Mason Alan Dinehart, also known as Mason Alan Dinehart III, Alan Dinehart III, or Mase Dinehart, is an American business consultant and retired actor. He was born on April 30, 1936, in Hollywood, California, to actor Alan Dinehart and actress, journalist, casting director, and songwriter Mozelle Britton.
Dinehart's early life was marked by a name change in 1936, when he legally changed his name to Mason Alan Dinehart, the same name as his father, so that his younger half-brother from his father's first marriage could be known as Mason Alan Dinehart III. This name change caused confusion, as his father's first son from his first marriage was already named Alan Dinehart Jr.
Mason Alan Dinehart has been married four times and has seven surviving children. He has two children each from his first and second marriages to Evelyn Myers and Barbara Blakely, respectively. In 1982, he married for the fourth time, to the former Miranda Gazal, with whom he has four children.
Dinehart is best known for his role as a youthful Bat Masterson in the ABC/Desilu television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, starring Hugh O'Brian as the titular character. He played the role from 1955 to 1959, and his performance was so highly regarded that ABC offered him a spinoff series, which he declined. He soon left acting and entered the business field.
Dinehart's character, Bat Masterson, was a youthful and ambitious lawman who was the understudy of Wyatt Earp. He was elected sheriff of Ford County, Kansas, and worked with Earp, who was the town marshal. The two had a working relationship, despite their differences in jurisdiction.
