Not always mentioned among big stars like Clark Gable and Cary Grant; not always among celebrated artists such as Laurence Olivier, Marlon Brando, or Al Pacino, James Mason certainly earned the right to be called one of the great film actors of all time.
Mason was nominated for three Oscars and and three Golden Globes, and his resume reads like a who's who of classic movies: Lolita, North By Northwest, and Julius Caesar. Also not too shabby were A Star is Born and Bigger Than Life.
While radio was passing the baton of dominant media on to movies (with television a newbie), the British Mason appeared on a few of the big American shows: Suspense, Maxwell House Coffee Time, Studio One, and The Fred Allen Show.
We say a happy birthday to actor James Mason!
