Name | Alan Cumming |
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Imagesize | 185px |
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Caption | Cumming promoting Neverwas at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival |
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Birth date | January 27, 1965 |
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Birth place | Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland |
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Website | http://www.alancumming.com |
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Occupation | Actor, director, producer, writer |
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Years active | 1980–present |
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Spouse | Hilary Lyon (1985–1993) Grant Shaffer (2006–present) |
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Alan Cumming,
OBE (born 27 January 1965) is a
Scottish stage, television and film
actor,
writer, director, producer and
author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in
GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/
Nightcrawler in
X2: X-Men United, and Fegan Floop in the
Spy Kids trilogy. He has also appeared in independent films like
The Anniversary Party, which he co-wrote, co-directed and co-starred in; and Ali Selim's
Sweet Land, for which he won an Independent Spirit award as producer.
His London stage appearances include
Hamlet, the Maniac in Dario Fo's
Accidental Death of an Anarchist, for which he received an Olivier award, the lead in Martin Sherman's
Bent, and as Dionysus in The National Theatre of Scotland's
The Bacchae. On Broadway he has appeared as Mac the Knife in
The Threepenny Opera, the Emcee in
Cabaret, for which he won the Tony in 1998, and "Design for Living". Cumming also introduces "Masterpiece Mystery" for PBS.
He has also written a novel, Tommy's Tale, had a cable talk show ("Eavesdropping with Alan Cumming") and produced a line of perfumed products labelled "Cumming". He has contributed opinion pieces to many publications and performed a cabaret show I Bought A Blue Car Today. Retaining his British citizenship, Cumming also became a U.S. citizen in November 2008.
Early life
Cumming was born in
Aberfeldy, in
Perthshire, Scotland, the son of Mary Darling, an insurance company secretary, and Alex Cumming, a forester. He has stated that his father was physically and emotionally abusive towards him. He had previously played the role in a production at
London's Donmar Warehouse theatre, for which he had been nominated for an
Olivier Award. He recorded the song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with
Liza Minnelli for the Broadway Cares: Home for the Holidays album in 2001.
Other stage roles have included Otto in the 2001 Broadway production of Design for Living by Noel Coward, Valere in David Hirson's La Bete, the title role in the 1993 English Touring Theatre's Hamlet (playing opposite his then-wife, Hilary Lyon, in the role of Ophelia), and The Madman in the 1990 Royal National Theatre production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo, for which he won an Olivier Award. In 2002, Cumming and then-boyfriend British director Nick Philippou formed the production company The Art Party. The company's first and only play was the first English production of Jean Genet's play Elle, which Cumming had adapted from a literal translation by Terri Gordon. The company folded in 2003.
In 2006, Cumming returned to the stage, firstly performing in a poorly-received revival of the Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill musical The Threepenny Opera opposite Cyndi Lauper. They later performed at the Tony Awards. In late 2006, he appeared in the West End playing the lead role in Bent, a play about homosexuals in Germany under the Nazis. In 2007 he took the lead role in the National Theatre of Scotland's production of The Bacchae, which premiéred at the Edinburgh Festival in August, transferring to the Lyric Theatre in London and then to Lincoln Center, New York. Cumming performed alongside Dianne Wiest in Classic Stage Company's production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, directed by Viacheslav Dolgachev. He was optioned to play the Green Goblin in the new of the Spider-Man comics, but was replaced by Patrick Page.
Other work
Cumming wrote a novel,
Tommy's Tale, published in 2002. He has also written articles for magazines, notably as a contributing editor for
Marie Claire magazine, writing on the haute couture shows in Paris, as well as what it was like for him dressing as a woman for a day. Cumming recorded a duet of "Baby, It’s Cold Outside" with Liza Minnelli to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the September 11 Fund. In 2005 he released a fragance called "Cumming," and a related line of scented bath lotion and body wash. They were sold exclusively at Sephora (which did not renew its distribution agreement) and a website which he dismantled in 2009 because of hackers defrauding customers.
