Hume Cronyn | |
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 Cronyn in the 1950s | |
| Born | Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. (1911-07-18)July 18, 1911 London, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | June 15, 2003(2003-06-15) (aged 91) Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1934–2003 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent | Hume Cronyn Sr. (father) |
| Relatives |
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Hume Blake Cronyn Jr.OC (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter and playwright. He appeared in many stage productions, television and film roles throughout his career, and garnered numerous accolades, including threePrimetime Emmy Awards and twoTony Awards, as well as nominations for anAcademy Award and aGolden Globe Award. Cronyn was the husband of actressJessica Tandy, with whom he was presented with theKennedy Center Honor in 1986 andNational Medal of Arts in 1990. In 1999, he was awarded with a star on theCanada's Walk of Fame.
Cronyn, one of five children, was born inLondon, Ontario, Canada. His father,Hume Blake Cronyn Sr., was a businessman and aMember of Parliament forLondon (after whom theHume Cronyn Memorial Observatory at Western University, then known as TheUniversity of Western Ontario and asteroid (12050)Humecronyn are named). His mother, Frances Amelia (néeLabatt), was an heiress ofthe brewing company of the same name; as the daughter ofJohn Labatt and the granddaughter ofJohn Kinder Labatt.[1] Cronyn's paternal great-grandfather, Right ReverendBenjamin Cronyn, an Anglican cleric of theAnglo-IrishProtestant Ascendancy, served as the first bishop of the Anglicandiocese of Huron and foundedHuron College, from which grew theUniversity of Western Ontario.[citation needed]
His great-uncle, Benjamin Jr., was both a prominent citizen and earlymayor of London, Ontario, but was later indicted for fraud and fled toVermont. During his tenure in London, he built a mansion called Oakwood, which currently serves as the head office of theInfo-Tech Research Group. Cronyn was also a cousin of Canadian-borntheater producer,Robert Whitehead, and a first cousin of the Canadian-British artist Hugh Verschoyle CronynGM (1905–1996).[citation needed]
Cronyn was the firstElmwood School boarder inOttawa (at the time Elmwood was called Rockliffe Preparatory School) and boarded at Elmwood between 1917 and 1921. After leaving Elmwood, Cronyn went toRidley College in St. Catharines, andMcGill University in Montreal, where he became a member ofKappa Alpha Society. Early in life, Cronyn was an amateurfeatherweightboxer, having the skills to be nominated for Canada's1932 Olympic Boxing team.[citation needed]
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After graduating fromRidley College Cronyn attendedMcGill University, where he switched majors from pre-law to drama. He continued his acting studies thereafter underMax Reinhardt and at theAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts.[citation needed] In 1934, the same year he joinedThe Lambs, he made hisBroadway debut as a janitor inHipper's Holiday and became known for his versatility, playing a number of different roles on stage. He won aDrama Desk Special Award in 1986. In 1990, he was awarded theNational Medal of Arts.[2]
His first Hollywood film wasAlfred Hitchcock'sShadow of a Doubt (1943). He later appeared in Hitchcock'sLifeboat (1944) and worked on the screenplays ofRope (1948) andUnder Capricorn (1949). He was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance inThe Seventh Cross (1944) and won aTony Award for his performance asPolonius oppositeRichard Burton'sHamlet (1964). Cronyn bought the screenplayWhat Nancy Wanted fromNorma Barzman, who was later blacklisted with her husbandBen Barzman, with the idea of producing the film and starring Tandy. However, he sold the screenplay toRKO which later filmed it asThe Locket (1946). Cronyn also made appearances in television,The Barbara Stanwyck Show, theAlfred Hitchcock Presents episodes "Kill With Kindness" (1956) and "The Impromptu Murder" (1958) andHawaii Five-O episodes "Over Fifty? Steal" (1970) and "Odd Man In" (1971).[3]
Cronyn starred with his second wife Jessica Tandy in a short-lived (1953–1954) radio series,The Marriage (based on their earlier Broadway play,The Fourposter), playing New York attorney Ben Marriott and his wife, former fashion buyer Liz, struggling with her switch to domestic life and their raising an awkward teenage daughter (future soap opera starDenise Alexander). The show was scheduled to move from radio to television, with Cronyn producing as well as acting in the show. However, Tandy suffered a miscarriage and the show's debut was delayed a week. The series, which was the first situation comedy broadcast in color, premiered in July 1954 to "warm and enthusiastic reviews"; eight episodes were aired.[4]
The couple also appeared in many memorable dramatic stage, film and television outings, includingThe Seventh Cross (1944),The Green Years (1946),The Gin Game (1977),Honky Tonk Freeway (1981),The World According to Garp (1982),Cocoon (1985), the television filmFoxfire (1987),*batteries not included (1987),Cocoon: The Return (1988),To Dance with the White Dog (1993) andCamilla (1994).
