Franklin Taylor Mason (born February 22, 1956) is a comedian, ventriloquist and musician.[1]
| 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 |
Early life
editMason 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
editWhile 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 Second City Touring Company", a comedy improv group where Mason worked alongside other comedians such as Dan Castellaneta.[1][6] While working at "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 to 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 Idiots 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
editMason lives with his wife in Beach Haven, New Jersey. The couple have two adult sons.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Flynn, Kelly (January 5, 2019). "Taylor Mason: From 'closet ventriloquist' to international comedian". The Sun Newspapers. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ a b Ford, Victoria (June 17, 2020). "Laugh It Off With Taylor Mason". The SandPaper. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- ^ Heise, Kenan (April 16, 1997). "FARM BROADCASTER WILLIAM D. MASON". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "OTHS 2014 Hall of Fame inductees announced". www.mywebtimes.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- ^ a b "Taylor Mason: The Comedian of Clean". CBN.com - The Christian Broadcasting Network. March 31, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ Lane, Lauren (October 19, 2015). "It's kind of a funny story: Seasoned comedian Taylor Mason to perform at Bryant Conference Center". The Crimson White. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- ^ a b Pearson, Mike (February 21, 2015). "Illini legends, lists and lore: Taylor Mason". The News-Gazette. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- ^ "IRREVERSIBLE by Taylor Mason". YouTube. January 15, 2020.