Cumming served as a delegate for the Creative Coalition during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. and contributed to If You Had Five Minutes with the President, a collection of 55+ essays by members or supporters of The Creative Coalition. He was subsequently widely quoted for stating that he wished to see Obama naked. On 1 September 2009, Cumming released his first solo album based around his one man show, I Bought a Blue Car Today. On 13 September 2010 Cumming was featured in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, the BBC series that explores the family background and ancestors of famous figures. He investigated his grandfather Thomas Darling, who he discovered had died playing russian roulette while serving as a police officer in Malaya.
Personal life
in May 2006]]
Cumming lives in
New York City with his partner (via
UK civil partnership), graphic artist Grant Shaffer, and their dogs, Honey and Leon. The couple dated for two years before entering into a civil partnership at the
Old Royal Naval College Greenwich on January 7, 2007. After his civil partnership, when asked if he was monogamous, he stated "I don’t believe that monogamy is feasible".
Once described as "a frolicky pansexual sex symbol for the new millennium", Cumming has stated that he considers himself bisexual, "although the pendulum has obviously swung". Prior to the civil union, Cumming dated both men and women. Previous relationships include a two year relationship with actress Saffron Burrows, a six year relationship with theater director Nick Philippou, and a 1985 marriage to actress Hilary Lyon which lasted eight years.
In a profile for The Times, Cumming stated that he "would dearly like to adopt a child" but subsequently stated his life was "too hectic" for children.
Once he outed himself as bisexual in 1998, Cumming promoted LGBT rights, emceeing and attending fundraisers for organizations such as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), as well as several AIDS charities, including the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR) and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Cumming is a patron of NORM-UK, an English-registered charity concerned with foreskin health and matters related to circumcision; he has revealed that he is not circumcised. Referring to the high prevalence of routine infant circumcision in the United States, Cumming told The Sunday Times in 2007: "I think it's insane that an entire nation is ignorant about a part of their body they have lost. ... The sanitation issue, especially, always comes up when I am in America. But you know what? I am very clean. I shower frequently. I am very proud of my foreskin. I believe it's there for a purpose. And I just want people to stop and think for a second before they decide to get a big bit of their newborn son's cock cut off."
In March 2005, Cumming received the Vito Russo Award at the 16th Annual GLAAD Media Awards for outstanding contributions toward eliminating homophobia. In July of the same year he was also presented with the HRC's Humanitarian Award in San Francisco, also for his LGBT public stance. In November 2006, Cumming received a Doctor of Arts honorary degree from the University of Abertay Dundee. He is also a patron of the Scottish Youth Theatre, Scotland's National Theatre 'for and by' young people. Cumming was appointed an OBE in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to film, theatre and the arts and activism for LGBT rights. On November 7, 2008, Cumming became a dual-national and was sworn in as a citizen of the United States of America at a ceremony in New York City.
Filmography
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;"
|- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center"
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Notes
|-
|
1987
|
Shadow of the Stone
| Tom Henderson
| TV Series
|-
|
1991
|
Bernard and the Genie
| Bernard Bottle
| TV Movie
British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Newcomer
|-
|
1992
|
Prague
| Alexander Novak
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|
1993
|
Micky Love
| Greg Deane
| TV Movie
|-
|
Mr. Bean
| Bachelor #2
| UncreditedTV Series
|-
|rowspan="2"|
1994
|
Second Best
| Bernard
|
|-
|
Black Beauty
|Black Beauty
