James Mason

James Mason broke into British films in 1935 after a few years working on the stage. For the rest of the decade, he alternated unsuccessful theatre ventures with increasingly important movies. Though he was a conscientious objector, he became one of the most popular British actors of the World War II era. He moved to Hollywood after the war and made 34 films between 1949 and 1962. Though success initially eluded him, he worked with some of the leading directors of the time and eventually won an Academy Award nomination for A Star is Born (1954). He worked steadily in the years that followed, appearing in nearly 50 feature films from 1963 until his death in 1984. While many of these films were undistinguished, he earned two additional Oscar nominations and was voted Cinema Actor of the Century by a panel of international critics in 1967. This reference book is a comprehensive guide to his life and career. The volume begins with a biography in narrative form that traces Mason's life. The biography is followed by a short chronology, which highlights the principal events of his life and career. An extensive annotated bibliography then reviews works by and about Mason. The sections that follow detail his many performances in film, radio, television, audio recordings, and the stage. Each section includes entries for individual productions, with entries providing extensive cast and credit information, plot summaries, excerpts from reviews, and critical commentary where available. The volume also lists additional information, such as Mason's awards and nominations.

KEVIN SWEENEY is a Chicago-based freelance writer and author of Henry Fonda: A Bio-Bibliography (Greenwood, 1992).