| James Cromwell | |
|---|---|
James Cromwell in 2010 |
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| Born | James Oliver Cromwell January 27, 1940 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Residence | Studio City, Los Angeles, CA |
| Other names | Jamie Cromwell |
| Education | Middlebury College |
| Alma mater | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–Present |
| Home town | Manhattan, New York |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse | Anne Ulvestad (1976-1986) Julie Cobb (1986-2006) |
| Parents | Kay Johnson, John Cromwell |
James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940) is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe (1995), for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), The Green Mile (1999), The Sum of All Fears (2002), and in the television series Six Feet Under (2003–2005). He has been nominated for an Oscar, three Emmy Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards during his career.
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Cromwell was born in Los Angeles, California and was raised in Manhattan, New York. He is the son of actress Kay Johnson and actor, director and producer John Cromwell, who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era.[1][2] He was educated at The Hill School, Middlebury College and Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University). Like his parents, he was drawn to the theater, performing in everything from Shakespeare to experimental plays.
Cromwell's first television performance was in a 1974 episode of The Rockford Files playing Terry.[3] A few weeks later,[4] he began a recurring role as Stretch Cunningham on All in the Family. In 1975, he took his first lead role on television as Bill Lewis in the short-lived Hot l Baltimore, and a year later he made his film debut in Neil Simon's classic detective spoof Murder by Death.
In 1980, Cromwell guest-starred in the two-part pivotal episode "Laura Ingalls Wilder" of the long-running television series Little House on the Prairie. He played Harve Miller, one of Almanzo Wilder's (Dean Butler) old friends. He comes to visit Almanzo, who lives with his shy sister, Walnut Grove's school teacher Eliza Jane. Eliza Jane and Harve spend time together over the next few weeks, and she falls in love, for the first time, with Harve. However, Eliza, misunderstands some comments Harve has made, and he stuns her, at Nellie's restaurant, by announcing he wishes to marry another woman in a different town. Harve is totally unaware that she had feelings of love towards him. She takes Almanzo's wagon to the town of Sleepy Eye to seek him out before he marries someone else. She finally gathers the courage to tell him that she loves him. Instead, he tells Eliza that it is too late, he is already married. Eliza lies to everyone, and claims she is marrying Harve and moving away. This allows seventeen-year-old Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert) to take over her job as school teacher, giving Laura and Almanzo desperately needed income, and allowing Laura to move into their home to marry Almanzo at last.
While Cromwell continued with regular television work throughout the 1980s, he made real inroads in film business for his supporting roles in the films Tank and Revenge of the Nerds. His starring roles in the 1990s critically acclaimed films Babe (1995), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), The Green Mile, and Snow Falling on Cedars (both 1999) were breakout roles for him, and made him more bankable in Hollywood. He also played Dr. Zefram Cochrane in Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and the Star Trek: Enterprise pilot Broken Bow (the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "In a Mirror, Darkly" later reused some of the First Contact footage).[5] He has appeared on other Star Trek television series The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, though not as Cochrane (his appearances on these shows predated his role in First Contact), he guest starred in episodes including "The Hunted", "Birthright" (Part I and II) and "Starship Down".
Cromwell also had additional success on television throughout his career. His role as newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst in the television film RKO 281 earned him an Emmy 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 the NBC medical drama series ER. In 2004, he guest-starred as former President D. Wire Newman in the The West Wing episode "The Stormy Present". From 2003 to 2005, Cromwell played George Sibley in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under, which earned him his third Emmy Award nomination in 2003. Along with the rest of his castmates, he was also nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2005 and 2006. The following year, Cromwell played Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in The Queen (2006), that earned Helen Mirren an Academy Award for Best Actress. He also guest starred as Phillip Bauer, father of lead character Jack, in the sixth season of the Fox thriller drama series 24.
