James Mason
Encyclopedia
James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes (winning once).
, in the West Riding of Yorkshire
, to John and Mabel Mason; his father was a wealthy merchant. Mason had no formal training as an actor and initially embarked upon it for fun. He was educated at Marlborough College
, and earned a first
in architecture at Peterhouse, Cambridge
where he became involved in stock theatre companies in his spare time. After Cambridge he joined the Old Vic
theatre in London under the guidance of Tyrone Guthrie
and Alexander Korda
. In 1933 Korda gave Mason a small role in The Private Life of Don Juan
but fired him three days into shooting.
. A conscientious objector
during World War II
(something which caused his family to break with him for many years), he became immensely popular for his brooding anti-heroes in the Gainsborough
series of melodramas
of the 1940s, including The Man in Grey
(1943) and The Wicked Lady
(1945). He also starred with Deborah Kerr
and Robert Newton
in Hatter's Castle
(1942). He then took the lead role in the critically acclaimed and immensely popular The Seventh Veil
(1945) that set box office records in postwar Britain and raised him to international stardom. He followed it with a role as a mortally wounded Irish revolutionary in Odd Man Out
(1947) and his first Hollywood film, Caught (1949).
Mason's distinctive voice enabled him to play a menacing villain as greatly as his good looks assisted him as a leading man. His roles include Brutus in Julius Caesar
(1953), Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
in The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
and The Desert Rats, the amoral valet turned spy in Joseph Mankiewicz's 5 Fingers
, the declining actor in the first remake of A Star Is Born
(1954), Captain Nemo in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
(also 1954), a small town school teacher driven insane by the effects of cortisone in Bigger Than Life
(1956), a suave master spy in North by Northwest
(1959), a determined explorer in Journey to the Center of the Earth
(also 1959), Humbert Humbert in Stanley Kubrick
's Lolita
(1962), a hired assassin sent to kill Peter O'Toole
's character in Lord Jim
(1965), the evil Doctor Polidori in Frankenstein: The True Story
(1973), the vampire
's servant, Richard Straker, in Salem's Lot
, and surreal Royal Navy Captain Hughes in Yellowbeard
(1983). One of his last roles, that of corrupt lawyer Ed Concannon in The Verdict
(1982), earned him his third and final Oscar nomination.
Mason was once considered to play James Bond
in a 1958 TV adaptation of From Russia with Love, which was ultimately never produced. Despite being in his fifties, he was still under consideration to play Bond in Dr. No
before Sean Connery
was cast. He was also approached to appear as Bond villain Hugo Drax in Moonraker
, however, he turned this down despite his renowned tendency to take any job offered him – which led to appearances in films such as The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go
, Bloodline and Hunt the Man Down. His final screen-work was playing the lead role in Dr. Fischer of Geneva (adapted from the Graham Greene
novella, 1985) as the eccentric wealthy businessman who played games with the Swiss upper class, such as offering gifts to his guests on the proviso they accepted some humiliating ritual activity (such as wearing a child's bib at the dinner table). In 1975 he played Falconhurst plantation owner in the controversial film Mandingo
.
In the late 1970s, Mason became a mentor to up-and-coming actor Sam Neill
.
Late in life, he served as narrator for a British television series on the films of Charlie Chaplin
, Unknown Chaplin, which was aired in the U.S. on PBS and later issued on home video.
, co-authored the book The Cats in Our Lives, which was published in 1949. James Mason wrote most of the book and also illustrated it. In The Cats in Our Lives, he recounted humorous and sometimes touching tales of the cats (as well as a few dogs) he had known and loved.
Mason was married twice:
Mason's autobiography, Before I Forget, was published in 1981.
, Switzerland. He was cremated and (after a delay of 16 years) his ashes were buried in Corsier-sur-Vevey
, Vaud
, Switzerland. The remains of Mason's old friend Charlie Chaplin are in a tomb a few steps away.
Mason's widow, Clarissa Kaye, also known as Kaye-Mason, died in 1994 from cancer.
often impersonates James Mason's voice saying it is the voice of God; it is a running gag in his shows.
Early life
Mason was born in HuddersfieldHuddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, in the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
, to John and Mabel Mason; his father was a wealthy merchant. Mason had no formal training as an actor and initially embarked upon it for fun. He was educated at Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
, and earned a first
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
in architecture at Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...
where he became involved in stock theatre companies in his spare time. After Cambridge he joined the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
theatre in London under the guidance of Tyrone Guthrie
Tyrone Guthrie
Sir William Tyrone Guthrie was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, at his family's home, Annaghmakerrig, in County Monaghan, Ireland.-Life and career:Guthrie...
and Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
. In 1933 Korda gave Mason a small role in The Private Life of Don Juan
The Private Life of Don Juan
The Private Life of Don Juan is a 1934 British comedy-drama film about the life of an aging Don Juan, based on the 1920 play L'homme à la Rose by Henry Bataille. The movie stars Douglas Fairbanks and Merle Oberon.-Plot:...
but fired him three days into shooting.
Career
From 1935 to 1948 he starred in many British quota quickiesCinematograph Films Act 1927
The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry.-Description:...
. A conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(something which caused his family to break with him for many years), he became immensely popular for his brooding anti-heroes in the Gainsborough
Gainsborough Pictures
Gainsborough Pictures was a British film studio based on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, London. Gainsborough Studios were active between 1924 and 1951. Built as a power station for the Great Northern & City Railway it...
series of melodramas
Gainsborough melodramas
The Gainsborough melodramas were a sequence of films produced by the British film studio Gainsborough Pictures during the 1940s which conformed to a melodramatic style. The melodramas were not a film series but an unrelated sequence of films which had similar themes and frequently recurring actors...
of the 1940s, including The Man in Grey
The Man in Grey
The Man in Grey is a 1943 British film melodrama made by Gainsborough Pictures, and is widely considered as the first of its "Gainsborough melodramas"...
