1909 15th May
Birth of James Mason
Birth of James Mason
Cinema history · permanent subject timeline
James Mason
British actor who developed a major international screen career. This page combines historical context with 21 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database cinema archive.
Historical context
James Mason: overview and significance
What happened?
James Mason became a leading British actor before moving into American and international productions across drama, literary adaptation and genre cinema.
Why was it important?
Mason's career illustrates the international mobility of British film actors in the post-war period.
World History Database records
James Mason timeline
The records below are selected from the 2,036-record Cinema History archive and rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1909
1935
1935
Late Extra
Enters films with the newspaper thriller, Late Extra
1941
1941
Marriage
Marries Pamela Kellino
1942
1942
Hatters Castle
Stars with Deborah Kerr and Robert Newton in Hatters Castle
1943
1943
The Man in Grey
Masons first commercial success came in 1943 with The Man in Grey, a swashbuckling Regency romance
1944
1944
Candlelight in Algeria
Stars in Candlelight in Algeria
1949
1949
Madame Bovary
Stars in Madame Bovary. Makes his first Hollywood film, Caught
1951
1951
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
Stars in The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel. Stars in Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
1952
1952
The Prisoner of Zenda
Stars in The Prisoner of Zenda
1953
1953
The Desert Rats
Stars in The Desert Rats
1954
1954
A Star is Born
Stars in A Star is Born with Judy Garland, bringing him the first of three Oscar nominations
1959
1959
North by Northwest
Stars in North by Northwest. Stars in Journey to the Center of the Earth
1962
1962
Lolita
Stars in North by Lolita
1969
1969
Age of Consent
Stars in Age of Consent
1971
1971
Marriage
Marries Clarissa Kaye
1973
1973
The Mackintosh Man
Stars in The Mackintosh Man
1977
1977
Cross of Iron
Stars in Cross of Iron
1978
1978
The Boys from Brazil
Stars in The Boys from Brazil
1981
1981
Before I Forget
Autobiography, "Before I Forget"
1982
1982
The Verdict
Stars in The Verdict
1984
1984 27th July
Death of James Mason
Death of James Mason
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database.
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database cinema records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
British Film Institute · Library of Congress · Academy Awards
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