In October 2007, Cromwell played the lead role of James Tyrone Sr. in the Druid Theatre Company's production of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night, at the Gaiety in Dublin as part of the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival's 50th Anniversary.[6] That same year he received the King Vidor Memorial Award from the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival for his artistic achievements in film. More recently, Cromwell played George Herbert Walker Bush in Oliver Stone's W. (2008), that chronicles the rise to power of his son up until the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In an interview, Cromwell revealed that Stone had originally offered the role to Warren Beatty and Harrison Ford.[7]
He has long been an advocate of progressive causes. In the late 1960s, he was a member of "The Committee to Defend The Panthers", a group organized to defend 13 members of the Black Panther Party who had been imprisoned in New York on charges of conspiracy. All thirteen were eventually released. In a 2004 interview with CNN.com, Cromwell praised the Panthers.[8] He became a vegetarian in 1974 after seeing a stockyard in Texas and experiencing the "smell, terror and anxiety."[9] He became an ethical vegan while playing the character of Farmer Hoggett in the movie Babe in 1995. He frequently speaks out on issues regarding animal cruelty for PETA, largely the treatment of pigs.[10] In the book Money Men, author Jeffrey Birnbaum describes how John McCain went out of his way to meet Cromwell as he advocated on Capital Hill for funding of Native American arts education.[11] He served as the narrator of the short film Farm to Fridge, a documentary produced by Mercy for Animals.[12] In an October 2008 interview, he strongly attacked the Republican Party and the George W. Bush administration, saying their foreign policy would "either destroy us or the entire planet."[7]
Cromwell is known for his tall stature; at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), he is the tallest actor nominated for an Academy Award. His son John is also tall, standing at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) [13]
He was married to Anne Ulvestad from 1976 to 1986. They had three children. He married his second wife, Julie Cobb, on 29 May 1986; that marriage ended in divorce in 2005.[14]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Murder by Death | Marcel | |
| 1978 | The Cheap Detective | Schnell | |
| 1981 | Nobody's Perfekt | Dr. Carson | |
| 1983 | The Man with Two Brains | Realtor | |
| 1984 | The House of God | Officer Quick | |
| 1984 | Tank | Deputy Euclid Baker | |
| 1984 | Revenge of the Nerds | Mr. Skolnick | Credited as "Jamie Cromwell" |
| 1984 | Oh, God! You Devil | Priest | |
| 1985 | Explorers | Mr. Müller | |
| 1986 | A Fine Mess | Detective Blist | |
| 1987 | Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | Mr. Skolnick | |
| 1988 | The Rescue | Admiral Rothman | |
| 1989 | The Runnin' Kind | Unknown | |
| 1989 | Pink Cadillac | Motel Desk Clerk | |
| 1992 | The Babe | Brother Mathias | |
| 1993 | Romeo Is Bleeding | Cage | |
| 1995 | Babe | Farmer Arthur Hoggett | Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1995 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Hanok | |
| 1996 | Eraser | William Donohue | |
| 1996 | The People vs. Larry Flynt | Charles Keating | |
| 1996 | Star Trek: First Contact | Dr. Zefram Cochrane | |
| 1997 | Owd Bob | Adam MacAdam | |
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential | Captain Dudley Smith | Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 1997 | The Education of Little Tree | Granpa | |
| 1998 | Species II | Senator Judson Ross | |
| 1998 | Deep Impact | Alan Rittenhouse | |
| 1998 | Babe: Pig in the City | Farmer Arthur Hoggett | |
| 1999 | The General's Daughter | Lt. Gen. Joseph Campbell | Nominated — Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor - Suspense |
| 1999 | The Bachelor | Priest | |
| 1999 | The Green Mile | Warden Hal Moores | Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 1999 | RKO 281 | William Randolph Hearst | |
| 1999 | Snow Falling on Cedars | Judge Fielding | |
| 2000 | Space Cowboys | Bob Gerson | |
| 2002 | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron | The Colonel | Western Heritage Award for Theatrical Motion Picture |