(1943) and The Wicked Lady
The Wicked Lady
The Wicked Lady is a 1945 film starring Margaret Lockwood in the title role as a nobleman's wife who secretly becomes a highwayman for the excitement...
(1945). He also starred with Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr, CBE was a Scottish film and television actress from Glasgow. She won the Sarah Siddons Award for her Chicago performance as Laura Reynolds in Tea and Sympathy, a role which she originated on Broadway, a Golden Globe Award for the motion picture The King and I, and was a three-time...
and Robert Newton
Robert Newton
Robert Newton was an English stage and film actor. Along with Errol Flynn, Newton was one of the most popular actors among the male juvenile audience of the 1940s and early 1950s, especially with British boys...
in Hatter's Castle
Hatter's Castle (film)
Hatter's Castle is a 1941 British film adaptation of the 1931 novel by A. J. Cronin, which dramatizes the ruin that befalls a Scottish hatter set on recapturing his imagined lost nobility. The film was made by Paramount British Pictures and stars Robert Newton, Deborah Kerr, James Mason, and Emlyn...
(1942). He then took the lead role in the critically acclaimed and immensely popular The Seventh Veil
The Seventh Veil
The Seventh Veil is a 1945 British melodrama film made by Ortus Films, a company established by producer Sydney Box, who here released through General Film Distributors in the UK and Universal Pictures in the United States.-Plot:...
(1945) that set box office records in postwar Britain and raised him to international stardom. He followed it with a role as a mortally wounded Irish revolutionary in Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out is a 1947 Anglo-Irish film noir directed by Carol Reed, starring James Mason, and is based on a novel of the same name by F. L. Green.-Plot:The film's opening intertitle reads:...
(1947) and his first Hollywood film, Caught (1949).
Mason's distinctive voice enabled him to play a menacing villain as greatly as his good looks assisted him as a leading man. His roles include Brutus in Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (1953 film)
Julius Caesar is an 1953 MGM film adaptation of the play by Shakespeare, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who also wrote the uncredited screenplay, and produced by John Houseman. The original music score is by Miklós Rózsa...
(1953), Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
in The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel is a 1951 biographical film about Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in the later stages of World War II. It stars James Mason in the title role, was directed by Henry Hathaway, and was based on the book Rommel by Brigadier Desmond Young, who served in the Indian Army in...
and The Desert Rats, the amoral valet turned spy in Joseph Mankiewicz's 5 Fingers
5 Fingers
5 Fingers, known also as Five Fingers, is a 1952 American 20th Century Fox spy film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by Otto Lang. The screenplay by Michael Wilson and Mankiewicz was based on Operation Cicero by L.C...
, the declining actor in the first remake of A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born (1954 film)
A Star Is Born is a 1954 American musical film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay written by Moss Hart was an adaptation of the original 1937 film, which was based on the original screenplay by Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker, and Alan Campbell...
(1954), Captain Nemo in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 adventure film starring Kirk Douglas as Ned Land, James Mason as Captain Nemo, Paul Lukas as Professor Pierre Aronnax, and Peter Lorre as Conseil. It was the first science fiction film produced by Walt Disney Productions, as well as the only science-fiction...
(also 1954), a small town school teacher driven insane by the effects of cortisone in Bigger Than Life
Bigger Than Life
Bigger Than Life is an American film made in 1956 directed by Nicholas Ray and starring James Mason, who also co-wrote and produced the film, about a school teacher and family man whose life spins out of control upon becoming addicted to cortisone. The film co-stars Barbara Rush as his wife and...
(1956), a suave master spy in North by Northwest
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
(1959), a determined explorer in Journey to the Center of the Earth
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959 film)
Journey to the Center of the Earth is a 1959 adventure film adapted by Charles Brackett from the novel by Jules Verne. It stars Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Peter Ronson, Diane Baker, Thayer David and Alan Napier...
(also 1959), Humbert Humbert in Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's Lolita
Lolita (1962 film)
Lolita is a 1962 comedy-drama film by Stanley Kubrick based on the classic novel of the same title by Vladimir Nabokov. The film stars James Mason as Humbert Humbert, Sue Lyon as Dolores Haze and Shelley Winters as Charlotte Haze with Peter Sellers as Clare Quilty.Due to the MPAA's restrictions at...
(1962), a hired assassin sent to kill Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus Lorcan O'Toole is an Irish actor of stage and screen. O'Toole achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, and then went on to become a highly-honoured film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, and holds the record for most...
's character in Lord Jim
Lord Jim (1965 film)
Lord Jim is a 1965 adventure film made by Columbia Pictures. It was produced and directed by Richard Brooks with Jules Buck and Peter O'Toole as associate producers, from a screenplay by Brooks...
(1965), the evil Doctor Polidori in Frankenstein: The True Story
Frankenstein: The True Story
Frankenstein: The True Story is a 1973 American made-for-television horror film loosely based on the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It was directed by Jack Smight, and the screenplay was co-written by novelist Christopher Isherwood....
(1973), the vampire
Kurt Barlow
Kurt Barlow is a fictional character in Stephen King's 1975 horror novel, Salem's Lot. The character is a master vampire, who terrorizes the small Maine town of Jerusalem's Lot...
's servant, Richard Straker, in Salem's Lot
Salem's Lot (1979 TV mini-series)
Salem's Lot is a 1979 American television adaptation of the novel of the same name by Stephen King...
, and surreal Royal Navy Captain Hughes in Yellowbeard
Yellowbeard
Yellowbeard is a 1983 comedy film by Graham Chapman, along with Peter Cook, Bernard McKenna and David Sherlock. It was directed by Mel Damski, and was Marty Feldman's last film appearance.-Plot:...
(1983). One of his last roles, that of corrupt lawyer Ed Concannon in The Verdict
The Verdict
The Verdict is a 1982 courtroom drama film which tells the story of a down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer who pushes a medical malpractice case in order to improve his own situation, but discovers along the way that he is doing the right thing. Since the lawsuit involves a woman in a persistent...
