James Cromwell | |
|---|---|
 Cromwell in 2010 | |
| Born | James Oliver Cromwell (1940-01-27)January 27, 1940 (age 85) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Other names | Jamie Cromwell |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1955–present |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents | |
James Oliver Cromwell[1] (born January 27, 1940)[1] is an American actor. Known for his extensive work as acharacter actor, he has received aPrimetime Emmy Award as well as a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor forBabe (1995). Other notable roles include inStar Trek: First Contact (1996),L.A. Confidential (1997),Deep Impact (1998),The Green Mile (1999),Space Cowboys (2000),[2]The Longest Yard (2005)[3]The Queen (2006),W. (2008),Secretariat (2010),The Artist (2011),Still Mine (2013),The Promise (2016),Marshall (2017),Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), andEmperor (2020).[4] He has also voiced roles inSpirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) andBig Hero 6 (2014).
Cromwell is also well known for his roles in television includingAngels in America (2003),Six Feet Under (2003–2005),American Horror Story: Asylum (2012–2013), for which he won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie,Boardwalk Empire (2012–2013),The Young Pope (2016),Counterpart (2018–2019),Succession (2018–2023), for which he earned threePrimetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor, andSugar (2024).
Cromwell was born inLos Angeles,California.[1] He is the son of actressKay Johnson and actor and directorJohn Cromwell,[5] who wasblacklisted during theMcCarthy era. His parents divorced in 1946.[6][7] He has English, German, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.[8][9] He was raised inManhattan, New York City. Cromwell graduated fromThe Hill School inPottstown, Pennsylvania in 1958,[10] and went on toMiddlebury College,[11] andCarnegie Mellon University, where he graduated with aB.F.A. in 1964.[12][13] He received his acting training atHB Studio.[14]
Cromwell's first television performance was in a 1974 episode ofThe Rockford Files playing Terry, a tennis instructor. A few weeks later,[15] he began a recurring role as Stretch Cunningham onAll in the Family. In 1975, he took his first lead role on television as Bill Lewis in the short-livedHot l Baltimore, and appeared onM*A*S*H as Captain Leo Bardonaro in the episode "Last Laugh". A year later, he made his film debut inNeil Simon's classic detective spoofMurder by Death.[16] Cromwell portrayed four different characters in four episodes ofBarney Miller (1977–1981). In 1977, he appeared inThree's Company episode "Chrissy's Night Out" as Detective Lannigan.
In 1980, Cromwell guest-starred in the two-part episode "Laura Ingalls Wilder" of the long-running television seriesLittle House on the Prairie. He played Harve Miller, one of Almanzo Wilder's old friends.[citation needed]
While Cromwell continued with regular television work throughout the 1980s, he made appearances in films with supporting roles inTank andRevenge of the Nerds (both 1984). He guest-starred on the sitcomNight Court, playing a mental patient, along withKevin Peter Hall. He had starring roles in the critically acclaimed filmsBabe (1995),The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996),The Education of Little Tree (1997),L.A. Confidential (1997),The Green Mile (1999),The General's Daughter, (1999),Snow Falling on Cedars (1999),Space Cowboys (2000), andThe Longest Yard (2005). Cromwell's firstStar Trek role was onStar Trek: The Next Generation in 1990, in the season 3 episode "The Hunted", followed by the 1993 episode "Birthright, Part 1" as Jaglom Shrek. He also played Dr.Zefram Cochrane inStar Trek: First Contact (1996), theStar Trek: Enterprise pilot episode "Broken Bow", and the 2022Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3 premiere episode, "Grounded". TheStar Trek: Enterprise episode "In a Mirror, Darkly" reused some of theFirst Contact footage.[17] Cromwell also appeared in aStar Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, "Starship Down", as Hanok. He also voiced the Colonel inDreamWorks'Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.[18]
