James Cromwell

He is the son of actress Kay Johnson (1904–1975) and actor and director John Cromwell (1886–1979), who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era.

James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940) is an American actor and activist.

His parents divorced in 1946.

He has English, German, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.

He graduated from The Hill School in 1958, and went on to Middlebury College, and Carnegie Mellon University, where he graduated with a B.F.A. in 1964.

He received his acting training at HB Studio in New York City.

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, 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 appeared on M*A*S*H as Captain Leo Bardonaro in the episode "Last Laugh".

A year later, he made his film debut in Neil Simon's classic detective spoof Murder by Death.

Cromwell portrayed four different characters in four episodes of Barney Miller (1977-1981).

In 1977 he appeared in Three'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 series Little House on the Prairie.

He played Harve Miller, one of Almanzo Wilder's old friends.

While Cromwell continued with regular television work throughout the 1980s, he made appearances in films with supporting roles in Tank and Revenge of the Nerds (both 1984).

He guest starred on the sitcom Night Court, playing a mental patient, along with Kevin Peter Hall.

Cromwell's first Star Trek role was on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1990, in the season 3 episode "The Hunted", followed by the 1993 episode "Birthright, Part 1" as Jaglom Shrek.

Known for his extensive work as a character actor, he has received a Primetime Emmy Award as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Babe (1995).

He had starring roles in the critically acclaimed films Babe (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) and Snow Falling on Cedars (1999).

Other notable roles include in Star Trek: First Contact (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), Deep Impact (1998), The Green Mile (1999), The Queen (2006), W. (2008), Secretariat (2010), The Artist (2011), Still Mine (2013), Marshall (2017), and Emperor (2020).

He also played Dr. Zefram Cochrane in Star Trek: First Contact (1996), the Star Trek: Enterprise pilot episode "Broken Bow", and the 2022 Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3 premiere episode, "Grounded".

The Star Trek: Enterprise episode "In a Mirror, Darkly" reused some of the First Contact footage.

Cromwell appeared in another Star Trek role on the television series Deep Space Nine, in the episode "Starship Down" as Hanok.

He also voiced the Colonel in DreamWorks' Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.

Cromwell's 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.

He has also voiced roles in Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), and Big Hero 6 (2014).

Cromwell is also well known for his roles in television including Angels in America (2003), Six Feet Under (2003–2005), American Horror Story: Asylum (2012–2013), Boardwalk Empire (2012-2013), The Young Pope (2016), Succession (2018–2023), and Counterpart (2018–2019).

He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role in American Horror Story: Asylum.

Cromwell was born in Los Angeles, California.

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.

In 2004, he guest-starred as former President D. Wire Newman in The West Wing episode "The Stormy Present".

Along with the rest of his castmates, he was also nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards 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.

Cromwell played George H. W. Bush in Oliver Stone's W. (2008), that chronicles the rise to power of Bush's son up until the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Cromwell also provided the voice of the main villain Professor Robert Callaghan/Yokai in the Disney movie Big Hero 6.