Cronyn had an association with theStratford Festival as a member of both the acting company and its board of governors. He playedShylock inThe Merchant of Venice in 1976, and debuted his playFoxfire in 1980.[5][6][7] The play would later move to Broadway (and won Tandy a Best ActressTony award), and afilm version was made in 1987.[8]
In 1990 he won anEmmy award for his role in the TV MovieAge-Old Friends.[9]His later appearances included the filmsThe Pelican Brief (1993),Marvin's Room (1996) and theShowtime TV film12 Angry Men (1997).
Cronyn's first marriage was to the philanthropist Emily Woodruff in late 1934 or early 1935. They shared a "lavender marriage" and never lived together. Woodruff insisted that the marriage remain a secret because of her lesbian relationships. They quietly divorced in 1936.[10][11]
Cronyn married the actressJessica Tandy in 1942. The couple had a daughter, Tandy, and a son, Christopher. Cronyn and Tandy lived in the Bahamas, then at a lakeside estate in Pound Ridge, New York, and, finally, in Easton, Connecticut.[12] Jessica Tandy died in 1994, aged 85, from ovarian cancer.
After he was widowed, Cronyn married author/playwrightSusan Cooper (with whom he had co-writtenFoxfire) in July 1996. His 1991 autobiography, which covered his life and career up to the mid-1960s, was titledA Terrible Liar (ISBN 0-688-12844-0). His intention to write a second volume never materialized.
Cronyn died on June 15, 2003, fromprostate cancer aged 91.[13][14]
In 1979, Cronyn was inducted into theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame.[15][16] On July 11, 1988, he was appointed as an Officer of theOrder of Canada, giving him thepost nominal letters "OC" for life.[17]
Cronyn was inducted intoCanada's Walk of Fame in 1999.[18][19] He also received the125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal in 1992 and the Canadian version of theQueen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002.[20]
He was awarded anHonoraryDoctor of Laws degree (LLD) by theUniversity of Western Ontario on October 26, 1974. His wife,Jessica Tandy, was given the same degree on the same day.[21]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | The Ford Theatre Hour | Hugo Barnstead | Episode: "Once Sunday Afternoon" |
| 1949 | Suspense | Dr. Violet | Episode: "Dr. Violet" |
| 1950 | The Ford Theatre Hour | Harry Binion | Episode: "Room Service" |
| 1950 | Suspense | Sig | 2 episodes |
| 1950 | Pulitzer Prize Playhouse | Charles Ponzi | Episode: "The Ponzi Story" |
| 1950 | The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse | — | Episode: "The Reluctant Landlord" |
| 1953 | Omnibus | Bartender | Episode: "Glory in the Flower" |
| 1954 | The Motorola Television Hour | Anthony Updyke | Episode: "The Family Man" |
| 1954 | The Marriage | Ben Marriott | 8 episodes |
| 1955 | Producers' Showcase | Michael | Episode: "The Fourposter" |
| 1955 | Omnibus | Harold 'Mitch' Mitchell | Episode: "Advice to Bathers" |
| 1955 | The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse | Ben Marriott | Episode: "Christmas 'til Closing" |
| 1956 | The United States Steel Hour | Priam Farll | Episode: "The Great Adventure" |
| 1956 | Climax! | Reverend Mr. Muldoon | Episode: "The Fifth Wheel" |
| 1956 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Fitzhugh Oldham | Season 2 Episode 4: "Kill with Kindness" |
| 1958 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Henry Daw | Season 3 Episode 38: "The Impromptu Murder" |
| 1959 | The Moon and Sixpence | Dirk Stroeve | Television film |
| 1959 | A Doll's House | Nils Krogstad | Television film |
| 1960 | Juno and the Paycock | — | Television film |
| 1970–1971 | Hawaii Five-O | Lewis Avery Filer | 2 episodes |
| 1981 | The Gin Game | Weller Martin | Television film |
| 1987 | Foxfire | Hector Nations | Television film |
| 1989 | Day One | James F. Byrnes | Television film |
| 1989 | Age-Old Friends | John Cooper | Television film |
| 1991 | Christmas on Division Street | Cleveland Meriwether | Television film |
| 1992 | Broadway Bound | Ben | Television film |
| 1993 | To Dance with the White Dog | Robert Samuel Peek | Television film |
| 1995 | People: A Musical Celebration Of Diversity | Grandpa (voice) | Television film |
| 1997 | 12 Angry Men | Juror #9 | Television film |
| 1997 | Alone | John Webb | Television film |
| 1998 | Seasons of Love | Lonzo | Television film |
| 1999 | Sea People | Mr. John McRae | Television film |
| 1999 | Santa and Pete | Saint Nick | Television film |
| 2000 | Yesterday's Children | Old Sunny Sutton | Television film |
| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Suspense | "Double Entry"[27] |
| 1946 | Suspense | "Blue Eyes"[28] |
| 1946 | Suspense | The One Who Got Away[29] |
| 1952 | Philip Morris Playhouse | One Sunday Afternoon[30] |
