James Cromwell Biography

James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940) is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable films include Babe (1995), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), The Green Mile (1999), Space Cowboys (2000), The Sum of All Fears (2002), W. (2008), The Artist (2011), and the television series Six Feet Under (2003"2005), 24 (2007), and American Horror Story: Asylum (2012).

He has been nominated for an Oscar, four Emmy Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards during his career. He won the 2013 Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor for his role in Still Mine and the 2013 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his role in American Horror Story.

Early years

Cromwell was born in Los Angeles, California, and 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. He has English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry. 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.

Career

Cromwell's first television performance was in a 1974 episode of The Rockford Files playing Terry, a tennis instructor. A few weeks later, 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.

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. He had 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). 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). He has also appeared in other Star Trek roles, on the 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 has had additional successes 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. 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.

Personal life

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. He became a vegetarian in 1974 after seeing a stockyard in Texas and experiencing the "smell, terror and anxiety." 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. In the book Money Men, author Jeffrey Birnbaum describes how John McCain went out of his way to meet Cromwell as he advocated on Capitol Hill for funding of Native American arts education. He served as the narrator of the short film Farm to Fridge, a documentary produced by Mercy for Animals. 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."

Cromwell is known for his tall stature; at , he is the tallest actor nominated for an Academy Award. His son John is also tall, standing at . In the 2012 film Memorial Day John played the young Bud Vogel, while James played him as a grandfather, and both Cromwells appear as the same character at different ages in season 2 of American Horror Story (2012).

He was married to Ann Ulvestad from 1976 to 1986. They had three children. He married his second wife, actress Julie Cobb, on May 29, 1986. That marriage ended in divorce in 2005.

Cromwell endorsed the reelection campaign of Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio in 2012.

In February 2013, Cromwell was arrested for interrupting a University of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting while showing a graphic photo of a cat to protest alleged mistreatment of animals on campus. The well-publicized incident, which garnered nationwide notice, was resolved 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.

Filmography

1970s

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1974	'	Terry	Episode: "The Countess"
1974	All in the Family	Stretch Cunningham	3 episodes
1974	Maude	Alfie	Episode: "Last Tango in Tuckahoe"
1975	Hot l Baltimore	Bill Lewis	13 episodes
1975	Barbary Coast	Roy	Episode: "The Ballad of Redwing Jail"
1976	Stranded	Jerry Holmes	Television movie
1976–1977	'	Glen	13 episodes
1976	Once an Eagle	J. L. Cleghorne	Television movie
1976	Murder by Death	Marcel
1977	Police Story	Lutz	Episode: "Ice Time"
1977	'	Deputy Malcolm Rossiter Jr.	Television movie
1977	M*A*S*H	Captain Leo Bardonaro	Episode: "Last Laugh"
1977	Three's Company	Detective Lannigan	Episode: "Chrissy's Night Out"
1977	Deadly Game	Deputy Malcolm Rossiter Jr.	Television movie
1977	Barney Miller	Sgt. Wilkinson	Episode: "Group Home"
1978	Maude	Dr. Farrington	Episode: "The Obscene Phone Call"
1978	Alice	Detective Ralph Hilton	Episode: "Who Ordered the Hot Turkey?"
1978	'	Schnell
1979	Barney Miller	Neil Spencer	Episode: "Strip Joint"
1979	Eight Is Enough	Coach Pollard	Episode: "The Better Part of Valor"
1979	Diff'rent Strokes	Father O'Brien	Episode: "Arnold's Hero"
1979	'	Mr. Hamilton	Episode: "Mainstream"

