Born James Neville Mason on May 15, 1909 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, he was a three time Academy Award winning actor. Mason’s distinctive voice and good looks enabled him to play both villains and heroes. He was even under consideration to play James Bond before Sean Connery was cast. He turned down the role of Hugo Drax the villain in “Moonraker” despite his renowned tendency to take any job offered him. Maybe that’s why he accepted the role of Montero in 1971’s “Bad Man’s River”. He never listed this film on his resume and denied he ever made it. Mason died of a heart attack on July 27, 1984 at the age of 75. Today we celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Remembering James Mason
Born James Neville Mason on May 15, 1909 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, he was a three time Academy Award winning actor. Mason’s distinctive voice and good looks enabled him to play both villains and heroes. He was even under consideration to play James Bond before Sean Connery was cast. He turned down the role of Hugo Drax the villain in “Moonraker” despite his renowned tendency to take any job offered him. Maybe that’s why he accepted the role of Montero in 1971’s “Bad Man’s River”. He never listed this film on his resume and denied he ever made it. Mason died of a heart attack on July 27, 1984 at the age of 75. Today we celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Great actor. Great man. Sorely missed.
ReplyDelete