(1982), earned him his third and final Oscar nomination.
Mason was once considered to play James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
in a 1958 TV adaptation of From Russia with Love, which was ultimately never produced. Despite being in his fifties, he was still under consideration to play Bond in Dr. No
Dr. No (film)
Dr. No is a 1962 spy film, starring Sean Connery; it is the first James Bond film. Based on the 1958 Ian Fleming novel of the same name, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather and was directed by Terence Young. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R...
before Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
was cast. He was also approached to appear as Bond villain Hugo Drax in Moonraker
Moonraker (film)
Moonraker is the eleventh spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The third and final film in the series to be directed by Lewis Gilbert, it co-stars Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Corinne Clery, and Richard Kiel...
, however, he turned this down despite his renowned tendency to take any job offered him – which led to appearances in films such as The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go
The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go
- Plot summary :An American draft dodger and aspiring writer named Nero Finnigan becomes involved with the notorious Mr. Go , an oriental organized crime mastermind. They conspire to blackmail an American weapons scientist into providing secrets to Mr. Go's organization for resale to the highest...
, Bloodline and Hunt the Man Down. His final screen-work was playing the lead role in Dr. Fischer of Geneva (adapted from the Graham Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
novella, 1985) as the eccentric wealthy businessman who played games with the Swiss upper class, such as offering gifts to his guests on the proviso they accepted some humiliating ritual activity (such as wearing a child's bib at the dinner table). In 1975 he played Falconhurst plantation owner in the controversial film Mandingo
Mandingo (film)
Mandingo is a 1975 film, based on the novel Mandingo by Kyle Onstott and upon the play based thereon by Jack Kirkland. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and featured James Mason, Susan George, Perry King, Lillian Hayman, boxer-turned-actor Ken Norton, and bodybuilder and pro...
.
In the late 1970s, Mason became a mentor to up-and-coming actor Sam Neill
Sam Neill
Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
.
Late in life, he served as narrator for a British television series on the films of Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
, Unknown Chaplin, which was aired in the U.S. on PBS and later issued on home video.
Private life
Mason was a devoted lover of animals, particularly cats. He and his wife, Pamela MasonPamela Mason
Pamela Mason was a British actress, author, and screenwriter who appeared in a number of British films.-Early life and career:...
, co-authored the book The Cats in Our Lives, which was published in 1949. James Mason wrote most of the book and also illustrated it. In The Cats in Our Lives, he recounted humorous and sometimes touching tales of the cats (as well as a few dogs) he had known and loved.
Mason was married twice:
- First from 1941 to 1964 to British actress Pamela MasonPamela MasonPamela Mason was a British actress, author, and screenwriter who appeared in a number of British films.-Early life and career:...
(née Ostrer) (1916–1996); one daughter, Portland Mason Schuyler (1948–2004), and one son, MorganMorgan MasonAlexander Morgan Mason is a politician, film producer and actor. He was born in Beverly Hills, California, and is the son of the late Academy award-nominated British actor James Mason and his wife Pamela Mason, actress and commentator. He is a former Acting Chief of Protocol of the United States,...
(who is married to Belinda CarlisleBelinda CarlisleBelinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
, the lead singer of The Go-Go'sThe Go-Go'sThe Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
. Their son, James Duke MasonJames Duke MasonJames Duke Mason is an American actor and LGBT advocate. He is the son of singer Belinda Carlisle and Morgan Mason, and the grandson of the late British actor James Mason...
, is also an actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
). Portland Mason was named for Portland HoffaPortland HoffaPortland Hoffa was an American comedienne, actor, and dancer...
, the wife of the American radio comedian Fred AllenFred AllenFred Allen was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it...
; the Allens and the Masons were friends. - Australian actress Clarissa KayeClarissa KayeClarissa Kaye was an Australian stage, film and television actress. She was the second wife of British actor James Mason. After her marriage, she was often known as Clarissa Kaye-Mason.-Biography:...
(1971-his death). Tobe Hooper's DVD commentary for Salem's Lot reveals that Mason regularly worked contractual clauses into his later work guaranteeing Kaye bit parts in his film appearances.
Mason's autobiography, Before I Forget, was published in 1981.
Death
Mason survived a cardiac arrest in 1959 and died as a result of another on 27 July 1984 in LausanneLausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland. He was cremated and (after a delay of 16 years) his ashes were buried in Corsier-sur-Vevey
Corsier-sur-Vevey
Corsier-sur-Vevey is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-History:Corsier-sur-Vevey is first mentioned in 1079 as Corise. Until 1953 it was known as Corsier.-Geography:...
, Vaud
Vaud
Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
, Switzerland. The remains of Mason's old friend Charlie Chaplin are in a tomb a few steps away.
Mason's widow, Clarissa Kaye, also known as Kaye-Mason, died in 1994 from cancer.
Filmography
- Late Extra (1935)
- Twice BrandedTwice BrandedTwice Branded is a 1936 British drama film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring James Mason, Robert Rendel and Lucille Lisle. A man returning home after serving a prison sentence tries to rebuild his relationship with his family and prevent his son becoming embroiled with the same criminal gang...
(1936) - Troubled Waters (1936)
- Secret of StamboulSecret of StamboulSecret of Stamboul is a 1936 British thriller film, taken from the novel The Eunuch of Stamboul by Dennis Wheatley, directed by Andrew Marton and starring Valerie Hobson, James Mason and Frank Vosper...
(1936) - Prison BreakerPrison BreakerPrison Breaker is a 1936 British crime drama film directed by Adrian Brunel and starring James Mason, Wally Patch, Marguerite Allan and George Merritt. A British secret service agent falls in love with the daughter of a leading London criminal, and soon after becoming involved with her father finds...
(1936) - The High CommandThe High CommandThe High Command is a 1938 British drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and starring Lionel Atwill, Lucie Mannheim and James Mason. It was based on a novel by Lewis Robinson.- Plot summary :...
(1936) - Blind Man's Bluff (1936)
- The Mill on the FlossThe Mill on the Floss (film)The Mill on the Floss is a 1937 British drama film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Frank Lawton, Victoria Hopper, Geraldine Fitzgerald and James Mason...
(1937) - Catch As Catch CanCatch as Catch Can (1937 film)Catch as Catch Can is a 1937 film starring James Mason, Viki Dobson, Eddie Pola and Margaret Rutherford.-External links:* at Internet Movie Database...
(1937) - Fire Over EnglandFire Over EnglandFire Over England is a 1937 London Film Productions film drama, notable for providing the first pairing of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. It was directed by William K. Howard and written by Clemence Dane from the novel Fire Over England by A. E. W. Mason. Leigh's performance in the movie...
(1937) - Return of the Scarlet PimpernelReturn of the Scarlet PimpernelThe Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel is a 1937 British thriller film directed by Hanns Schwarz and starring Barry K. Barnes, Sophie Stewart, Margaretta Scott and James Mason. It is a sequel to the 1934 film The Scarlet Pimpernel based on the stories by Baroness Emmuska Orczy.France, 1794. Citizen...
(1937) - I Met a MurdererI Met a MurdererI Met a Murderer is a 1939 British thriller film directed by Roy Kellino and starring James Mason, Pamela Mason, Sylvia Coleridge and William Devlin. A man murders his oppressive wife and flees from the police. He meets a young woman who suspects his identity as the murderer, but conceals this...
(1939) - This Man Is DangerousThis Man Is DangerousThis Man Is Dangerous is a 1941 British thriller film, directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring James Mason and Gordon McLeod. The film is based on the novel They Called Him Death by David Hume....
(1941) - Hatter's CastleHatter's Castle (film)Hatter's Castle is a 1941 British film adaptation of the 1931 novel by A. J. Cronin, which dramatizes the ruin that befalls a Scottish hatter set on recapturing his imagined lost nobility. The film was made by Paramount British Pictures and stars Robert Newton, Deborah Kerr, James Mason, and Emlyn...
(1941) - The Night Has EyesThe Night Has EyesThe Night Has Eyes is a 1942 British thriller film directed by Leslie Arliss and starring James Mason, Wilfrid Lawson and Mary Clare. Two young teachers travel to the Yorkshire Moors where their friend disappeared a year before...
(1942) - AlibiAlibi (1942 film)Alibi is a 1942 British mystery film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Margaret Lockwood, James Mason and Hugh Sinclair. Police hunt for the killer of a nightclub hostess. It was based on the novel L'Alibi by Marcel Achard.-Cast:...
(1942) - Secret MissionSecret MissionSecret Mission is a 1942 British drama film directed by Harold French and starring Hugh Williams, James Mason, Nancy Price, Carla Lehmann and Roland Culver...
(1942) - Thunder RockThunder Rock (film)Thunder Rock is a 1942 British drama film with supernatural elements, directed by Roy Boulting and starring Michael Redgrave, James Mason, Lilli Palmer and Barbara Mullen.-Background:...
(1942) - The Bells Go DownThe Bells Go DownThe Bells Go down is a black-and-white wartime film made by Ealing Studios in 1943. The reference in the title is to the alarm bells in the fire station that "go down" when a call to respond is made...
(1943) - The Man in GreyThe Man in GreyThe Man in Grey is a 1943 British film melodrama made by Gainsborough Pictures, and is widely considered as the first of its "Gainsborough melodramas"...
(1943) - They Met in the DarkThey Met in the DarkThey Met in the Dark is a 1943 British thriller film directed by Karel Lamac and starring James Mason, Joyce Howard and Edward Rigby. A cashiered Royal Naval officer and a young woman join forces to solve a murder and hunt down a German spy ring.-Cast:...
(1943) - Hotel ReserveHotel ReserveHotel Reserve is a spy film starring James Mason as an innocent man caught up in pre-Second World War espionage. It was based on Eric Ambler's novel Epitaph for a Spy.-Plot:...
(1944) - Fanny by GaslightFanny by Gaslight (film)Fanny by Gaslight was a 1944 British drama film, produced by Gainsborough Pictures, set in the 1870s and adapted from a novel by Michael Sadleir . It was one of its famous period-set "Gainsborough melodramas"...
(1944) - Candlelight in AlgeriaCandlelight in AlgeriaCandlelight in Algeria is a 1944 British war film directed by George King and starring James Mason, Carla Lehmann and Raymond Lovell....
(1944) - A Place of One's OwnA Place of One's OwnA Place of One's Own is a British film directed by Bernard Knowles. An atmospheric ghost story based on the novel by Osbert Sitwell, it stars James Mason, Barbara Mullen, Margaret Lockwood, Dennis Price and Dulcie Gray...
(1945) - They Were SistersThey Were SistersThey Were Sisters is a 1945 British melodrama film, directed by Arthur Crabtree for Gainsborough Pictures and starring James Mason and Phyllis Calvert. The film was produced by Harold Huth, with cinematography from Jack Cox and screenplay by Roland Pertwee...
(1945) - The Wicked LadyThe Wicked LadyThe Wicked Lady is a 1945 film starring Margaret Lockwood in the title role as a nobleman's wife who secretly becomes a highwayman for the excitement...
(1945) - The Seventh VeilThe Seventh VeilThe Seventh Veil is a 1945 British melodrama film made by Ortus Films, a company established by producer Sydney Box, who here released through General Film Distributors in the UK and Universal Pictures in the United States.-Plot:...
(1945) - Odd Man OutOdd Man OutOdd Man Out is a 1947 Anglo-Irish film noir directed by Carol Reed, starring James Mason, and is based on a novel of the same name by F. L. Green.-Plot:The film's opening intertitle reads:...
