James Cromwell: biography, filmography, interesting facts

James Cromwell is an American actor and producer, known for the films "Green Mile", "I'm Robot" and "Star Trek: First Contact", as well as the series "Underground Empire" and "American Horror History."

early years

In January 1940, James Cromwell was born. The actor's biography began in Los Angeles, California. When James was still a child, his family moved to New York.

James Cromwell was born in a creative family. His mother is the famous actress of theater and cinema Catherine "Kay" Johnson, father - actor and director John Cromwell.

After graduation, James entered the Carnegie Mellon University (Pennsylvania), where he studied architecture. However, he soon left his studies, deciding to devote himself entirely to acting.

Like his parents, Cromwell loved the theater and from childhood participated in theatrical productions. He did not neglect any roles, playing in Shakespeare's plays, and in experimental plays.

The beginning of acting career

For the first time, James appeared on the screen in 1974, performing a small role in the television series "Detective Rockford Dossier." A few weeks later he got a role in the bold for his time sitcom "All in the Family", where he played Jerome Cunningham.

A year later, the actor received a small role in the detective "Dinner with the murder" directed by Robert Moore. The film was well received by critics, and even nominated for the Golden Globe.

In the 80's, James worked mostly on television. In the sitcom "Night trial" the actor played a mentally ill patient Alan. He also starred in the television series "Hunter" and "Twilight Zone".

In 1984, Cromwell played in the action movie "Tank" with James Garner, then worked on the comedy "Revenge of the Nerds". The main roles in the film were played by Anthony Edwards and Robert Kerrredin, and the role of Mr. Skolnik was played by James Cromwell. The films were popular in the US and brought the actor well-deserved fame.

1990s

In the 90s, James Cromwell's filmography was supplemented with several very successful projects. For example, he played the main role in the family comedy "Babe: Four-legged kid." For this role, James was nominated for an Oscar, but he did not receive the statuette.

The following year, the actor played Dr. Cochrane in the science fiction film "Star Trek: First Contact." The picture was well received by critics and spectators, collected at the box office more than 145 million dollars and was nominated for several prestigious film awards.

The actor played one of the main roles in the action movie "Eraser" directed by Chuck Russell. In the film also starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vanessa Williams. It was one of the highest grossing films of 1996. "Eraser" still has not lost popularity, considering the classics of the genre thriller and thriller.

In 1997, Cromwell appeared in the Oscar-winning thriller "The Secrets of Los Angeles". His partners in the frame were Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce.

In 1999, the actor played, perhaps, the most important role in his career - played the head of the prison in the drama of Frank Derabont's "Green Mile", based on the novel by Stephen King. Probably, it is impossible to find a movie star who did not hear about this film. "Green Mile" was nominated for four Oscar awards, won the praise of critics and spectators. For eighteen years the picture has consistently been included in the TOP-10 of the best films in the history of cinema.

2000s

In 2004, the actor played Dr. Alfred Lenning in a fantastic action movie "I am a Robot". The film received generally positive reviews from critics and proved to be quite successful commercially.

James Cromwell starred in yet another adaptation of Stephen King - a mini-series about vampires "The Lot of Salem." Fans of fantasy and horror highly appreciated the plot of the series, and the actor's game.

In 2007, the actor played in a fantastic film "Spiderman 3: The Enemy in Reflection", which completed Sam Raimi's famous franchise .

It is worth mentioning another fantastic film in Cromwell's filmography - "Surrogates." Director Jonathan Mostow selected for this picture a strong cast - in addition to James Cromwell, it was played by Bruce Willis, Rada Mitchell, Rosamund Pike.

Modern period

Among recent works of James Cromwell, the television series American Horror History deserves special attention, as well as the criminal series The Underground Empire. Both series received two Golden Globe awards in different categories, gaining recognition among viewers around the world.

James Cromwell took part in the voice acting of the cartoon "City of Heroes". It was also worked by TJ Miller, voiced by Fred, the main character of Hiro spoke in the voice of Ryan Potter, and Robert Sallaghan was voiced by James Cromwell. Films and serials with this actor are very popular, and his participation is one of the possible reasons for the commercial success of the "City of Heroes."

Personal life

The actor was married three times. From the first marriage with the actress Ann Alvestad, he has three children. Now he is married to Anna Stewart, a famous television actress.

One of the characteristics that James Cromwell is notable for is growth. The actor is much higher than his parents, his height is 1.99 m. John Cromwell, son of James from his first marriage, is even higher - his height is 2.03 m.