Mason Reese
Mason Reese | |
|---|---|
 Reese at the Big Apple Convention in Manhattan, June 8, 2008 | |
| Occupation | Actor Restaurateur |
Mason Reese is an American former child actor and restaurant entrepreneur who appeared in numerous television commercials in the 1970s, particularly for Underwood Deviled Ham, Ivory Snow, Dunkin' Donuts, and Post Raisin Bran.
Early life and acting career[]
Reese is the youngest son of William Reese and former actress Sonia Darrin. He attended Saint Michael's Montessori School, a non-denominational elementary school that was housed in St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Manhattan, through fourth grade. In late 1975, he transferred to the Professional Children's School in Manhattan.[1][2]
Beginning at age four, he appeared in the 1970s, and became known for his red hair and the distinctive, high-pitched voice with which he delivered in lines. The most notable of these was an ad for Underwood Deviled Ham, in which he memorably mispronounced the word "smorgasbord" as "borgasmord", for which he was awared the advertisement industry's Clio Award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Commercial. Among the other products he promoted in the 52 commercials he starred in were Ivory Snow, and Dunkin' Donuts' "Munchkins" donut holes,[2] and Post Raisin Bran.[3]
He also appeared in weekly features and interviews for New York's WNBC-TV, and numerous television talk shows,[2] such as The Mike Douglas Show,[2] on which he was not only a frequent guest,[4] but which he guest-hosted for a week.[2]
In 1982 Reese and his mother appeared in a series of syndicated, 90-second radio spots titled Mason and Mom, in which they offered lighthearted advice to children's questions, with Reese offering a child's viewpoint, and his mother espousing an adult point of view.[2]
At age eight, Reese wrote a memoir, titled, The Memoirs of Mason Reese, joking to a Washington Post interviewer in 1982, "Oh yes, I think my second volume should be out any day now."[2]
Post-acting career[]
After retiring from acting Reese became a restauranteur with multiple businesses in the New York City area. He owned Paladar, a now-defunct Pan-Latino restaurant located in Manhattan's Lower East Side.[5] He then opened Destination Bar and Grille located on Avenue A in the East Village, which is also now closed.[6] He opened a sports bar called The Luxury Box, which closed in 2015.[7]
Reese starred as himself in the 1990 short film Whatever Happened to Mason Reese, the first film directed by Brett Ratner. Reese quit the project after one of his co-stars broke his leg during filming. Since looping was required, Reese was voiced in the film by a different actor.[8]
Personal life[]
As of May 1982, Reese lived in Midtown Manhattan.[2] He was still living in New York as of June 2019.[9]
In December 2018, Reese began dating softcore pornographic actress Sarah Russi. In June 2019, they appeared on the ITV television morning show This Morning, where they talked about their relationship.[9]
References[]
- ^ Reese, Mason; Haney, Lynn (1974). The Memoirs of Mason Reese. Dodd, Mead. ISBN 978-0396069539.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Brown, Joe (May 21, 1982). "Mason Reese's 'Borgasmord' Of New Plans". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ "The seven most memorable Mason Reese commercials of the 1970s". MeTV. March 6, 2017. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ Douglas, Mike. Mike Douglas, My Story. New York: Putnam, 1978. ISBN 978-0-399-11963-7
- ^ Lewis, Steve (June 19, 2008). "More Than 15 Minutes With Mason Reese (Part Two)". goodnightmrlewis.com. Archived August 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Venezia, Todd (May 18, 2009). "TV Kid a Club King: Mason Reese in Comeback". New York Post.
- ^ Ask American Profile. American Profile magazine. January 29, 2012 edition.
- ^ Ratner, Brett (1999). Rush Hour Bonus Feature - Short Film: Whatever Happened to Mason Reese (DVD). New Line Home Video.
- ^ a b Reid, Clarie (June 18, 2019). "Man 28 Years Older Than His Partner Insists He's Not A Sugar Daddy". Lad Bible.
Further reading[]
- Douglas, Mike (1978). My Story. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. p. 108, 131, 278-279, 280-281. ISBN 0399119639.
External links[]
- 1965 births
- Living people
- American male child actors
- American people of Russian-Jewish descent
- American restaurateurs
- Jewish American male actors
- Male actors from Los Angeles
- 20th-century American male actors
- Paskowitz family
- 21st-century American Jews