Форбес Мэссон: шотландский актер и писатель

Scottish actor and writer (born 1963)

Forbes (Robertson) Masson (born 17 August 1963 in Falkirk) is a Scottish actor and writer. He is an Associate Artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He is best known for his roles in classical theatre, musicals, comedies, and appearances in London's West End. He is also known for his comedy partnership with Alan Cumming. Masson and Cumming wrote The High Life, a Scottish situation comedy in which they play the lead characters, Steve McCracken and Sebastian Flight. Characters McCracken and Flight were heavily based on Victor and Barry, famous Scottish comedy alter egos of Masson and Cumming. Masson also stars in the 2021 film The Road Dance, set on the Isle of Lewis as the Reverend MacIver.

Masson completed a three year drama course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and has a BA in Dramatic Studies. Governor Grantham in Dead Boss by Sharon Horgan and Holly Walsh (series 1, episode 5, 2012), Patrick in Catastrophe (series 2) by Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney Channel 4 2015, and as Reverend Willard in BBC One's Father Brown (series 7). In 2023, he appeared in season 6 of The Crown.

Masson has written and composed a series of critically acclaimed Scottish musicals; Stiff!, Mince and Pants. He has also worked with Gordon Dougall's Sounds of Progress music theatre company (renamed Limelight in 2010), promoting disability inclusion in the Arts. Dougall was the musical director for the Forbes Masson shows Crackers, Stiff! and Mince.

Masson is an Artistic Associate with the RSC and was in the Royal Shakespeare Company acting ensemble from 2003 to 2011. His roles included Horatio to Toby Stephens' Hamlet in 2004, and Feste in Twelfth Night in 2005. Both productions were directed by then RSC Artistic Director Michael Boyd. He also played Porter in Dominic Cooke's Macbeth and Dromio of Ephesus in Nancy Meckler's Comedy of Errors. He played Judas in Pilate Project. He performed in Boyd's critically acclaimed Histories cycle in Stratford Upon Avon and at The Roundhouse, Camden, in 2006–2008. His roles in the cycle included Bagot in Richard II, Rumour in Henry IV, Part Two, Chorus in Henry V and King Edward IV in Henry VI and Richard III. In 2009 he played Samson in Boyd's production of The Grain Store. He played Romeo opposite Kathryn Hunter's Juliet in Ben Power's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet called Tender Thing. He played Merlin in Greg Doran's production of Mike Poulton's Morte d'Arthur. He played Gena in Ahasverus as directed by Michael Fentiman, at the Hampstead Theatre. He later appeared as Jacques in Boyd's As You Like It, and Friar Lawrence in Rupert Goold's production of Romeo and Juliet. Both plays came to the Roundhouse in Camden in late 2010. They played Park Avenue Armory in New York in summer 2011. In early 2014 he toured England and performed in Ohio State University as Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew directed by Michael Fentiman. In the summer of 2015 he played Bottom in the RSC/Garsington Opera Company co production of A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Owen Horsley. For winter 2019 he played Mr Hawtrey in the new musical The Boy in the Dress, based on the book by David Walliams, and will return for winter 2021 to play the Police Chief in the new musical The Magician's Elephant based on the book by Kate DiCamillo.

He co wrote and performed with Alan Cumming in the situation comedy, The High Life. Forbes Masson recorded a selection of songs he sang in the RSC, on album John Woolf and Friends. Forbes Masson recorded a selection of poetry by Robert Burns.