of that time is Brutus in “Julia Caesar” (later James will make this image one of his best roles in cinema).

In the role of villain or antihero Mason performs in 1935-1948. Confirmation of his charm in such roles are the films “Man in Grey” (1943) and “Evil Lady” (1945). The world-famous actor made Mason the main role in the film “The Seventh Veil”. James had never been to war (during World War II he flatly refused to go to the front, which upset him with his family) and still convincingly played a mortally wounded IRA fighter in the film Carol Reed. "Retired from the game" (1947)

In the fifties, James Mason still played villains: one of them is Humbert Humbert in Stanley Kubrick's Lolita (1962). After playing corrupt lawyer Ed Concannon in The Verdict, the great actor received his third and final Oscar nomination.

Mason was a great friend of Chaplin’s, and after James passed away on July 27, 1984, he was buried near the grave of the legendary Charlie. /