- Born
- Died
- Birth nameSamuel George Herbert Mason
- Nicknames
- Bertie
- Werb
- Garry
- Werbert
- Height6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
- Major Herbert Mason MC was born Samuel George Herbert Mason in Moseley, Birmingham, England on April 7, 1891, the son of Amy (Collins) and Samuel George Mason, a brass-founder. He came from a theatrical family - his aunt was the great Shakespearean actress Ellen Terry and his great-uncle was actor and comedian Edward Terry. He began his career as an actor at age 16 and appeared in several productions at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Mason's theatrical career went on hold in the First World War. He served in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and later commanded the 59th Brigade Machine Gun Corps at the taking of Guillemont during the Battle of the Somme. He was awarded the Military Cross.
In the 1920s, Herbert Mason became an actor's manager and then a stage manager, putting on many of the biggest shows in the London theater of the time. With the advent of sound in motion pictures he gravitated toward films, working for Gaumont British in various production capacities, including assistant director. He was assistant director for I Was a Spy (1933) which was voted the best picture released in 1933. Mason made his directorial debut in 1936 with The First Offence (1936), a somewhat gritty crime drama with John Mills, and directed several films with George Arliss before Arliss retired. He turned out the musical Take My Tip (1937) with Jack Hulbert, who was called "England's Fred Astaire" and lived up to that title with his dance routines in this film.
Mason changed his pace from perky musicals to dark drama with Lady in Distress (1940), a remake of the original French drama film Métropolitain (1939) about a man who believes he has witnessed a murder from a passing train, but went back to lighter fare with such films as the Arthur Askey comedy Back-Room Boy (1942). He made his last film as director in 1945 with Flight from Folly (1945): it was the last film made at Warner's Teddington Studios before it was bombed in 1944. From that point on he concentrated on producing. He joined London Films as an associate producer and produced some films (including Anna Karenina (1948)) with its founder Alexander Korda. Later, Mason became producer for Group 3 at Southall Studios during the 1950s. He wrote some plays with his wife Daisy Fisher, a novelist, playwright, stage actress and one of the script writers of Things Are Looking Up (1935). They were married for nearly 46 years and had two children: Jocelyn and Michael.
Herbert Mason, film director and producer died at the age of 69 on May 20, 1960 in London. He was survived by his wife, their daughter and son and two grandsons.- IMDb Mini Biography By: frankfob2@yahoo.com with additions by IMDB editor
- SpouseDaisy Fisher(June 23, 1914 - May 20, 1960) (his death, 2 children)
- ChildrenMichael John MasonJocelyn Mary Mason
- ParentsSamuel George MasonAmy Mason (Collins)
- RelativesJohn Gumley-Mason(Great Grandchild)Helena Gumley-Mason(Great Grandchild)Amy Norah Mason(Sibling)Elsa Catherine Mason(Sibling)Jessica Mason(Sibling)Gerry Massy-Collier(Niece or Nephew)Samuel Mason(Grandparent)Samuel Mason(Great Grandparent)
- Some film historians claim he was a nephew of stage actress Ellen Terry (1847-1928). Other sources claim he was a nephew of Edward Terry (also known as Edward O'Connor Terry). Edward's first wife was Ellen Terry née Deitz (1848-1897).
- He authored some plays with his wife, Daisy Fisher, a novelist and playwright.
- He directed and produced Flight from Folly (1945). Afterwards he moved into producing.
- Three films he directed (Dr. O'Dowd (1940), It's in the Bag (1944) and Flight from Folly (1945)) are included on the "BFI 75 Most Wanted" list.
- Some of his films introduced rising stars to the screen: Megs Jenkins in Continental Express (1939), Peggy Cummins and Shaun Glenville in Dr. O'Dowd (1940), Vera Frances in Back-Room Boy (1942) and Pat Kirkwood in Flight from Folly (1945). I Was a Spy (1933) in which he was an assistant director introduced Martita Hunt. Evergreen (1934) in which he was unit manager was the first feature of Mona Washbourne, Rita Grant and Christine Lindsay. Anna Karenina (1948) in which he was associate producer was the film debut for Barbara Murray, Maxine Audley and Michael Gough. Edge of Divorce (1953), Cast a Dark Shadow (1955) and John and Julie (1955) which he produced were the film debuts for Barbara Hicks, Lita Roza and Valerie Buckley respectively.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content