(1947) - The Upturned GlassThe Upturned GlassThe Upturned Glass is a 1947 British drama film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring James Mason, Rosamund John and Pamela Kellino. A leading surgeon murders a woman he believes to be responsible for the death of the woman he loved.-Cast:...
(1947) - Caught (1949, by Max OphülsMax OphülsMaximillian Oppenheimer — known as Max Ophüls — was an influential German-born film director who worked in Germany , France , the United States , and France again...
) - Madame BovaryMadame Bovary (1949 film)Madame Bovary is a 1949 film adaptation of the classic novel of the same name by Gustave Flaubert. It stars Jennifer Jones, James Mason, Van Heflin, Louis Jourdan, Alf Kjellin , Gene Lockhart, Frank Allenby and Gladys Cooper....
(1949) - The Reckless MomentThe Reckless MomentThe Reckless Moment is a film noir melodrama directed by Max Ophüls, produced by Walter Wanger, and released by Columbia Pictures with Burnett Guffey as cinematographer. Starring Joan Bennett and James Mason, the film is based on The Blank Wall , a novel written by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding...
(1949, by Max OphülsMax OphülsMaximillian Oppenheimer — known as Max Ophüls — was an influential German-born film director who worked in Germany , France , the United States , and France again...
) - East Side, West SideEast Side, West Side (1949 film)East Side, West Side is a melodramatic crime film, starring Barbara Stanwyck as a wronged wife and Ava Gardner in one of her earliest roles.-Plot:Wealthy socialite Brandon Bourne can't resist cheating on his faithful wife, Jessie...
(1949) - One Way StreetOne Way StreetOne Way Street is a 1950 film directed by Hugo Fregonese that stars James Mason. The black-and-white crime film, considered to be film noir, takes place mainly in Mexico.Rock Hudson appears as a truck driver, but is uncredited.-Plot:...
(1950) - Pandora and the Flying DutchmanPandora and the Flying DutchmanPandora and the Flying Dutchman is a 1951 British drama film made by Romulus Films and released by MGM in the United States. It was directed by Albert Lewin and produced by Joe Kaufmann and Albert Lewin from his own screenplay, based on the legend of The Flying Dutchman.It starred Ava Gardner and...
(1951) - The Desert Fox: The Story of RommelThe Desert Fox: The Story of RommelThe Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel is a 1951 biographical film about Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in the later stages of World War II. It stars James Mason in the title role, was directed by Henry Hathaway, and was based on the book Rommel by Brigadier Desmond Young, who served in the Indian Army in...
(1951) - Lady Possessed (1952) (also producer and writer)
- 5 Fingers5 Fingers5 Fingers, known also as Five Fingers, is a 1952 American 20th Century Fox spy film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by Otto Lang. The screenplay by Michael Wilson and Mankiewicz was based on Operation Cicero by L.C...
(1952) - The Prisoner of ZendaThe Prisoner of Zenda (1952 film)The Prisoner of Zenda is a 1952 film version of the classic novel of the same name by Anthony Hope and a remake of the famous 1937 film version. This version was made by Loew's and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S...
(1952) - Face to FaceFace to Face (1952 film)Face to Face is an anthology film adapted from the stories "The Secret Sharer" by Joseph Conrad and "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" by Stephen Crane. The film was produced by A&P heir Huntington Hartford and released by RKO Radio Pictures....
(1952) - Charade (1953 film)Charade (1953 film)-Cast:*James Mason as The Murderer / Maj. Linden / Jonah Watson*Pamela Mason as The Artist / Pamela / Baroness Tanslan / Lilly*Scott Forbes as Capt. Stamm*Paul Cavanagh as Col. Heisler*Bruce Lester as Capt. van Buren*John Dodsworth as Lt. Meyerdorf...
(1953) (also producer and writer) - The Story of Three LovesThe Story of Three LovesThe Story of Three Loves, also known as Equilibrium, is a 1953 romantic anthology film made by MGM. It consists of three stories, "The Jealous Lover", "Mademoiselle", and "Equilibrium". The film was produced by Sidney Franklin. "Mademoiselle" was directed by Vincente Minnelli, while Gottfried...
(1953) - Botany BayBotany Bay (film)Botany Bay is a 1953 American drama film directed by John Farrow and starring Alan Ladd, James Mason and Patricia Medina. It was based on a novel of the same name by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall.-Plot:...
(1953) - The Desert RatsThe Desert Rats (film)The Desert Rats is a 1953 American war film about the World War II siege of Tobruk. It stars Richard Burton and was directed by Robert Wise.-Plot:...
(1953) - Julius CaesarJulius Caesar (1953 film)Julius Caesar is an 1953 MGM film adaptation of the play by Shakespeare, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who also wrote the uncredited screenplay, and produced by John Houseman. The original music score is by Miklós Rózsa...
(1953, by Joseph L. MankiewiczJoseph L. MankiewiczJoseph Leo Mankiewicz was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz had a long Hollywood career and is best known as the writer-director of All About Eve , which was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won six. He was brother to screenwriter and drama critic Herman J...
) - The Man BetweenThe Man BetweenThe Man Between is a 1953 British thriller film directed by Carol Reed and starring James Mason, Claire Bloom, Hildegard Knef and Geoffrey Toone...
(1953) - The Tell-Tale Heart (1953) (animated short subject) (voice)
- Prince ValiantPrince Valiant (1954 film)Prince Valiant is a 1954 adventure film in Technicolor and Cinemascope, based on the comic strip of the same name by Hal Foster. A young man seeks to join the Knights of the Round Table in order to restore his father to his own kingship, and uncovers a plot against King Arthur.-Plot summary:The...
