Childhood & Early Life
Mercedes Mason was born Mercedes Masohn, on March 3, 1983, in Linkoping, Sweden. Her parents were originally from Iran and later got settled in Sweden. Soon after her birth, she moved with her family to Ryd, Linkoping. She grew up with a younger sister.
When she was 12 years old, her family moved to USA and got settled around Chicago, where Mercedes spent rest of her growing up years. When she was 13 years old, she was discovered by a talent agent from the FORD Modelling Agency. Thus she began modelling.
For the next few years, she continued her academics and carried on with her modelling career as well. However, she did not intend to become an actor by then. She completed her high school and enrolled into college to study psychology.
While she was in college, she began acting and slowly became inclined towards the profession. She gave her first audition for a small role in the Vince Vaughn starrer film titled ‘The Break-Up’, and landed her first film role.
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Career
In 2005, she made her acting debut appearing in 3 episodes of the soap opera titled ‘One Life to Live’. In the show, she essayed Neely, a Red Cross Nurse.
Her debut film role was sort of a dream come true for her. She got the chance to share the screen space with famous Hollywood actor Vince Vaughn in the romantic comedy drama film titled ‘The Break-Up’. She essayed the role of Goblet girl in the film, which was a huge commercial success.
Following her film and television debuts, she had to wait for some-time to land her subsequent roles, which were not that great either. She appeared playing a guest role in the comedy drama series titled ‘Entourage’, in the episode titled ‘Return to Queens Blvd.’
As for her film comeback, she appeared in the film ‘Red Sands’ in 2009, playing an Arab Woman. The horror film was set in Afghanistan and was met with average reviews and below average box office collections.
In 2009, she also played one of the key roles in the pilot episode of the series titled ‘The Law’ and essayed Theresa Ramirez. But the pilot was not bought by any leading network and the series could not see light of the day.
She had a huge break in 2011, when she appeared playing the lead role in the horror film titled ‘Quarantine 2: Terminal’. She essayed the role of Jenny in the film, which was a huge critical success, but attained average success at the box office.
In the same year, she appeared playing one of the main roles in the film titled ‘Three Veils’. The independent film received notable critical acclaim, mostly for featuring a lesbian character in a Middle-Eastern setting.
In the late 2000s, Mercedes went on playing guest roles in series’ such as ‘NCIS’ and ‘CSI: NY’. In 2010, she appeared in the pilot for the series titled ‘All Signs of Death’, which remained unsold.
In 2012, she appeared playing one of the lead roles in the police procedural drama series titled ‘The Finder’. Although the initial ratings for the series were good, they eventually dipped and the series ended up getting cancelled after one season of it was aired.
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In 2012, she appeared playing a supporting role as Bebe Simmons in the comedy drama film titled ‘General Education’. The low budget film was met with negative reviews and was a huge box office failure.
In the same year, she appeared playing one of the main roles as Louise Leonard in the supernatural drama series titled ‘666 Park Avenue’. However, the reviews and ratings were not that bad, the series was cancelled after 1 season and 13 episodes of it were aired.
From 2014 to 2019, she appeared playing a recurring role in the series ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’. In 2014, she also appeared in two episodes each of the series’ titled ‘Californication’ and ‘Anger Management’.
In the same year, she appeared playing one of the main roles in the direct-to-video action film titled ‘Sniper: Legacy’ and essayed Corporal Sanaa Malik. She followed with a key role as Ana Gloria in the comedy film titled ‘Ana Maria in Novela Land’. The independent film received a good critical appreciation but failed to gather profits at the box office.
In 2015, Mercedes earned the role, for which she perhaps is best known for. She began playing Ofelia Salazar in the post-apocalyptic horror drama series titled ‘Fear the Walking Dead’. The series has been a huge critical and commercial success.
In 2018, she appeared playing one of the key roles as Captain Zoe Andersen in the crime comedy drama series titled ‘The Rookie’. As for her film career, she is currently working in a film titled ‘Love by Drowning’, playing Kazz Martin.
Family & Personal Life
Mercedes Mason is a naturalized US citizen;she took the citizenship test in April 2016.
She married actor David Denman in September 2014. The couple welcomed their son, Caius Kane, in January 2018. The family currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
Mercedes is a multi-lingual person. Apart from English and Swedish, she is fluent in French, Spanish, and Persian.
