Films starring James Mason

Tall, dark and blessed with a purring voice, he was one of cinema's most distinctive presences. Born in Huddersfield and educated at Cambridge, he first found fame in British films like The Wicked Lady, usually playing the brooding bad boy no woman could resist.

Restless for bigger challenges, Mason tried Hollywood. Although he never ma... show more >

Tall, dark and blessed with a purring voice, he was one of cinema's most distinctive presences. Born in Huddersfield and educated at Cambridge, he first found fame in British films like The Wicked Lady, usually playing the brooding bad boy no woman could resist.

Restless for bigger challenges, Mason tried Hollywood. Although he never matched his early stardom, he blossomed as an actor and delighted in working with some of the best directors of the era – Max Ophuls, Nicholas Ray and Stanley Kubrick amongst them.

Over time, the saturnine young firebrand grew into a sardonic supporting player. But whether as leading man or character actor, from Odd Man Out To The Verdict, by way of North by Northwest, Age of Consent and Cross of Iron, he was almost always the most interesting thing on screen.

His centenary on the 15th of May provides a useful opportunity to remind ourselves of his unique talent. < show less