(1954) - A Star Is BornA Star Is Born (1954 film)A Star Is Born is a 1954 American musical film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay written by Moss Hart was an adaptation of the original 1937 film, which was based on the original screenplay by Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker, and Alan Campbell...
(1954, by George CukorGeorge CukorGeorge Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
) - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 adventure film starring Kirk Douglas as Ned Land, James Mason as Captain Nemo, Paul Lukas as Professor Pierre Aronnax, and Peter Lorre as Conseil. It was the first science fiction film produced by Walt Disney Productions, as well as the only science-fiction...
(1954) - Forever, DarlingForever, DarlingForever, Darling is a 1956 American romantic comedy film with fantasy overtones, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, and James Mason, and directed by Alexander Hall...
(with Lucille BallLucille BallLucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
and Desi ArnazDesi ArnazDesi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
) (1956) - Bigger Than LifeBigger Than LifeBigger Than Life is an American film made in 1956 directed by Nicholas Ray and starring James Mason, who also co-wrote and produced the film, about a school teacher and family man whose life spins out of control upon becoming addicted to cortisone. The film co-stars Barbara Rush as his wife and...
(1956, by Nicholas RayNicholas RayNicholas Ray was an American film director best known for the movie Rebel Without a Cause....
) (also producer and writer) - Island in the SunIsland in the Sun (film)Island in the Sun is a 1957 film that stars an ensemble cast including James Mason, Joan Fontaine, Dorothy Dandridge, Joan Collins, Michael Rennie and Harry Belafonte. The cast includes also Diana Wynyard, Patricia Owens and Stephen Boyd. The film is about race relations and interracial romance...
(1957) - Cry Terror!Cry Terror!Cry Terror! is a 1958 thriller film starring James Mason, Inger Stevens, and Rod Steiger.-Plot:An innocent family gets caught in the middle when a gang threatens to blow up an airplane unless a ransom is paid.-Cast:*James Mason as Jim Molner...
(1958) - The Decks Ran RedThe Decks Ran RedThe Decks Ran Red is a 1958 M-G-M sea-going suspense drama based on the book Infamy at Sea, and directed by Andrew L. Stone. The feature starred, James Mason, Dorothy Dandridge, Broderick Crawford, and Stuart Whitman....
(1958) - A Touch of LarcenyA Touch of LarcenyA Touch of Larceny is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Guy Hamilton and starring James Mason, George Sanders, Vera Miles, Harry Andrews, Rachel Gurney, and John Le Mesurier. It is based on a diverting and mildly cynical novel, The Megstone Plot , by Paul Winterton under the pseudonym Andrew...
(1959) - North by NorthwestNorth by NorthwestNorth by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
(1959) - Journey to the Center of the EarthJourney to the Center of the Earth (1959 film)Journey to the Center of the Earth is a 1959 adventure film adapted by Charles Brackett from the novel by Jules Verne. It stars Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Peter Ronson, Diane Baker, Thayer David and Alan Napier...
(1959) - The Trials of Oscar WildeThe Trials of Oscar WildeThe Trials of Oscar Wilde also known as The Man with the Green Carnation and The Green Carnation, is a 1960 British film based on the libel and subsequent criminal cases involving Oscar Wilde and the Marquess of Queensberry. It was produced by Irving Allen, written by Allen and Ken Hughes and...
(1960) - The Marriage-Go-RoundThe Marriage-Go-RoundThe Marriage-Go-Round is a 1958 play written by Leslie Stevens and a 1961 film adaptation also written and produced by Stevens. It was inspired by a suggestion that dancer Isadora Duncan supposedly made to playwright George Bernard Shaw: the two of them should have a child because "with your mind...
(1961) - Escape from ZahrainEscape from ZahrainEscape from Zahrain is a 1962 American action film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Yul Brynner, Anthony Caruso, James Mason and Jack Warden....
(1962) - LolitaLolita (1962 film)Lolita is a 1962 comedy-drama film by Stanley Kubrick based on the classic novel of the same title by Vladimir Nabokov. The film stars James Mason as Humbert Humbert, Sue Lyon as Dolores Haze and Shelley Winters as Charlotte Haze with Peter Sellers as Clare Quilty.Due to the MPAA's restrictions at...
(1962) - Hero's Island (1962)
- Tiara TahitiTiara TahitiTiara Tahiti is a 1962 drama-comedy film directed by Ted Kotcheff, starring James Mason and John Mills. It is based on the novel by Geoffrey Cotterell, who also adapted it to screen together with Ivan Foxwell. It was filmed in London and Tahiti...
(1962) - Torpedo BayTorpedo BayTorpedo Bay is a 1963 war film directed by Charles Frend and Bruno Vailati and starring James Mason. The story is based on events that took place at Betasom, a submarine base established at Bordeaux by the Italian Navy during World War II....
(1963) - The Fall of the Roman EmpireThe Fall of the Roman Empire (film)The Fall of the Roman Empire is a 1964 English-language epic film produced by Samuel Bronston Productions and the Rank Organisation, and released by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Anthony Mann and produced by Samuel Bronston with Jaime Prades and Michal Waszynski as associate producers. The...
(1964) - The Pumpkin EaterThe Pumpkin EaterThe Pumpkin Eater is a 1964 British drama film starring Anne Bancroft as an unusually fertile woman and Peter Finch as her philandering husband....
(1964) - Lord JimLord Jim (1965 film)Lord Jim is a 1965 adventure film made by Columbia Pictures. It was produced and directed by Richard Brooks with Jules Buck and Peter O'Toole as associate producers, from a screenplay by Brooks...
(1965) - Genghis KhanGenghis Khan (1965 film)Genghis Khan is a 1965 film depicting the life and conquests of the Mongol emperor Genghis Khan. It was released in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1965 by Columbia Pictures, and was directed by Henry Levin, and starred Omar Sharif, who that same year starred in another epic, Doctor...