Cromwell's role as newspaper tycoonWilliam Randolph Hearst in the television filmRKO 281 earned him anEmmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Movie. The following year, he received his second Emmy Award nomination for playing Bishop Lionel Stewart on theNBC medical drama seriesER. In 2004, he guest-starred as former president D. Wire Newman inThe West Wing episode "The Stormy Present". From 2003 to 2005, Cromwell playedGeorge Sibley in theHBO drama seriesSix Feet Under, which earned him his third Emmy Award nomination in 2003. Along with the rest of his castmates, he was also nominated for twoScreen Actors Guild Awards for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2005 and 2006. The following year, Cromwell playedPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh inThe Queen (2006), that earnedHelen Mirren anAcademy Award for Best Actress. He also guest-starred asPhillip Bauer, father of lead characterJack, in thesixth season of theFox thriller drama series24.[19]
In October 2007, Cromwell played the lead role of James Tyrone Sr. in theDruid Theatre Company's production ofEugene O'Neill'sLong Day's Journey into Night, at theGaiety in Dublin as part of theUlster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival's 50th Anniversary.[20] That same year he received the King Vidor Memorial Award from theSan Luis Obispo International Film Festival for his artistic achievements in film. Cromwell playedGeorge H. W. Bush inOliver Stone'sW. (2008), that chronicles the rise to power ofBush's son up until the2003 invasion of Iraq.[21] Cromwell also provided the voice of the main villain Professor Robert Callaghan/Yokai in the Disney movieBig Hero 6.
In 2015, Cromwell executive produced the documentaryImminent Threat which tackles the War on Terror's impact on civil liberties.[22]
In 2016 Cromwell starred inHBO's seriesThe Young Pope alongsideJude Law andDiane Keaton.[23] In 2018, he appeared inHBO'sSuccession, andStarz'sCounterpart.[24]
In 2020, Cromwell starred in the Australian comedy-drama filmNever Too Late.[25] Cromwell starred inOperation Buffalo, an Australian television comedy-drama series about the atomic bomb tests in outback Australia, which screened onABC from 31 May 2020.
He is currently featured in theHBO Max showJulia, as Julia Child's father, John McWilliams.[26]
In 2021, Cromwell executive produced the psychedelic comedyMondo Hollywoodland, directed by Janek Ambros, who also directedImminent Threat.[27]
Cromwell has long been an advocate of progressive causes, particularly regardinganimal rights. He became avegetarian in 1974 after seeing a stockyard in Texas and experiencing the "smell, terror and anxiety".[28] He becamevegan while playing the character of Farmer Hoggett in the 1995 filmBabe.[29] He frequently speaks out on issues regarding animal cruelty forPETA, largely on the treatment of pigs.[30] In 2017, he was arrested during a PETA protest againstSeaWorld's treatment of orca whales, at which he spoke about marine mammals' suffering and premature deaths.[31]
Cromwell served as the narrator of the short filmFarm to Fridge, a documentary produced byMercy for Animals.[32]
In February 2013, Cromwell was arrested along with animal rights activist Jeremy Beckham for interrupting aUniversity of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting while showing a graphic photo of a cat to protest about alleged mistreatment of animals on campus.[33][34] The incident, which garnered widespread press coverage, was resolved on March 25, 2013, when an attorney representing Cromwell entered no-contest pleas to the non-criminal offense and agreed to pay $100 forfeitures and court costs of $263.50.[35] In December 2015, he was removed from an event in New York for heckling an energy company receiving an award.[36] On December 18, 2015, Cromwell and five other people were arrested while protesting against the construction of a natural gas power station inWawayanda, New York, near his home inWarwick, New York.[37] He and his fellow protesters, called the "Wawayanda Six", were convicted of disorderly conduct and obstruction of traffic. They were fined $375, due June 29, 2017, and sentenced to 16 hours of community service.[38][39][40] After refusing to pay the fine, he was sentenced to a week in jail, scheduled to go on July 14.[41] However, they were released three days later on July 17.[42] Cromwell and fellowStar Trek actorJ. G. Hertzler were among the 19 people arrested inWatkins Glen, New York, on June 6, 2016, for a protest against underground gas storage in salt caverns nearSeneca Lake.[43] On June 6, 2017, he was escorted out of a Democratic Party fundraiser (whichNew York GovernorAndrew Cuomo and House Minority leaderNancy Pelosi attended) after disrupting the event by protesting about the power station.[44] Cromwell was again arrested, this time for trespassing after taking part in a protest along with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) atSeaworld on July 24.[45]