| 2002 | The Sum of All Fears | President J. Robert Fowler | |
| 2002 | The Nazi | Franz | |
| 2003 | Blackball | Ray Speight | |
| 2003 | The Snow Walker | Walter Shepherd | Nominated — DVD Exclusive Award for Best Supporting Actor (in a DVD Premiere Movie) (2006) |
| 2004 | I, Robot | Dr. Alfred Lanning | |
| 2005 | The Longest Yard | Warden Hazen | Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Bad Guy |
| 2006 | The Queen | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | |
| 2007 | Dante's Inferno | Virgil | |
| 2007 | Becoming Jane | Reverend Austen | |
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | Captain George Stacy | |
| 2008 | Tortured | Jack | |
| 2008 | W. | George H. W. Bush | |
| 2009 | A Lonely Place for Dying | Howard Simons | |
| 2009 | Surrogates | Dr. Lionel Canter | |
| 2010 | Secretariat | Ogden Phipps | |
| 2011 | The Artist | Clifton | |
| 2012 | Flying into Love | Lyndon B. Johnson | in production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Rockford Files | Terry | Episode 1.3: "The Countess" |
| 1974 | All in the Family | Stretch Cunningham | Appeared in three episodes |
| 1974, 1978 | Maude | Alfie Dr. Farrington |
Episode 3.9: "Last Tango in Tuckahoe" Episode 6.13: "The Obscene Phone Call" |
| 1975 | Hot l Baltimore | Bill Lewis | Main cast member |
| 1975 | Barbary Coast | Roy | Episode 1.4: "The Ballad of Redwing Jail" |
| 1976 | Stranded | Jerry Holmes | Television film |
| 1976 | Insight | Norman | Episode "Jesus B.C." |
| 1976 | The Nancy Walker Show | Glen | |
| 1976 | Once an Eagle | J. L. Cleghorne | Miniseries |
| 1977 | Police Story | Lutz | Episode 4.20: "Ice Time" |
| 1977 | The Girl in the Empty Grave | Deputy Malcolm Rossiter Jr. | Television film |
| 1977 | M*A*S*H | Captain Leo Bardonaro | Episode 6.3: "Last Laugh" |
| 1977 | Three's Company | Detective Lannigan | Episode 2.9: "Chrissy's Night Out" |
| 1977 | Deadly Game | Deputy Malcolm Rossiter Jr. | Television film |
| 1977, 1979, 1981 | Barney Miller | Sgt. Wilkinson Neil Spencer Jason Parrish Dr. Edmund Danworth |
Episode 3.20: "Group Home" Episode 6.6: "Strip Joint" Episode 7.22: "Liquidation" Episode 8.5: "Stress Analyzer" |
| 1978 | Alice | Detective Ralph Hilton | Episode 3.9: "Who Ordered the Hot Turkey?" |
| 1979 | Eight Is Enough | Coach Pollard | Episode 3.23: "The Better Part of Valour" |
| 1979 | Diff'rent Strokes | Father O'Brien | Episode 2.7: "Arnold's Hero" |
| 1979, 1980 | The White Shadow | Mr. Hamilton Art Commings |
Episode 1.13: "Mainstream" Episode 2.22: "The Death of Me Yet?" |
| 1980 | Flo | Leon | Episodes 1.1: "Homecoming" and 1.4: "Take My Sister, Please" |
| 1980 | Little House on the Prairie | Harve Miller | Episodes 7.1: "Laura Ingalls Wilder: Part 1" and 7.2: "Laura Ingalls Wilder: Part 2" |
| 1980 | A Christmas Without Snow | Reverend Lohman | Television film |
| 1981 | Barefoot in the Park | Harry Pepper | Television film |
| 1982 | The Rainmaker | Noah Curry | Television film |
| 1982 | Nurse | Paul Moore | Episode 2.9: "A Place to Die" |
| 1982 | The Wall | Francisek | Television film |
| 1982 | Born to the Wind | Fish Belly | |
| 1982 | Father Murphy | Farley Webster | Episodes 2.5: "The Reluctant Runaway: Part 1" and 2.6: "The Reluctant Runaway: Part 2" |
| 1984 | Buffalo Bill | Unknown | Episode 2.2: "Jerry Lewis Week" |
| 1984 | Gimme a Break! | Russell Cosgrove | Episode 3.22: "Class of '84" |
| 1984 | Spraggue | Lieutenant Hurley | Television film |
| 1984 | Earthlings | Simon Games | Television film |
| 1984–85 | Dallas | Gerald Kane | Appeared in three episodes |
| 1985 | Night Court | Alan | Episode 2.14: "Nuts About Harry" |
| 1985 | Family Ties | John Hancock | Episode 3.15: "Philadelphia Story" |
| 1985 | Riptide | Joey Dietz | Episode 2.17: "Girls Night Out" |
| 1985 | Hardcastle and McCormick | Jake Fellows | Episode 2.20: "Undercover McCormick" |
| 1985 | Knight Rider | Curtis | Episode 3.18: "Ten Wheel Trouble" |
| 1985 | Wildside | Fake Buffalo Bill | Episode 1.5: "Buffalo Who?" |
| 1985 | Hill Street Blues | Lowenhandler | Episode 5.23: "Grin and Bear It" |
| 1985 | Hunter | Seymour Robbins | Episode 1.19: "Sniper" |
| 1985 | The Twilight Zone | Obediah Payne | Episode 1.6: "Examination Day/A Message from Charity" |