(1965) - The UninhibitedThe UninhibitedThe Uninhibited is a 1965 Spanish film directed by Juan Antonio Bardem and starring Melina Mercouri, James Mason and Hardy Kruger. It was entered into the 1965 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
(1965) - The Blue MaxThe Blue MaxThe Blue Max is an 1966 British war film about a German fighter pilot on the Western Front during World War I. It was directed by John Guillermin, stars George Peppard, James Mason and Ursula Andress, and features Karl Michael Vogler and Jeremy Kemp. The screenplay was written by David Pursall,...
(1966) - Georgy GirlGeorgy GirlGeorgy Girl is a 1966 British film based on a novel by Margaret Forster. The film was directed by Silvio Narizzano and starred Lynn Redgrave as Georgy, Alan Bates, James Mason, Charlotte Rampling and Bill Owen....
(1966) - The Deadly AffairThe Deadly AffairThe Deadly Affair is a 1966 British espionage–thriller film, based on John le Carré's first novel Call for the Dead. The film stars James Mason, Harry Andrews, Simone Signoret and Maximilian Schell and was directed by Sidney Lumet from a script by Paul Dehn. In it George Smiley, the central...
(1966) - The London Nobody Knows (1967) (documentary) (narrator)
- Stranger in the HouseStranger in the House (1967 film)Stranger In The House is a 1967 crime drama directed and written by Pierre Rouve , produced by Anatole de Grunwald, and starring James Mason, Geraldine Chaplin, and Bobby Darin. The movie is also known as Cop-Out and is a remake of the 1942 French film Strangers in the House...
(1967) - The Legend of Silent Night (1967) (For ABC Television Network)
- Vienna: The Years Remembered (1968) (short subject)
- DuffyDuffy (film)Duffy is a 1968 Anglo-American comedy film directed by Robert Parrish and starring James Coburn, James Mason, Susannah York and James Fox.-Plot:...
(1968) - MayerlingMayerling (1968 film)Mayerling is a 1968 romantic tragedy film starring Omar Sharif, Catherine Deneuve, James Mason, Ava Gardner, Geneviève Page, James Robertson Justice and Andréa Parisy. It was written and directed by Terence Young...
(1968) - The Sea GullThe Sea GullThe Sea Gull is a 1968 British-American-Greek drama film directed by Sidney Lumet. The screenplay by Moura Budberg is adapted from Anton Chekhov's classic 1896 play The Seagull....
(1968, by Sidney LumetSidney LumetSidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...
) - Age of Consent (1969)
- The Yin and Yang of Mr. Go (1970)
- Spring and Port WineSpring and Port WineSpring and Port Wine is a stage play by Bill Naughton which was turned into a film .It began life under the title My Flesh, My Blood as a BBC Radio play, broadcast on 17 August 1957 in the Saturday Night Theatre strand...
(1970) - Cold SweatCold Sweat (1970 film)Cold Sweat is a 1970 film starring Charles Bronson, directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1959 novel Ride the Nightmare by Richard Matheson.-Plot:Joe Martin, an American, rents boats in the South of France...
(1970) - Bad Man's RiverBad Man's RiverBad Man's River is a 1971 Comedy Western film directed by Eugenio Martín and starring Lee Van Cleef, James Mason, Gina Lollobrigida and Simón Andreu....
(1971) - Kill!Kill!is a 1968 film directed by Kihachi Okamoto, written by Akira Murao, Kihachi Okamoto, and Shugoro Yamamoto and starring Tatsuya Nakadai.- Cast :*Tatsuya Nakadai .... Genta *Etsushi Takahashi .... Hanji...
(1971) - Child's PlayChild's Play (1972 film)Child's Play is a 1972 American drama-mystery film directed by Sidney Lumet. The screenplay by Leon Prochnik is based on the 1970 play of the same title by Robert Marasco. It has never been available on home video in the United States in any format....
(1972) - Frankenstein: The True StoryFrankenstein: The True StoryFrankenstein: The True Story is a 1973 American made-for-television horror film loosely based on the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It was directed by Jack Smight, and the screenplay was co-written by novelist Christopher Isherwood....
(1973 TV mini-series) - The Last of SheilaThe Last of SheilaThe Last of Sheila is a 1973 mystery film directed by Herbert Ross, written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim, It stars Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn, James Mason, Ian McShane, Joan Hackett, and Raquel Welch....
(1973) - The Mackintosh ManThe Mackintosh ManThe Mackintosh Man is a 1973 British cold war spy thriller film directed by John Huston and starring Paul Newman, James Mason, Dominique Sanda and Ian Bannen. It was produced by John Foreman and William Hill as associate producer from a screenplay by Walter Hill and William Fairchild based on the...
(1973) - The Marseille ContractThe Marseille ContractThe Marseille Contract is a 1974 British thriller film directed by Robert Parrish and scored by Roy Budd. It stars Michael Caine, Anthony Quinn and James Mason. It concerns an attempt to bring down a drugs baron, by hiring an assassin...
(1974) - 11 Harrowhouse11 Harrowhouse11 Harrowhouse is a 1974 British film directed by Aram Avakian. It was adapted by Charles Grodin based upon the novel by Gerald A. Browne with the screenplay by Jeffrey Bloom...
(1974) - The Year of the WildebeestThe Year of the WildebeestThe Year of the Wildebeest is a nature documentary from the Survival series shot in 1975. This documentary recorded the migration of 1.5 million ungulates through Tanzania. The cameras used in the documentary were hidden cameras inside tortoise shells to obtain images of the wildebeests thundering...
(1975) (documentary) (narrator) - The Left Hand of the LawThe Left Hand of the LawThe Left Hand of the Law is a 1975 Italian action film written and directed by Giuseppe Rosati and starring British actor James Mason....
(1975) - The Flower in His MouthThe Flower in His MouthThe Flower in His Mouth is a 1975 drama film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Jennifer O'Neill.-Cast:* Jennifer O'Neill - Elena Bardi* Franco Nero - Professore* James Mason - Bellocampo* Orazio Orlando - Ispettore* Aldo Giuffrè - Maresciallo...
