Taylor Mason
| Taylor Mason | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Franklin Taylor Mason |
| Born | February 22, 1956 |
| Genres | Ventriloquist, comedian, and musician |
| Spouse | Marsia Mason |
| Notable works and roles | Bananas, Thou Shalt Laugh |
| Website | taylormason |
Franklin Taylor Mason (born February 22, 1956) is a comedian, ventriloquist and musician.[1]
Early life
Mason was raised on a farm in the suburb of Chicago, where his father was a farm news broadcaster on radio and TV.[2][3] Mason graduated from the Ottawa Township Highschool in 1974 and went on to attend the University of Illinois where he majored in agriculture and communication.[4] Mason graduated from the University of Illinois in 1979.[4] He was first introduced to puppets by his parents at the age of 9.[5]
Career
While Mason was attending the University of Illinois, he suffered a knee injury during a football game.[1] During recovery Mason started performing as a disc-jockey and stand-up comedian at his fraternity.[1] He mixed up his act by adding music, piano and ventriloquism to it.[1] He soon started performing at various Chicago piano bars.[1] According to Mason, when he started out as a comedian, he was the only ventriloquist in Chicago.[1]
In 1981, Mason was hired as the musical director of the "The Second City Touring Company", a comedy improv group where Mason worked alongside other comedians such as Dan Castellaneta.[1][6] While working at the "The Second City Touring Company", Mason also met his future wife Marisa.[1]
Mason continued his ventriloquist act and also worked on his Masters in advertising.[4] He graduated with a degree from the Northwestern University in 1983.[4] By the end of his time at Northwestern, Mason was working full time as a comedian and performing at the Zanies Comedy Club in Chicago.[4]
From 1986-1989, Mason performed comedy shows at the New York City's Catch a Rising Star.[7] By 1990, Mason started appearing on comedy television shows.[7] During a period of 11 years starting from 1989, Mason did over 1,500 college shows across the country.[4]
In 1990, Mason auditioned for Star Search and later on he won the competition in 1991.[1][5] Currently, Mason is working on his Dry Bar Comedy Series.[1]
Mason has authored two books on ventriloquism. He wrote his first book, “A Complete Idiot’s Guide to Ventriloquism” while he was working at the Second City Touring Company.[1] His second book titled "Irreversible" was published in 2019.[8]
Personal life
Mason lives with his wife in Beach Haven, New Jersey. The couple have two grown-up sons.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Flynn, Kelly (2019-01-05). "Taylor Mason: From 'closet ventriloquist' to international comedian". The Sun Newspapers. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
- ^ June 17, Victoria Ford | on; 2020. "Laugh It Off With Taylor Mason | The SandPaper". www.thesandpaper.net. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Writer, Kenan Heise, Tribune Staff. "FARM BROADCASTER WILLIAM D. MASON". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f "OTHS 2014 Hall of Fame inductees announced". www.mywebtimes.com. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ^ a b "Taylor Mason: The Comedian of Clean". CBN.com - The Christian Broadcasting Network. 2008-03-31. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
- ^ Lane, Lauren (2015-10-19). "It's kind of a funny story: Seasoned comedian Taylor Mason to perform at Bryant Conference Center". The Crimson White. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ^ a b Pearson, Mike. "Illini legends, lists and lore: Taylor Mason". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ^ "IRREVERSIBLE by Taylor Mason". YouTube. 15 Jan 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ June 17, Victoria Ford | on; 2020. "Laugh It Off With Taylor Mason | The SandPaper". www.thesandpaper.net. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