| 1985–86 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Gregory | Episodes 3.4: "Tail of the Dancing Weasel" and 3.18: "Wrong Number" |
| 1986 | Amazing Stories | Francis | Episode 1.15: "One for the Road" |
| 1986 | Magnum, P.I. | French Policeman | Episode 6.21: "Photo Play"; uncredited |
| 1986 | The Last Precinct | Chief Bludhorn | |
| 1986 | Dream West | Major General David Hunter | Miniseries |
| 1987 | Easy Street | Quentin Standard | Episode 1.13: "Frames and Dames" |
| 1987 | Alison's Demise | Humboldt Hobson | Television film |
| 1988 | China Beach | Ambassador at Large Roland Weymouth | Pilot |
| 1988 | Mr. Belvedere | Roy Gallagher | Episode 5.1: "Fat Cats" |
| 1988 | Mama's Boy | Unknown | |
| 1989 | Christine Cromwell | Arthur | Episode 1.1: "Things That Go Bump in the Night" |
| 1990 | Life Goes On | Bill Henderson | Episode 1.13: "Thacher and Henderson" |
| 1990 | Miracle Landing | B.J. Cocker | Television film |
| 1990 | Matlock | Judge Raymond Price | Episode 5.2: "Nowhere to Turn" |
| 1990, 1993 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Prime Minister Nayrok Jaglom Shrek |
Episode 3.11: "The Hunted" Episodes 6.16: "Birthright: Part 1" and 6.17: "Birthright: Part 2" |
| 1991 | The Young Riders | Jacob | Episode 2.14: "The Peacemakers" |
| 1991 | Jake and the Fatman | Havilland | Episode 4.19: "It Never Entered My Mind" |
| 1991 | In a Child's Name | Unknown | Television film |
| 1992 | Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation | Mr. Skolnick | Television film; credited as "Jamie Cromwell" |
| 1994 | Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love | Mr. Skolnick | Television film; credited as "Jamie Cromwell" |
| 1994 | The Shaggy Dog | Charlie 'the Robber' Mulvihill | Television film |
| 1994 | Home Improvement | Fred | Episode 4.9: "My Dinner with Wilson" |
| 1995 | Renegade | Jeremy Sullivan | Episode 3.15: "Stalker's Moon" |
| 1995 | Picket Fences | The Bishop | Episode 3.20: "Saint Zach" |
| 1995 | Indictment: The McMartin Trial | Judge Pounders | Television film |
| 1995 | Hawkeye | Unknown | Episode 1.17: "The Visit" |
| 1995 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Hanok | Episode 4.7: "Starship Down" |
| 1995–96 | Partners | Mr. Saxonhouse | Episodes 1.11: "Do We Have to Write You a Check?" and 1.18: "Can We Keep Her, Dad?" |
| 1996 | Strange Luck | Minister | Episode 1.13: "Healing Hands" |
| 1996 | The Client | Officer Joe Denton | Episode 1.17: "The High Ground" |
| 1999 | A Slight Case of Murder | John Edgerson | Television film |
| 1999 | RKO 281 | William Randolph Hearst | Television film Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie |
| 2000 | Fail Safe | Gordon Knapp | Television play |
| 2001 | ER | Bishop Stewart | Appeared in four episodes Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor – Drama Series |
| 2001 | Star Trek: Enterprise | Dr. Zefram Cochrane | Episode 1.1: "Broken Bow: Part 1" Cromwell also appeared in archive footage in Episode 4.18: "In a Mirror, Darkly" |
| 2001 | Citizen Baines | Senator Elliot Baines | Appeared in all seven episodes |
| 2002 | A Death in the Family | Joel Lynch | Television film |
| 2002 | The Magnificent Ambersons | Major Amberson | Television film |
| 2002 | RFK | President Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| 2003 | Angels in America | Henry | Miniseries; chapters 1 and 4 |
| 2003–05 | Six Feet Under | George Sibley | Appeared in 27 episodes Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor – Drama Series Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2005–06) |
| 2004 | The West Wing | President D. Wire Newman | Episode 5.10: "The Stormy Present" |
| 2004 | 'Salem's Lot | Father Donald Callahan | Miniseries |
| 2005 | Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha | |
| 2006 | Avenger | Paul Devereaux | Television film |
| 2007 | 24 | Phillip Bauer | Appeared in eight episodes |
| 2007 | Masters of Science Fiction | Randolph Ludwin | Episode 1.6: "Watchbird" |
| 2008 | Hit Factor | Orson Fierce | Also producer |
| 2008 | My Own Worst Enemy | Alistar Trumble | Appeared in six episodes |
| 2009 | Strikeout | Director | Television film |
| 2009 | Impact | Lloyd | Miniseries |
| 2009 | The Last Days of Lehman Brothers | Hank Paulson | Docu-drama |
2010 Sotto il Cielo di Roma(Under the Roman Sky) Pope Pius XII