Alan Cumming

1.1. Birth and Childhood

Alan Cumming was born on 27 January 1965 in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland. He grew up on the Panmure Estate near Carnoustie, on the east coast of Scotland, where his father, Alex Cumming, served as the head forester. His mother, Mary Darling, worked as an insurance company secretary. Cumming has described his upbringing on the estate as "feudal". He has an older brother named Tom.

In his autobiography, Not My Father's Son, Cumming recounted the emotional and physical violence he endured from his father during his childhood. His mother faced significant obstacles in obtaining a divorce until she achieved financial independence. Cumming revealed that he had no communication with his father after his early twenties until just before filming his episode of the British series Who Do You Think You Are? During this period, he learned that his father had believed Cumming was not his biological son. Subsequent DNA tests confirmed that Alan and his brother were indeed their father's biological children. Cumming has stated that his challenging childhood inadvertently taught him how to act, as he learned to suppress his own emotions and feelings around his father. As a child, he was a voracious reader, particularly enjoying The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton.

1.2. Education

Cumming attended Monikie Primary School and Carnoustie High School. He later pursued formal drama training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, which provided the foundational skills for his extensive artistic career.

2.1. Stage Career

Cumming began his theatre career in his native Scotland, performing in seasons with the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, Dundee Rep, The Tron Glasgow, and touring with Borderline, Theatre Workshop, and Glasgow Citizens' TAG. His early work gained him recognition, including an Olivier Award nomination for Most Promising Newcomer for his role as Slupianek in the Traverse Theatre's 1988 production of Conquest of the South Pole, which later transferred to the Royal Court in London. He also performed with the Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

In 1991, he played The Madman in the 1990 Royal National Theatre production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo, a performance that earned him the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance. He also collaborated with director Tim Supple to adapt the play. In 1993, Cumming received critical acclaim and the TMA Best Actor award for his portrayal of the title role in the English Touring Theatre's Hamlet, where he performed opposite his then-wife, Hilary Lyon, as Ophelia.

He achieved significant prominence for his role as The Master of Ceremonies (Emcee) in Sam Mendes's 1993 revival of the musical Cabaret in London's West End, starring opposite Jane Horrocks as Sally Bowles. This performance earned him an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He reprised the role in 1998 for the Mendes-Rob Marshall Broadway revival, this time opposite Natasha Richardson as Sally Bowles, for which he won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award.

His other notable Broadway performances include Otto in the 2001 production of Design for Living by Noël Coward and Mack the Knife in the Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill musical The Threepenny Opera opposite Cyndi Lauper. In 2002, Cumming co-founded the production company The Art Party with his then-boyfriend Nick Philippou, which staged the first English production of Jean Genet's one-act play Elle, adapted by Cumming from a translation by Terri Gordon.

In 2006, he returned to the West End to play the lead role in Bent, a play exploring the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany. The following year, he took on the lead role of Dionysus in the National Theatre of Scotland's production of The Bacchae, directed by John Tiffany. This production premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2007, subsequently transferring to the Lyric Theatre in London and Lincoln Center in New York, where it earned him the Herald Archangel award.

In 2012, he collaborated again with John Tiffany and the National Theatre of Scotland for a one-man adaptation of Macbeth, in which he played all the roles. This critically acclaimed production was brought to New York's Lincoln Center in 2012 and had a 73-show Broadway engagement at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 2013, concluding its run on 14 July 2013. In 2014, he returned to Broadway for the Roundabout Theater Company's revival of Cabaret, again directed by Sam Mendes, starring opposite Michelle Williams, and later with Emma Stone and Sienna Miller. In 2019, he starred as Andre in "Daddy" at the Pershing Square Signature Center, an original play by Jeremy O. Harris. In 2020, he played Hamm in Endgame at The Old Vic, co-starring with Daniel Radcliffe.

Cumming has been a regular contributor to the Edinburgh International Festival, presenting shows such as Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs in August 2016, Alan Cumming is not Acting his Age in August 2021, and Burn in August 2022, a one-man dance show where he portrayed Scots poet Robert Burns, co-produced by the Edinburgh International Festival, National Theatre of Scotland, and The Joyce Theater. In June 2021, Cumming served as the artistic director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

2.2. Film Career

Cumming made his film debut in Gillies MacKinnon's short film Passing Glory in 1986. His feature film debut came in 1992, starring alongside Sandrine Bonnaire and Bruno Ganz in Ian Sellar's Prague, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. His performance earned him the Best Actor award at the Atlantic Film Festival and a Scottish BAFTA Best Actor nomination. American audiences first saw him in 1995 as the suitor Sean Walsh in Circle of Friends.

He is widely recognized for his diverse film roles, including Boris Ivanovich Grishenko in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, Mr. Elton in Emma (1996), and Sandy Frink in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), his first film in the United States. He also appeared as Piers Cuthbertson-Smyth in Spice World (1997) and had a minor role as a hotel clerk who flirts humorously with Tom Cruise's character in Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut (1999), a role for which he had to go through six auditions.

Other notable film credits include Saturninus in Titus (1999), a role that involved extensive white-face makeup, and Mick Jagged/Gazoo in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000). Cumming co-wrote, co-directed, co-produced, and co-starred in the ensemble film The Anniversary Party (2001) with his friend and former Cabaret co-star Jennifer Jason Leigh. He gained significant recognition for his role as Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy (2001-2003) and as Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner in X2 (2003), another role involving special makeup. He voiced Persnikitty in Garfield: The Movie (2004) and played Loki in Son of the Mask (2005).

