Morgan Mason
Acting Chief of Protocol of the United States
In office
January 21, 1981 – March 20, 1981
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byAbelardo L. Valdez
Succeeded byLeonore Annenberg
Deputy Chief of Protocol of the United States
In office
January 21, 1981 – March 20, 1981
PresidentRonald Reagan
Personal details
Born
Alexander Morgan Mason

(1955-06-26) June 26, 1955
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Spouse
​
(m. 1986)​
ChildrenJames Duke Mason
Parents
RelativesPortland Mason (sister)
Residence(s)Bangkok, Thailand
OccupationPolitical staffer, film producer, actor

Alexander Morgan Mason (born June 26, 1955) is an American film producer, actor and political operative. He was born to actors Pamela Mason and James Mason, and he is married to singer Belinda Carlisle.

Early life

Mason was born June 26, 1955, in Los Angeles, California,[1] the son of English parents, actor James Mason and actress and commentator Pamela Mason.[2] His maternal grandfather, the financier and film producer Isidore Ostrer, was head of the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation.[3]

As a child, Mason appeared in the films Hero's Island (1962), along with his father, and The Sandpiper (1965), with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Business career

When his grandfather Isidore Ostrer died, Mason inherited his seat on the board of Illingworth, Morris, Ltd., then the world's largest woolen textile company. Mason served as executive director and three years later sold the firm.[4]

Political career

After moving to the U.S., Mason worked for Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign.[5] He served as assistant finance director, then as major events director, and served as a member of the campaign's executive advisory committee. Reagan selected him as a delegate-at-large from California to the 1980 Republican national convention. After the election, Mason was named special assistant to the co-chairmen of the presidential inaugural committee. After the inauguration, Mason was appointed deputy chief of protocol at the State Department.[6] He was then named special assistant to the president for political affairs. During his tenure he was chosen to attend the funeral services of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat as a member of the official United States delegation along with former U.S. presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.

PR, film and television

After Mason left the White House in 1982, he became the vice president of Rogers and Cowan Public Relations. In 1984, he joined promoter Don King to promote the Jacksons' Victory Tour.[7] Mason was an executive producer of Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. In 1986, Reagan appointed him to The Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad and made him a special advisor to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. In 1990, Mason became vice president and head of the independent film division of the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills. He left to become chief executive of London Films in 1996. In 1999 Mason founded the European television channel Innergy in partnership with musician Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, who was introduced to Mason by Deepak Chopra. It was "the first channel of its kind in the world with programmes offering viewers help and guidance for self-empowerment."[8]

Personal life

Mason married singer Belinda Carlisle in 1986, eloping to Lake Tahoe.[4] They have a son, James Duke Mason.[9] In 2017, he and Carlisle moved to Bangkok, Thailand.[10] As of 2023, they reside in Mexico City. [11]

References

  1. ↑ "Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents". 22 (1). 1986: 254 – via Google Books. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ↑ "The Talker". Time. March 16, 1959. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  3. ↑ Isidore Ostrer at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Index. Accessed August 25, 2007.
  4. 1 2 Podolsky, J. D.; Gold, Todd (January 13, 1992). "A Pop-Rock Rebel Finds An Unlikely Mr. Right". People.
  5. ↑ "Reagan Library Oral History Interview of A. Morgan Mason (Subject: 1980 campaign, Political affairs)".
  6. ↑ "Morgan Mason's Early Reshufflement". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  7. ↑ "'sex, lies' and Morgan Mason". Los Angeles Times. May 27, 1989.
  8. ↑ "UPCtv Launches Innergy -- Television That Makes a Difference". Archived from the original on December 20, 2016.
  9. ↑ Stewart, Jenny (March 1, 2007). "Belinda talks". Advocate Online. Retrieved August 25, 2007.
  10. ↑ Savage, Wayne (October 3, 2017). "'Pop Icon Belinda Carlisle said goodbye to the States and goodbye to super stress'". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  11. ↑ Kilner, Lara (May 14, 2023). "Sunday with Belinda Carlisle: I only have three vices left: 'coffee, chocolate and salt'". The Guardian. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
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