1980s

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Flo	Leon	2 episodes
1980	'	Art Cummings	Episode: "The Death of Me Yet"
1980	Little House on the Prairie	Harve Miller	2 episodes
1980	'	Reverend Lohman	Television movie
1981	Barney Miller	Jason Parrish	Episode: "Liquidation"
1981	Barefoot in the Park	Harry Pepper	Television movie
1981	Nobody's Perfekt	Dr. Carson
1982	'	Noah Curry	Television movie
1982	Nurse	Paul Moore	Episode: "A Place to Die"
1982	'	Francisek	Television movie
1982	Born to the Wind	Fish Belly
1982	Father Murphy	Farley Webster	2 episodes
1983	'	Realtor
1984	'	Officer Quick
1984	Tank	Deputy Euclid Baker
1984	Revenge of the Nerds	Mr. Skolnick	Credited as "Jamie Cromwell"
1984	Oh, God! You Devil	Priest
1984	Buffalo Bill	Staunton McMoller	Episode: "Jerry Lewis Week"
1984	Gimme a Break!	Russell Cosgrove	Episode: "Class of '84"
1984	Spraggue	Lieutenant Hurley	Television movie
1984	Earthlings	Simon Games	Television movie
1984"1985	Dallas	Gerald Kane	3 episodes
1985	Explorers	Mr. Müller
1985	Night Court	Alan	Episode: "Nuts About Hurry"
1985	Family Ties	John Hancock	Episode: "Philadelphia Story"
1985	Riptide	Joey Dietz	Episode: "Girls Night Out"
1985	Hardcastle and McCormick	Jake Fellows	Episode: "Undercover McCormick"
1985	Knight Rider	Curtis	Episode: "Ten Wheel Trouble"
1985	Wildside	Fake Buffalo Bill	Episode: "Buffalo Who?"
1985	Hill Street Blues	Lowenhandler	Episode: "Grin and Bear It"
1985	Hunter	Seymour Robbins	Episode: "Sniper"
1985	'	Obediah Payne	Episode: "Examination Day"
1985"1986	Scarecrow and Mrs. King	Gregory	2 episodes
1986	'	Detective Blist
1986	Amazing Stories	Francis	Episode: "One for the Road"
1986	Magnum, P.I.	French Policeman	Episode: "Photo Play"
1986	'	Chief Bludhorn
1986	Dream West	Major General David Hunter	Television movie
1986"1987	Easy Street	Quentin Standard	22 episodes
1987	Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise	Mr. Skolnick
1987	Alison's Demise	Humboldt Hobson	Television movie
1988	China Beach	Ambassador	Episode: "Pilot"
1988	Mr. Belvedere	Roy Gallagher	Episode: "Fat Cats"
1988	Mama's Boy	Lucky	3 episodes
1988	'	Admiral Rothman
1989	'	Unknown
1989	Pink Cadillac	Motel Desk Clerk
1989	Christine Cromwell	Arthur	Episode: "Things That Go Bump in the Night"

1990s

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Life Goes On	Bill Henderson	Episode: "Thacher and Henderson"
1990	Miracle Landing	B.J. Cocker	Television movie
1990	Matlock	Judge Raymond Price	Episode: "Nowhere to Turn"
1990	Star Trek: The Next Generation	Prime Minister Nayrok	Episode: "The Hunted"
1991	'	Jacob	Episode: "Peacemakers"
1991	Jake and the Fatman	Havilland	Episode: "It Never Entered My Mind"
1991	In a Child's Name	Unknown	Television movie
1992	Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation	Mr. Skolnick	Television movie
1992	'	Brother Mathias
1993	Romeo Is Bleeding	Cage
1993	Star Trek: The Next Generation	Jaglom Shrek	2 episodes
1994	Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love	Mr. Skolnick	Television movie
1994	'	Charlie 'the Robber' Mulvihill	Television movie
1994	Home Improvement	Fred	Episode: "My Dinner with Wilson"
1995	Picket Fences	The Bishop	Episode: "Saint Zach"
1995	Indictment: The McMartin Trial	Judge Pounders	Television movie
1995	Hawkeye	Unknown	Episode: "The Visit"
1995	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine	Hanok	Episode: "Starship Down"
1995"1996	Partners	Mr. Saxonhouse	2 episodes
1995	Babe	Farmer Arthur Hoggett	Nominated"Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated"Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor
1996	Eraser	William Donohue
1996	'	Charles Keating
1996	Star Trek: First Contact	Dr. Zefram Cochrane
1996	Strange Luck	Minister	Episode: "Healing Hands"
1996	'	Officer Joe Denton	Episode: "The High Ground"
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	'	Granpa
1998	Species II	Senator Judson Ross
1998	Deep Impact	Alan Rittenhouse
1998	Babe: Pig in the City	Farmer Arthur Hoggett
1999	'	Lt. Gen. Joseph Campbell	Nominated"Blockbuster Entertain Award for Favorite Supporting Actor
1999	'	Priest
1999	'	Warden Hal Moores	Nominated"Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1999	'	John Edgerson	Television movie
1999	RKO 281	William Randolph Hearst	Television movie Nominated"Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
1999	Snow Falling on Cedars	Judge Fielding

