Rowland Hill Berkeley Mason (9 November 1915 – 17 January 2002),
[Bill Mason]
at bfi.org.uk (accessed 16 October 2007) better known as Bill Mason, was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
documentary film maker and scriptwriter.
Life
Mason was born in
Kings Norton
Kings Norton, alternatively King's Norton, is an area of Birmingham, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Worcestershire, it was also a Birmingham City Council ward (politics), ward within the Government of Birmingham, Engl ...
,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
to Elsie Ann (née Berkeley) and Edward Daniel Mason; Elsie's father
Rowland Hill Berkeley
Rowland Hill Berkeley, J.P. (1849-1905) was an English grocery merchant, factory owner and Liberal Unionist politician, who served as Lord Mayor of Birmingham, dying in office.
Life
Berkeley was born in late 1849 in Handsworth (then a villag ...
had been
Lord Mayor of Birmingham
This is a list of the mayors and lord mayors of Birmingham in the West Midlands of England.
Birmingham has had a mayor (and elected council) since 1838. The office was raised to the dignity of lord mayor when Queen Victoria issued letters pa ...
in 1904-1905. He was a descendant of the postal system reformer Sir
Rowland Hill
Sir Rowland Hill, KCB, FRS (3 December 1795 – 27 August 1879) was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of Uniform Penny Post and his soluti ...
.
Mason was educated at
Gresham's School,
Holt, between 1929 and 1934. After six months as a stockbroker, he went up to the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
, where he read English and joined the Cambridge University Film Society.
In the 1940s, he moved to
Hampstead Heath,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
[Pink Floyd Members]
at angelfire.com (accessed 16 October 2007) with his wife and son
Nick Mason, who became the drummer of
Pink Floyd.
[ A filmmaker and amateur racing car driver, because of a lifelong passion for motor sports Bill Mason specialized in observing them as a maker of documentary films.][ His enthusiasm for the world of motoring was passed on to his son Nick, who wrote about them in his book ''Into the Red'' (2004). Mason's success was such that Nick was given an Aston Martin sports car as a teenager.][
As well as making films,][
]
Filmography as director
*''Le Mans 1952'' (1952)[ (accessed 16 October 2007)]
*''Mille miglia'' (1953)[
*''History of the Motor Car'' (1972)][
*''Racing Mercedes - Part One'' (2001)][
*''Racing Mercedes - Part Two'' (2001)][
*''Racing Mercedes - Part Three'' (2001)][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Bill
1915 births
2002 deaths
English film directors
People educated at Gresham's School
People from Kings Norton
Nick Mason