HOLLYWOOD actor Patrick Stewart will unveil a bust in Huddersfield later this month of another of the town's international stars - the late James Mason.
The bust will have pride of place in the foyer of the Lawrence Batley Theatre and will mark the career of an actor who was born in Marsh but went on to dominate the stage and silver screen.
James Mason began his stage career in England but was soon in demand in Europe and in Hollywood.
His career spanned more than 50 years, during which time he starred in more than 150 major productions including films such as Lolita, The Prisoner Of Zenda and Rommel, Desert Fox.
He became Britain's top box office star in the 1940s and once had seven of his films playing at the same time in New York.
The bust, which Patrick Stewart will unveil at a memorial ceremony on November 16, has been cast from an original by Swiss sculptor, Denis Perret-Gentil.
The original stands on a section of vineyard near the home in Corseaux, above Vevey, Lake Geneva in Switzerland, where the actor spent the last 22 years of his life and where he is buried.
The bust will be presented to the theatre by the Anglo-Suisse Artistic Foundation, an organisation devoted to fostering cultural links between the UK and Switzerland.
Members of Mr Mason's family have been invited as well as the Mayor of Corseaux.
After the unveiling, the group will toast the memory of James Mason.
The actor, who died in 1984 aged 75, was a wine enthusiast who liked nothing more than to discuss - and taste - the year's grape growth with local winegrowers. Those growers have decided to commemorate that relationship with a special limited James Mason edition bottling of the famed Corseaux white wine.
The label bears a self-portrait of the actor, who was also a talented artist and cartoonist.
The president of the area's Winegrowers' Co-operative will bring some of the wine to the ceremony for the toast.