(1975) - MandingoMandingo (film)Mandingo is a 1975 film, based on the novel Mandingo by Kyle Onstott and upon the play based thereon by Jack Kirkland. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and featured James Mason, Susan George, Perry King, Lillian Hayman, boxer-turned-actor Ken Norton, and bodybuilder and pro...
(1975) - Kidnap Syndicate (1975)
- Autobiography of a PrincessAutobiography of a PrincessAutobiography of a Princess is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions , starring James Mason and Madhur Jaffrey.-Plot:...
(1975, by James IvoryJames Ivory (director)James Francis Ivory is an American film director, best known for the results of his long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, which included both Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala...
) - Inside OutInside Out (1975 film)Inside Out is a 1975 British action thriller film directed by Peter Duffell and starring James Mason, Robert Culp and Telly Savalas. The movie aired on television in the United States on NBC on January 1, 1978 under the alternate title Hitler's Gold...
(1975) - Hot Stuff (1976)
- People of the WindPeople of the WindPeople of the Wind is a 1976 documentary film about the Bakhtiari people, produced by Anthony Howarth and David Koff. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
(1976) (documentary) (narrator) - Voyage of the DamnedVoyage of the DamnedVoyage of the Damned is the title of a 1974 book written by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan-Witts, which was the basis of a 1976 drama film with the same title.The story was inspired by true events concerning the fate of the MS St...
(1976) - Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
- Cross of IronCross of IronCross of Iron is a 1977 war film directed by Sam Peckinpah, featuring James Coburn, Maximilian Schell, James Mason and David Warner. The film is set on the Eastern Front in World War II during the Soviet's Caucasus operations that forced the Wehrmacht to retreat from the Taman Peninsula on the...
(1977) - Homage to Chagall: The Colours of LoveHomage to Chagall: The Colours of LoveHomage to Chagall: The Colours of Love is a 1977 Canadian documentary film directed by Harry Rasky. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
(1977) (documentary) (narrator in English version) - The Water BabiesThe Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land BabyThe Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby is a children's novel by the Reverend Charles Kingsley. Written in 1862–1863 as a serial for Macmillan's Magazine, it was first published in its entirety in 1863...
(1978) (voice) - Heaven Can WaitHeaven Can Wait (1978 film)Heaven Can Wait is a 1978 American comedy film directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry. It is the second film adaptation of Harry Segall's stageplay of the same name, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan and followed by Down to Earth...
(1978) - The Boys from BrazilThe Boys from Brazil (film)The Boys from Brazil is a 1978 British/American science fiction/thriller film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. It stars Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier, with James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Uta Hagen and Steve Guttenberg in supporting roles...
(1978) - Murder by DecreeMurder by DecreeMurder by Decree is an Anglo-Canadian thriller film involving Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson in the case of the serial murderer Jack the Ripper...
(1979) - The Passage (1979)
- Bloodline (1979)
- Salem's Lot (1979) (for American TV)
- North Sea HijackNorth Sea HijackNorth Sea Hijack is a British action film from 1979 starring Roger Moore, James Mason, Anthony Perkins, and Michael Parks. It was directed by Andrew V...
(1980) - A Dangerous SummerA Dangerous SummerA Dangerous Summer is a 1982 Australian crime film drama film directed by Quentin Masters and starring Tom Skerritt, Ian Gilmour, Guy Doleman and James Mason.-Box office:...
(1981) - IvanhoeIvanhoe (1982 film)Ivanhoe is a 1982 television film adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's novel of the same name. The film was directed by Douglas Camfield and screenplay written by John Gay...
(1982) - Evil Under the SunEvil Under the Sun (1982 film)Evil Under the Sun is a 1982 British mystery film based on the 1941 novel Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie.-Production:The screenplay was written by Anthony Shaffer and an uncredited Barry Sandler...
(1982) - The VerdictThe VerdictThe Verdict is a 1982 courtroom drama film which tells the story of a down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer who pushes a medical malpractice case in order to improve his own situation, but discovers along the way that he is doing the right thing. Since the lawsuit involves a woman in a persistent...
(1982) - Group Madness (1983) (documentary)
- Alexandre (1983)
- YellowbeardYellowbeardYellowbeard is a 1983 comedy film by Graham Chapman, along with Peter Cook, Bernard McKenna and David Sherlock. It was directed by Mel Damski, and was Marty Feldman's last film appearance.-Plot:...
(1983) - Don't Eat the Pictures (1983)
- The Assisi UndergroundThe Assisi UndergroundThe Assisi Underground: The Priests Who Rescued Jews is a 1978 novel written by Alexander Ramati based on a true-life account, told by Father Rufino Niccacci, of events surrounding the effort to hide 300 Jews in the town of Assisi, Italy during World War II.-Plot:In the Italian town of Assisi...
(1984) - A.D. (1985) (TV mini-series)
- The Shooting PartyThe Shooting PartyThe Shooting Party is a 1985 film directed by Alan Bridges and based on the book of the same name by Isabel Colegate. The film is set in 1913 and shows the way of life of English aristocrats, gathered for pheasant shooting and general self-indulgence. Their way of life is contrasted with the...
(1985) - Dr. Fischer of GenevaDoctor Fischer of GenevaDoctor Fischer of Geneva or The bomb party , is a novel by the English novelist Graham Greene.-Plot summary:The story is narrated by Alfred Jones, a translator for a large chocolate company in Switzerland. Jones, in his 50s, lost his left hand while working as a fireman during The Blitz. Jones is a...
(1985) (TV film)
Influence
The stand-up comedian Eddie IzzardEddie Izzard
Edward John "Eddie" Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime...
often impersonates James Mason's voice saying it is the voice of God; it is a running gag in his shows.