His later film appearances include Frandsen in Sweet Land (2005), Alexis in Burlesque (2010), and Sebastian in The Tempest (2010). In 2012, Cumming starred as Rudy Donatello in Any Day Now, a performance that garnered significant praise for his emotional depth. He played Ted Tinling in Battle of the Sexes (2017). In 2022, he appeared in My Old School, a documentary about the Brandon Lee case, serving as an avatar for Lee, lip-syncing to his interviews. Cumming had previously planned to play Lee in a theatrical production in the late 1990s that did not materialize. He also appeared in Marlowe (2022) and Drive Back Home (2024).

2.3. Television Career

Cumming made his television debut in 1984 in ITV Granada's Travelling Man. He later appeared in Scottish Television series such as Take the High Road, Taggart, and Shadow of the Stone in the 1980s. His breakthrough television role was as Bernard Bottle in the 1991 BBC Christmas comedy Bernard and the Genie, where he starred alongside Lenny Henry and Rowan Atkinson. He also participated in a 1993 Comic Relief sketch on the popular UK show Blind Date with Atkinson.

In 1995, Cumming starred as flight attendant Sebastian Flight in the BBC2 sitcom The High Life, which he co-wrote with his drama school partner Forbes Masson. He also appeared in the series Ghosts that year. Later, he voiced The Devil in the 2000 TV series God, the Devil and Bob and Bruno the Bear in the 2004 series Shoebox Zoo. In 2006, he played Billie Blaikie in six episodes of The L Word, and in 2007, he was Glitch in the TV miniseries Tin Man.

Beginning in 2008, Cumming became the host of Masterpiece Mystery! for PBS. He is widely known for his role as Eli Gold on the CBS series The Good Wife (2010-2016). He initially appeared as a guest star in the latter third of the first season and became a series regular for the 2010-2011 season. His performance earned him three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, and two Golden Globe Award nominations.

In 2011, Cumming returned to British television as Desrae, a crossdresser, in the Sky series The Runaway. He has also made several documentaries, including My Brilliant Britain, which explored Scottish humor, The Real Cabaret, where he investigated Weimar cabaret artistes, and the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? in 2010, through which he discovered his maternal grandfather was a war hero who had died playing Russian roulette. In July 2012, Cumming presented Urban Secrets on Sky Atlantic and the Travel Channel, uncovering hidden aspects of cities like London and Brighton. In 2016, his NBC show 1st Look visited Scotland for a special episode featuring areas important to Cumming, earning an Emmy for Best Lifestyle Programme at the 60th annual Emmy Awards.

From 2018 to 2019, Cumming starred as a lead character, an academic assisting the NYPD in solving crimes, in the CBS series Instinct. In 2018, he also played King James in the eleventh series of Doctor Who. In 2021, he played Simon Hoxley in two episodes of Prodigal Son. Starting in 2022, Cumming partnered with British-Australian actress Miriam Margolyes for the television series Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland, which follows their travels through Scotland in a motorhome. He also starred as Mayor Aloysius Menlove, the closeted small-town mayor of Schmigadoon, in the Apple TV+ comedy musical series Schmigadoon! (2021-2023). Since 2023, Cumming hosts the American version of the reality television series The Traitors.

2.4. Writing and Literary Activities

Alan Cumming has established himself as a prolific author. His debut novel, Tommy's Tale, was published in 2002. He has also released two memoirs: Not My Father's Son in 2014, which delves into his experiences growing up with an abusive father and discoveries about his maternal grandfather, and Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life in 2019.

Beyond books, Cumming has contributed articles to various magazines, including as a contributing editor for Marie Claire, where he wrote about haute couture shows in Paris and his experience dressing as a woman for a day. His articles have also appeared in Newsweek, Modern Painters, Out, Black Book, and The Wall Street Journal. He has penned introductions and prefaces for books by authors such as Nancy Mitford, Andy Warhol, and Christopher Isherwood, and contributed a chapter to If You Had Five Minutes with the President, a collection of essays by members or supporters of The Creative Coalition. In 2012, he published May the foreskin be with you: why circumcision doesn't make sense and what you can do about it. Additionally, he wrote a children's book titled The Adventures of Honey & Leon in 2017, which was illustrated by Grant Shaffer.

2.5. Other Ventures

Cumming's creative endeavors extend beyond acting and writing. On 1 September 2009, he released his first solo album, I Bought a Blue Car Today, which was based on his one-man show. In 2012, he released the single "Someone Like the Edge of Firework". His second full-length album, Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs: Live at the Cafe Carlyle, recorded live at New York City's Café Carlyle, was released on 5 February 2016. He subsequently toured an intimate, cabaret-style live stage production, and in November 2016, PBS aired a filming of his show from The Smith Center in Las Vegas.

In 2012, Cumming launched his photography career with his first exhibition, "Alan Cumming Snaps."

In October 2013, he appeared in the music video for "City of Angels" by Thirty Seconds to Mars. On 7 June 2015, he co-hosted the 69th annual Tony Awards alongside Kristin Chenoweth. In September 2017, Cumming, in partnership with promoter Daniel Nardicio, opened a bar in Manhattan's East Village called Club Cumming.

His entrepreneurial spirit also led to the creation of two fragrances: "Cumming" in 2005, which won an award, and "Second (Alan) Cumming" in 2011, with all proceeds donated to charity. In 2012, he narrated the audiobook Macbeth: A Novel, which significantly expanded upon the themes of the play.

6.1. Theatre

6.2. Film

6.3. Television

6.4. Written Works

6.5. Music and Other Media