Ringside Report Puts the Spotlight on Marsha Mason

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By Geoffrey Huchel

If you’ve seen the Golden Globe winning film THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977), written by Neil Simon, then you’ll surely remember it’s leading lady Marsha Mason’s performance of dancer Paula McFadden, and costarring Richard Dreyfuss. Mason earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role and won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical. Mason will be nominated an additional three times for her work in motion pictures. However, her amazing career was not exclusive to just film, Mason turned in wonderful performances in many television and stage productions.

Marsha Mason was born April 3, 1942 in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Crestwood. She is a graduate of Nernix Hall High School and Webster University, where she performed in a variety of theatrical productions.

Mason’s stage credits include Norman Mailer’s The Deer Park, Israel Horovitz’s The Indian Wants the Bronx, Neil Simon’s The Good Doctor, Richard III at Lincoln Center, Night of the Iguana, Neil Simon’s The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Wintertime, Steel Magnolias, A Feminine Ending and in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s performance of All’s Well that Ends Well in Washington, D.C.

Mason’s on-screen acting career began when she was cast as Judith Cole on the soap opera LOVE OF LIFE (1951), appearing on the series from 1971-1972. Mason continued with episodic television in WHERE THE HEART IS (1969), the cult classic DARK SHADOWS (1966), and YOUNG DR. KILDARE (1972). Mason was cast in the films BLUME IN LOVE (1973) and CINDERELLA LIBERTY (1973), starring James Caan. Mason earned her first Oscar nomination for her performance. Her next film was the drama/thriller AUDREY ROSE (1977), with Anthony Hopkins. She followed with THE GOODBYE GIRL, THE CHEAP DETECTIVE (1978), with Peter Falk and Ann-Margret, PROMISES IN THE DARK (1979), and CHAPTER TWO (1979), again opposite James Caan. CHAPTER TWO earned Mason additional Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. Mason also appeared in the motion pictures MAX DUGAN RETURNS (1983), HEARTBREAK RIDGE (1986), with Clint Eastwood, DINNER AT EIGHT (1989), STELLA , with Bette Midler and John Goodman, DROP DEAD FRED (1991), with Phoebe Cates, I LOVE TROUBLE (1994), NICK OF TIME (1995),with Johnny Depp, 2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY (1996) and RESTLESS SPIRITS (1999). Her additional television credits include SEINFELD (1989), ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1968), FRASIER (1993), LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND: ME AND MY SHADOWS (2001), NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES: FROM THE STORIES OF STEPHEN KING (2006), LIPSTICK JUNGLE (2008), ARMY WIVES (2007), THE GOOD WIFE (2009), MADAM SECRETARY (2014), THE MIDDLE (2009) and GRACE AND FRANKIE (2015).

Essential Mason:

CINDERELLA LIBERTY (1973)

THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977)

CHAPTER TWO (1979)

MAX DUGAN RETURNS (1983)

HEARTBREAK RIDGE (1986)

NICK OF TIME (1995)

2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY (1996)

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