On October 31, 2019, Cromwell was again arrested with 34-year-old animal rights activist Jeremy Beckham. They were charged with disorderly conduct after police said they disrupted a meeting of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. The two were part of a demonstration by PETA, protesting A&M's use of dogs for medical research. Both were released after posting bonds of $5,000 each.[46]
In May 2022, Cromwell superglued his hand to the counter of aManhattanStarbucks to protest the surcharge for plant-based milks.[47] Later that year, PETA named him their 2022 Person of the Year.[48] In April 2023, he helped rehome a pig destined for slaughter to the Indraloka Animal Sanctuary and named the pig "Babe".[49]
Cromwell married Ann Ulvestad in 1977.[50] They divorced in 1986. Together the couple had three children: Kate, John and Colin.[13] Cromwell married actressJulie Cobb on May 29, 1986; they divorced in 2005.[51] On January 1, 2014, Cromwell married actressAnna Stuart at the home of Stuart's formerAnother World co-starCharles Keating.[52][53] Cromwell lives inWarwick, New York.[54]
Cromwell is known for his height; at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m),[5] he is the tallest actor nominated for an Academy Award. His son John is even taller, standing 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m).[1][55] In the 2012 filmMemorial Day, John played the young Bud Vogel, while James played him as a grandfather,[56] and both Cromwells appear as the same character at different ages inAmerican Horror Story: Asylum (2012) and the first season ofBetrayal (2013).
Cromwell's experiences of theCivil Rights Movement while on a theatre tour through severalDeep South states in 1964 had a profound effect on him. The courage of local campaigners and visiting activists – Cromwell had played high school football with civil rights workerMickey Schwerner, who wasmurdered with two of his colleagues in Mississippi in 1964 – convinced him to become an activist. He subsequently became involved in theanti-Vietnam War movement,[57] and by the late 1960s, Cromwell was a member of the Committee to Defend the Panthers, a group organized to defend 13 members of theBlack Panther Party who had been imprisoned in New York on charges of conspiracy. All 13 were eventually released. In a 2004 interview withCNN, Cromwell praised the Panthers.[58]
In an October 2008 interview, Cromwell criticized theRepublican Party and theGeorge W. Bush administration, saying that their foreign policy would "either destroy us or the entire planet".[21]
He supported thepresidential campaign ofBernie Sanders in the2016 U.S. presidential election.[59]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Babe | Nominated | |
| 2000 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | RKO 281 | Nominated | |
| 2001 | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | ER | Nominated | ||
| 2003 | Six Feet Under | Nominated | |||
| 2013 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | American Horror Story: Asylum | Won | ||
| 2020 | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Succession (episode: "Dundee") | Nominated | [60] | |
| 2022 | Succession (episode: "Retired Janitors of Idaho") | Nominated | [61] | ||
| 2023 | Succession (episode: "Church and State") | Nominated | [62] | ||
| 1997 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture | L.A. Confidential | Nominated | |
| 1999 | The Green Mile | Nominated | |||
| 2004 | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | Six Feet Under | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | Nominated | ||||
| 2011 | Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture | The Artist | Nominated |
[I]n 1995, he became the tallest actor ever nominated for an Academy Award.
I'm proud to have attended Middlebury College.
...CMU alumnus James Cromwell (A'64)....
He dropped out of Middlebury and enrolled as a theater major at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie-Mellon). A year later, 'I left in a huff,' he says. 'Institutions and I get on each other's nerves something fierce.' ... A nine-year first marriage to actress Ann Ulvestad ended in 1986. Cromwell retained custody of their three children: Kate, now 18 and a freshman at Smith College, John, 16, and Colin, 14.
John is 6'8 to James' already very tall 6'7.
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