Morgan Mason

Morgan Mason
File:MasonOvalOffice.jpg Mason in the Oval Office with President Reagan
Special Assistant to the President of the United States
In office 1981–1982
President	Ronald Reagan
Chief of Protocol of the United States (acting)
In office January 21, 1981 – March 20, 1981
President	Ronald Reagan
Deputy Chief of Protocol of the United States
In office January 1981 – March 1981
President	Ronald Reagan
Special Advisor to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
President	Ronald Reagan
Member of the Commission for the Preservation of American Heritage Abroad
President	Ronald Reagan
Personal details
Born	(1955-06-26) 26 June 1955 Beverly Hills, California
Spouse(s)	Belinda Carlisle
Children	James Duke Mason
Parents	James Mason, Pamela Mason

Alexander Morgan Mason (born 26 June 1955) is a politician, film producer, and actor.

Early life

Mason was born in Beverly Hills, California, the son of English parents, actor James Mason and actress and commentator Pamela Mason. His grandfather, the financier and film producer Isidore Ostrer, was head of the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation.

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

Political 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. Moving to the US, he worked for Ronald Reagan's 1979 presidential campaign. 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 Republican national convention in 1980. 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. He was then named as special assistant to the president for political affairs at the White House. 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 US presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.

Public relations and film

On November 5, 1982, Mason resigned his White House position and became the vice president of Rogers and Cowan Public Relations. In 1984, he became a board member of Musifilm Ltd., a partnership with MCA/Universal. Mason went on to become an executive producer of sex, lies, and videotape (1989), which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and 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. Mason founded the European television channel Innergy in 1999.

Personal life

He married singer Belinda Carlisle in 1986, eloping to Lake Tahoe. They have a son, James Duke Mason (born 1992), a politician, writer, and activist.

References

• The Reagan Diaries, p. 109

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Abelardo L. Valdez	Chief of Protocol of the United States Acting January 21, 1981 – March 20, 1981	Succeeded by Leonore Annenberg