| Voice
|-
|rowspan="3"|
1995
|
Circle of Friends
| Sean Walsh
|
|-
|
GoldenEye
| Boris Ivanovich Grishenko
|
|-
|
The High Life
| Sebastian Flight
| TV Series
|-
|rowspan="2"|
1996
|
Emma
| Mr. Elton
|
|-
|
3rd Rock From The Sun
|Angus: "The Hole" McDuff- Hole expert
|Season 5, Episode 18 Dick and Harry Fall Into a Hole
|-
|rowspan="3"|
1997
|
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
| Sandy Frink
|
|-
|
Spice World
| Piers Cuthbertson-Smyth
|
|-
|
Buddy
| Dick Croner, Trudy's Assistant
|
|-
|rowspan="4"|
1999
|
Titus
| Saturninus
|
|-
|
Plunkett & Macleane
| Lord Rochester
|
|-
|
Eyes Wide Shut
| Hotel Desk Clerk
|
|-
| ''
Annie
| Rooster
|
|-
|rowspan="4"|
2000
|
Urbania
| Brett
|
|-
|
God, the Devil and Bob
| The Devil
| TV Series
|-
|
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
| Mick Jagged/Gazoo
|
|-
|
Get Carter
| Jeremy Kinnear
|
|-
|rowspan="6"|
2001
|
The Anniversary Party
| Joe Therrian
| Writer/Producer/DirectorNominated —
Independent Spirit Award for Best First Featureshared with
Jennifer Jason LeighNominated —
Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplayshared with
Jennifer Jason Leigh
|-
|
Sex and the City
| O
| TV Series
|-
|
Investigating Sex
| Sevy
|
|-
|
Josie and the Pussycats
| Wyatt Frame
|
|-
|
Spy Kids
|
Fegan Floop
|
|-
|
Company Man
|
General Batista
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|
2002
|
| Fegan Floop
|
|-
|
Nicholas Nickleby
| Mr. Folair
|
National Board of Review Award for Best Cast
|-
|
Foyle's War
| host (himself)
| TV series
|-
|rowspan="2"|
2003
|
X2
|
Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler
|
|-
|
|
Fegan Floop
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|
2004
|
Shoebox Zoo
| Bruno the Bear
| TV Series
|-
|
| Persnikitty
| Voice
|-
|
Eighteen
| Father Chris
|
|-
|rowspan="5"|
2005
|
Son of the Mask
| Loki
| Nominated –
Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor
|-
|
Reefer Madness
| Lecturer/Goat-Man/FDR
|
|-
|
Ripley Under Ground
| Jeff Constant
|
|-
|
Neverwas
| Jake
|
|-
|
Sweet Land
| Frandsen
| Producer
Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature
|-
|rowspan="2"|
2006
|
The L Word
| Billie Blaikie
| TV Series
|-
|
Full Grown Men
| The Hitchhiker
| Co-Producer
|-
|rowspan="3"|
2007
|
Gray Matters
| Gordy
|
|-
|
Suffering Man's Charity (aka Ghost Writer)
| John Vandermark
| Executive Producer
|-
|
Tin Man
|
Glitch
| TV miniseries
|-
|rowspan="3"|
2009
|
Boogie Woogie
| Dewey
|
|-
|
Dare
| Grant Matson
|
|-
|
PoliWood
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
|rowspan="6"|
2010
|
The Tempest
| Sebastian
|
|-
|
Jackboots on Whitehall
|
Adolf Hitler
| Voice
|-
|
The Good Wife
| Eli Gold
| TV Series (Recurring Season 1; Main Cast Season 2-present)
|-
|
Riverworld
| Judas Caretaker
|
|-
|
Burlesque
| Alexis
|
|-
|
The Smurfs
|Gutsy Smurf
|
|}
Bibliography
References
External links
2006 Article on Alan Cumming on Theatre.com
Alan Cumming – Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org
TonyAwards.com Interview with Alan Cumming
Knightatthemovies.com 2007 interview with Alan Cumming
Out of bounds, interview by Bryce Hallett in The Sydney Morning Herald, February 7, 2009.
Category:1965 births
Category:American comedians
Category:American film actors
Category:American musical theatre actors
Category:American screenwriters
Category:American stage actors
Category:American television actors
Category:American voice actors
Category:Bisexual actors
Category:Drama Desk Award winners
Category:LGBT writers from the United States
Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States
Category:LGBT writers from Scotland
Category:LGBT rights activists from Scotland
Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States
Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Category:People from Perth and Kinross
Category:People from Angus
Category:Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama alumni
Category:Scottish actors
Category:Scottish_atheists
Category:Scottish comedians
Category:Scottish film actors
Category:Scottish immigrants to the United States
Category:Scottish voice actors
Category:Scottish musical theatre actors
Category:Scottish screenwriters
Category:Scottish stage actors
Category:Scottish television actors
Category:Tony Award winners
Category:Living people