2000s

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Space Cowboys	Bob Gerson
2001	ER	Bishop Stewart	4 episodes Nominated"Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
2001	Star Trek: Enterprise	Dr. Zefram Cochrane	2 episodes
2001	Citizen Baines	Senator Elliot Baines	7 episodes
2002	'	Joel Lynch	TV movie
2002	The Magnificent Ambersons	Major Amberson	Television movie
2002	RFK	President Lyndon B. Johnson
2002	Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron	The Colonel
2002	'	President J. Robert Fowler
2002	'	Franz
2003	Blackball	Ray Speight
2003	Angels in America	Henry	2 episodes
2003"2005	Six Feet Under	George Sibley	27 episodes Nominated"Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Nominated"Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2005"2006)
2003	'	Walter Shepherd
2004	I, Robot	Dr. Alfred Lanning
2004	'	President D. Wire Newman	Episode: "The Stormy Present"
2004	Salem's Lot	Father Donald Callahan	Television movie
2005	'	Warden Rudolph Hazen	Nominated"Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Bad Guy
2005	Pope John Paul II	Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha
2006	Avenger	Paul Devereaux	Television movie
2006	'	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
2007	Dante's Inferno	Virgil
2007	Becoming Jane	Reverend Austen
2007	Spider-Man 3	Captain George Stacy
2007	24	Phillip Bauer (Jack's father)	8 episodes
2007	Masters of Science Fiction	Randolph Ludwin	Episode: "Watchbird"
2008	Hit Factor	Orson Fierce
2008	My Own Worst Enemy	Alistar Trumble	6 episodes
2008	Tortured	Jack
2008	W.	George H. W. Bush
2009	'	Howard Simons
2009	Surrogates	Dr. Lionel Canter
2009	Strikeout	Director	Television movie
2009	Impact	Lloyd	2 episodes
2009	'	Hank Paulson	Television movie

2010s

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Secretariat	Ogden Phipps
2010	Sotto il Cielo di Roma	Pope Pius XII	2 episodes
2011	Admissions	The Clerk
2011	'	Clifton	Nominated"Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Nominated"Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2012	Cowgirls n' Angels	Terence Parker
2012	Memorial Day	Bud Vogel
2012	Flying into Love	Lyndon B. Johnson
2012	Still Mine	Craig Morrison	Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor
2012	Boardwalk Empire	Andrew W. Mellon	3 episodes
2012"2013	American Horror Story: Asylum	Dr. Arthur Arden	10 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated"Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Movie/Miniseries Supporting Actor Pending- PAAFTJ Television Award For Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie Pending- PAAFTJ Television Award For Best Cast in a Miniseries or TV Movie
2013	Do No Harm	Dr. Phillip Carmelo	2 episodes
2013	Betrayal	Terence Karsten	upcoming
2013	The Trials of Cate McCall		Film, Post-production

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	Long Day's Journey into Night	James Tyrone, Sr.	Druid Theatre
2012	Waiting for Godot	Pozzo	Center Theatre Group

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
1996	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Babe
1996	Chlotrudis Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Babe
1998	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	L.A. Confidential
2000	Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	Favorite Supporting Actor " Suspense	The General's Daughter
2000	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	The Green Mile
2003	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie	RKO 281
2001	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series	ER
2003	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series	Six Feet Under
2005	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	Six Feet Under
2006	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	Six Feet Under
2012	Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	Best Cast	The Artist
2012	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	The Artist
2013	Genie Awards	Best Actor	Still Mine
2013	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Movie/Miniseries Supporting Actor	American Horror Story: Asylum
2013	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie	American Horror Story: Asylum
2013	2nd PAAFTJ Television Awards	Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie	American Horror Story: Asylum
2013	2nd PAAFTJ Television Awards	Best Cast in a Miniseries or TV Movie	American Horror Story: Asylum