Mayer was also known for accidentally being placed on a U.S. terrorism blacklist due to a case of mistaken identity.

[7] As a theatre historian,[8] his work centres on the "drama of the long 19th century and with the late-Victorian stage’s many links with early [silent] film.

"[9][10] In 2012, he received the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) Distinguished Scholar Award.

[11] In 2017, Mayer supported a campaign to save Harker's Studio, one of the last theatre scenery workshops in the UK.

[12] His publications include Stagestruck Filmmaker, about the film director D.W. Griffith and Harlequin in His Element: The English Pantomime, 1806–1836.