Alan Cumming

Photo of Alan Cumming

Biography

Possessing energy, charisma and enough flair to command the stages of Broadway and the West End, Scottish actor Alan Cumming proved a scene-stealing character player after being discovered by Hollywood. Cumming swept the international theater world with his performance as The Emcee in a 1990s revival of "Cabaret," having built his foundation as both a cult comedy act and a Shakespearean player throughout the U.K. Among the stunningly versatile …
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Job Title

Actor, Director, Producer, Writer, Music

Born

January 27, 1965

Career Milestones

2011

Nominated for the 2011 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

2010

Co-starred with Cher and Christina Aguilera in "Burlesque"

2010

Cast in a recurring role on the CBS television show "The Good Wife"

2009

Released debut solo album, I Bought a Blue Car Today

2009

Cast as Desrae, a transvestite, on the British series "The Runaway"

2008

Appeared in the indie comedy, "Full Grown Men"

2007

Cast as Glitch in "Tin Man" (Sci-Fi), a six hour miniseries based on L. Frank Baum's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

2007

Cast opposite Heather Graham in the indie feature "Gray Matters"

2006

U.S. television series debut on Showtime's "The L Word," as Billie Blaikie, a party promoter

2006

Reprised the role of Nightcrawler in the third installment of the "X-Men" series, "X-Men: The Last Stand"

2005

Co-starred with Steven Weber in Showtime's movie adaptation of "Reefer Madness," an off-Broadway musical that was itself based on a hysterical 1930s film

2004

Starred opposite Bill Murray in "Garfield: The Movie"

2004

Appeared in the television remake of Neil Simon's "The Goodbye Girl," with Jeff Daniels and Patricia Heaton

2003

Returned to play Fegan Floop for "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over"

2003

Played Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in "X2"

2002

Revised role as Fegan Floop in "Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams"

2001

Appeared with Nick Nolte in Alan Rudolph's period comedy-drama "Investigating Sex"

2001

Acted alongside Antonio Banderas in the family comedy "Spy Kids"

2001

Co-starred with Jennifer Ehle and Dominic West in the Broadway revival of "Design for Living"

2001

With Jennifer Jason Leigh, co-directed, co-produced, co-wrote and co-starred in "The Anniversary Party"

2000

Cast as an AIDS-stricken gay man in the dark drama "Urbania", based on Daniel Rietz's play "Urban Folk Tales"

2000

Played Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in the comedy "Company Man," co-starring Woody Allen

2000

Had dual role of The Great Gazoo and Mick Jagged in the live-action feature "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas"

1999

Played the villainous Rooster in the ABC remake of the musical "Annie"

1999

Co-starred with Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange in "Titus," Julie Taymor's film version of Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus"

1999

Played Lord Rochester, the foppish old friend of Jonny Lee Miller's Macleane, in "Plunkett and Macleane"

1999

Offered a sly turn as a lascivious hotel clerk in Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut"

1998

Made Broadway debut recreating his London stage role of the Emcee in a revival of "Cabaret"

1998

Had a co-starring role in the mock rockumentary "Spice World"

1997

Starred in "For My Baby," as a Jewish stand-up comedian taken over by the ghost of his sister

1997

Co-starred as a former nerd in the comedy "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion"

1996

Featured as Reverend Elton in "Emma"

1995

Appeared in the James Bond film "GoldenEye" as computer wiz Boris Grishenko; Driver also had supporting part

1995

Had featured role as creepy Sean Walsh in "Circle of Friends," reteamed him with Minnie Driver

1995

Co-wrote and co-starred in hit BBC-TV series "The High Life," reteaming with Forbes Masson

1994

First onscreen teaming with Minnie Driver, the short "That Sunday"

1994

Directoral debut, the short film "Butter"

1994

First US film, "Black Beauty" (voice only)

1993

Cast as the Emcee in Mendes' site-specific staging of "Cabaret"; Jane Horrocks co-starred as Sally Bowles

1993

Played "Hamlet" at the experimental Donmar Warehouse Theater Sam Mendes ran in London

1992

Starred in "Prague" as a man searching for a piece of film featuring his family being carted off to concentration camps

1991

Featured in the comedy "Bernard and the Genie" (aired on television in Great Britain and released on video the following year in the US)

1988

London stage debut in "The Conquest of the South Pole"

1986

Film debut, Gillies MacKinnon's "Passing Glory"

First came to attention with cabaret act "Vic and Barry," starring along with Forbes Masson

Awards

2012

Seattle International Film Festival for Best Actor Golden Space Needle Award in Any Day Now

2012

Outfest: Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival for Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film in Any Day Now

2011

Critics' Choice TV Award for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES in The Good Wife

2011

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in The Good Wife

2011

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in The Good Wife

2010

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Drama Series in The Good Wife

2007

Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature in Sweet Land

2002

Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature in The Anniversary Party

2002

Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay in The Anniversary Party

1998

Tony Award for Actor (Musical)

1998

MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion