Alan Cumming

{{short description|Scottish actor, writer and presenter (born 1965)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Alan Cumming

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|GBR|size=100%|FRSE}}

| image = AlanCummingSept2013TIFF.jpg

| alt = Alan Cumming in 2013

| caption = Cumming in 2013

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1965|1|27}}

| birth_place = Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland

| citizenship = {{ubl|United Kingdom|United States (since 2008)}}

| education = Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|writer|presenter}}

| years_active = 1980–present

| notable_works = Full list

| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Hilary Lyon|1985|1993|reason=divorced}}|{{marriage|Grant Shaffer|2007}}}}

| awards = Full list

| website = {{Official URL}}

}}

Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a Scottish actor, writer and presenter. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, two Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and an Olivier Award. He received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for the West End production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist (1991). His other Olivier-nominated roles were in The Conquest of the South Pole (1988), La Bête (1992), and Cabaret (1994). Cumming won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for reprising his role as the Emcee on Broadway in Cabaret (1998). His other performances on Broadway include Design for Living (2001), and Macbeth (2013).

Cumming is known for his film roles in Circle of Friends (1995), GoldenEye (1995), Emma (1996), Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), Buddy (1997), Spice World (1997), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), The Tempest (2010), Burlesque (2010), and Battle of the Sexes (2017). He is also known for his roles as Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy (2001–2003), Nightcrawler in X2 (2003), and Loki in Son of the Mask (2005).

On television, Cumming is best known for his role in the CBS series The Good Wife (2010–2016), for which he was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Cumming also starred in the CBS series Instinct (2018–2019), the Apple TV+ series Schmigadoon! (2021–2023) and presents the Peacock reality game show The Traitors. Cumming has written a novel, Tommy's Tale (2002), and two memoirs in 2014 and 2019.Cumming Alan (2019). Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life. [https://books.google.com/books?id=qAAXEAAAQBAJ / Description] & [https://books.google.com/books?id=qAAXEAAAQBAJ scrollable preview.] Iron Press.{{Cite web|last=VanDenburgh|first=Barbara|title=5 books not to miss: 'Going There' with Katie Couric, unpacking Alan Cumming's 'Baggage'|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2021/10/23/katie-couric-going-there-alan-cumming-tamron-hall-new-books/6124974001/|date=23 October 2021|access-date=27 October 2021|website=USA Today|language=en-US}}

Early life

Cumming was born on 27 January 1965 in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland.{{cite book |title=The Queer Encyclopedia of Film and Television |date=2012 |publisher=Cleis Press |pages=83 |isbn=9781573448826 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nwFuDwAAQBAJ&dq=Alan+Cumming+1965&pg=PA83 |access-date=17 August 2022}} His mother, Mary Darling, was an insurance company secretary and his father, Alex Cumming, was the head forester of Panmure Estate, which is located near Carnoustie, on the east coast of Scotland, and is where Cumming grew up.{{cite news|last1=Black|first1=Claire|title=Alan Cumming on dealing with his past|url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/alan-cumming-on-dealing-with-his-past-1-3598577|access-date=16 November 2014|work=The Scotsman|date=8 November 2014}} He has described the environment as "feudal". He has a brother, Tom, who is six years older,{{cite news|last1=King|first1=Larry|title=Alan Cumming|url=http://www.ora.tv/larrykingnow/alan-cumming-0_6r98pqwoxydv|access-date=1 November 2014|work=Larry King Now|date=27 October 2014|format=Video interview|archive-date=10 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710175321/http://www.ora.tv/larrykingnow/alan-cumming-0_6r98pqwoxydv|url-status=dead}} and a niece and two nephews. Cumming attended Monikie Primary School and Carnoustie High School.{{cite news|last1=Watt|first1=Richard|title=High school reunion for film star Alan Cumming|url=http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/angus-the-mearns/high-school-reunion-for-film-star-alan-cumming-1.63817|access-date=16 November 2014|work=The Courier (Dundee)|date=8 January 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129021954/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/angus-the-mearns/high-school-reunion-for-film-star-alan-cumming-1.63817|archive-date=29 November 2014}}

In his autobiography Not My Father's Son, Cumming describes the emotional and physical violence his father inflicted on him in his childhood.{{cite news |last=Higginbotham |first=Adam |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/feb/16/fiction.film |title=Cumming out on top |newspaper=The Observer |date=16 February 2003 |access-date=15 April 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/70/Alan-Cumming.html |title=Alan Cumming Biography (1965–) |work=FilmReference.com |access-date=15 April 2013}} His mother found it impossible to obtain a divorce until she was financially independent. Cumming said that, after his early 20s, he did not have any communication with his father until just before the filming of his episode of the series Who Do You Think You Are? He then found out his father had believed that Cumming was not his biological son. Later, Cumming and his brother took DNA tests that proved they were indeed his biological children.{{cite news|last1=Aitkenhead|first1=Decca|title=Alan Cumming: 'I never felt I'd achieved enough because I was always told I was nothing'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2014/nov/14/alan-cumming-i-never-felt-achieved-enough-always-told-was-nothing|access-date=16 November 2014|work=The Guardian|date=14 November 2014}}

Cumming said that his difficult childhood taught him how to act by "needing to suppress my own emotions and feelings around him [his father] when I was a little boy".{{cite news|last1=Simon|first1=Scott|title=Actor Alan Cumming Is Not His 'Father's Son'|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/10/11/355340508/actor-alan-cumming-is-not-his-fathers-son|access-date=1 November 2014|work=NPR, Weekend Edition Saturday|date=11 October 2014}} He has described himself as having been a voracious reader as a child, particularly of The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton.{{Cite news |date=28 October 2021|title=Alan Cumming Would Like to Play the Title Character in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/28/books/review/alan-cumming-by-the-book-interview.html |access-date=5 February 2025|work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NptFEnInS40 |title=Alan Cumming on Reading His First Mystery Novel |date=31 July 2013|last=MASTERPIECE PBS |access-date=5 February 2025|via=YouTube}}

Career

= 1984–1999 =

In 1984, Cumming made his television debut in ITV Granada's Travelling Man, before going on to appear later in the 1980s in the Scottish Television series Take the High Road, Taggart and Shadow of the Stone. Cumming made his film debut in Gillies MacKinnon's short film Passing Glory in 1986. His breakthrough television role was as Bernard Bottle in the Christmas 1991 BBC comedy Bernard and the Genie, a Richard Curtis-scripted film in which he starred alongside Lenny Henry and Rowan Atkinson. He also featured in a comic relief sketch in 1993 on the popular UK television show Blind Date with Atkinson playing Mr. Bean.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/qLNhVC296YI Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20090422121521/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLNhVC296YI Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|title=Comic Relief Sketch, youtube|via = YouTube| date=16 March 2009 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLNhVC296YI}}{{cbignore}} Cumming went on to star as flight attendant Sebastian Flight in the BBC2 sitcom The High Life in 1995. The series was written by Cumming and co-star Forbes Masson, continuing an acting-writing partnership the two had developed since their drama school days. Also in 1995, Cumming appeared in the series Ghosts.

File:Sliphost Sedentary Manufacturer5.jpg

His feature film debut came in 1992 when he starred alongside Sandrine Bonnaire and Bruno Ganz in Ian Sellar's Prague, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and earned him the Best Actor award at the Atlantic Film Festival and a Scottish BAFTA Best Actor nomination. American audiences first saw him portraying the smarmy Sean Walsh, an unwanted suitor of Minnie Driver's character, in Circle of Friends, an Irish film released in 1995. Also, in 1995, he played Boris Ivanovich Grishenko in the James Bond film GoldenEye.{{Cite web|last=Lenker|first=Maureen Lee|url=https://ew.com/tv/2018/05/31/alan-cumming-liquid-nitrogen-burn-goldeneye/|title=Alan Cumming recalls the time he got burned by liquid nitrogen on the set of GoldenEye|website=Entertainment Weekly|language=en|date=31 May 2018|access-date=11 February 2020}} He also played Mr. Elton in Emma in 1996.

Cumming began his theatre career in his native Scotland, performing in seasons with the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, Dundee Rep, The Tron Glasgow and tours with Borderline, Theatre Workshop and Glasgow Citizens' TAG. He played Slupianek in the Traverse Theatre's 1988 production of Conquest of the South Pole, which later transferred to the Royal Court in London and earned him an Olivier Award nomination as Most Promising Newcomer. He went on to perform plays with the Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Shakespeare Company and played Valere in La Bete at the Lyric Hammersmith, London. In 1991, he played The Madman in the 1990 Royal National Theatre production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo, for which he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance.{{cite web|url=http://www.olivierawards.com/about/previous-winners/view/item98525/Olivier-Winners-1991 |title=Olivier Winners 1991 |work=Olivier Awards |publisher=Society of London Theatre |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714143623/http://www.olivierawards.com/about/previous-winners/view/item98525/Olivier-Winners-1991 |archive-date=14 July 2014 }}{{cite web |url=http://vimeo.com/10685125 |title=Alan Cumming wins Olivier Award 1991 |via=Vimeo |access-date=15 April 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.alancumming.com/won.php?id=3 |title=Alan Cumming – Won |work=alancumming.com |access-date=15 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303112046/http://www.alancumming.com/won.php?id=3 |archive-date=3 March 2012 }} He also adapted the play with director Tim Supple. In 1993, he received great critical acclaim and the TMA Best Actor award for playing the title role in the 1993 English Touring Theatre's Hamlet (playing opposite his then-wife, Hilary Lyon, in the role of Ophelia).

He gained prominence for his role as The Master of Ceremonies in Sam Mendes's 1993 revival of the musical Cabaret in London's West End opposite Jane Horrocks as Sally Bowles. He received 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. He won a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance.{{cite web|url=http://culture.com/people/007/747/alan-cumming/|title=Alan Cumming – Details|work=culture.com|access-date=15 April 2013|archive-date=28 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228061752/http://culture.com/people/007/747/alan-cumming/|url-status=dead}} Cumming had a minor role in Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut (1999), as a hotel clerk who humorously flirts with Tom Cruise's character; according to Cumming, he was required to go through six auditions for the role.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMdVy-nF6cs|title=Alan Cumming on 'Standing Up' to Stanley Kubrick|date=16 April 2009 |via=YouTube|access-date=27 March 2018|archive-date=17 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817055702/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMdVy-nF6cs|url-status=live}} His first film in the United States was 1997's Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, playing Sandy Frink opposite Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino.

= 2000–2011 =

Cumming co-wrote, co-directed, co-produced and co-starred in the ensemble film The Anniversary Party with friend and former Cabaret co-star Jennifer Jason Leigh in 2001.{{cite web |url=http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/interview.asp?z=y&ctr=588643 |title=Interview: Alan Cumming |work=Barnes & Noble |date=18 January 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218082948/http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/interview.asp?z=y&ctr=588643 |archive-date=18 February 2012}} Other US stage roles include Otto in the 2001 Broadway 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. Cumming performed alongside Dianne Wiest in Classic Stage Company's production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, directed by Viacheslav Dolgachev. In 2002, Cumming and then-boyfriend 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 closed in 2003. Cumming's novel, Tommy's Tale, was published in 2002.{{cite book |first=Alan |last=Cumming |title=Tommy's Tale : A Novel |isbn=978-0060394448 |url=https://archive.org/details/tommystalenovel00cumm |url-access=registration |publisher=Regan Books |year=2002 }}

File:Alan Cumming 1384 (cropped).JPG in 2010]]

He has also written articles for magazines, notably as a contributing editor for Marie Claire, writing on the haute couture shows in Paris, as well as what it was like for him dressing as a woman for a day. He also contributed articles to Newsweek, Modern Painters, Out, Black Book and The Wall Street Journal. He has written introductions and prefaces to various books, including the works of Nancy Mitford, Andy Warhol and Christopher Isherwood, and wrote a chapter of If You Had Five Minutes with the President, a collection of 55+ essays by members or supporters of The Creative Coalition.{{cite web|url=http://alancumming.com/done.php?id=73 |title=Five Minutes With the President |work=AlanCumming.com |last=Cumming |first=Alan |year=2004 |access-date=15 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140524041807/http://alancumming.com/done.php?id=73 |archive-date=24 May 2014 }}

In 2006, he returned to 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, directed by John Tiffany, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in August, transferring to the Lyric Theatre in London and then to Lincoln Center, New York, winning him the Herald Archangel award. Cumming introduced Masterpiece Mystery! for PBS, beginning in 2008. He played Eli Gold on the CBS television show The Good Wife. He appeared as a guest star in the latter third of the first season, becoming a series regular in the show's 2010–2011 season.{{cite magazine |url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2010/03/23/good-wife-alan-cumming-series-regular/ |last=Ausiello |first=Michael |title=Exclusive: 'Good Wife' promotes Alan Cumming to series regular |date=23 March 2010 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=15 April 2013}}

On 1 September 2009, Cumming released his first solo album based around his one-man show, I Bought a Blue Car Today.{{cite web |url=http://www.speckulationentertainment.com/alan-cumming.html |title=Alan Cumming: I Bought a Blue Car Today |work=speckulationentertainment.com |access-date=15 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714160450/http://www.speckulationentertainment.com/alan-cumming.html |archive-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=dead }} Cumming returned to British television screens in 2011 to star as Desrae, a crossdresser, on the Sky series The Runaway. He has also made several documentaries: My Brilliant Britain, about Scottish humour, The Real Cabaret in which he investigated the Weimar cabaret artistes, and the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? in 2010 in which he discovered his maternal grandfather was a war hero who had died playing Russian roulette.

= 2012–present =

He collaborated again with Tiffany and the National Theatre of Scotland in 2012, playing all the roles in Macbeth. He brought this critically acclaimed{{cite news |first=Charles |last=Isherwood |author-link=Charles Isherwood |date=21 April 2013 |title=One Mad Power Grab, Many Dramatic Roles |work=The New York Times |access-date=20 July 2013 |url=http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/theater/reviews/macbeth-with-alan-cumming-at-the-barrymore-theater.html}}{{cite news |first=Joe |last=Dziemianowicz |title='Macbeth' with Alan Cumming: Theater review |work=Daily News|location=New York |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/macbeth-alan-cumming-theater-review-article-1.1322277 |date=22 April 2013 |access-date= 20 July 2013}} production of Macbeth to New York's Lincoln Center in 2012 and to a 73-show Broadway engagement at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 2013. Macbeth concluded its run on Broadway on 14 July 2013.{{cite web|last=Hetrick|first=Adam|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/macbeth-starring-tony-award-winner-alan-cumming-ends-broadway-run-july-14-com-207431 |title=Macbeth, Starring Tony Award Winner Alan Cumming, Ends Broadway Run July 14 |work=Playbill |access-date=13 March 2022|date=14 July 2013}}

In 2012, he narrated the audiobook Macbeth: A Novel, written by A.J. Hartley and David Hewson. The novel greatly expands upon the themes established in the play.{{cite web|url=http://davidhewson.com/audio/macbeth-a-novel |title=Macbeth: a Novel |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222041039/http://davidhewson.com/audio/macbeth-a-novel/ |archive-date=22 December 2015 }} On 10 April 2012, he released the single "Someone Like the Edge of Firework".{{cite web |url=http://www.starpulse.com/Actors/Cumming,_Alan/Albums/album/3390973/66494921 |title=Alan Cumming: Someone Like The Edge Of Firework |website=starpulse.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105184205/http://www.starpulse.com/Actors/Cumming,_Alan/Albums/album/3390973/66494921/ |archive-date=5 January 2016}} In 2012, he launched his photography career with his first exhibition Alan Cumming Snaps.{{cite web |url=http://www.alancummingphotography.com |work=alancummingphotography.com |title=Alan Cumming Photography {{!}} Fine Art Photography |access-date=15 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127194258/http://www.alancummingphotography.com/ |archive-date=27 January 2012 }} In July 2012, Cumming presented Urban Secrets on Sky Atlantic and the Travel Channel where he uncovers hidden secrets in various urban areas including London and Brighton. In October 2013, Cumming appeared in the music video for "City of Angels" by Thirty Seconds to Mars.{{cite news|last1=Grow|first1=Kory|title=Thirty Seconds to Mars Recruit Kanye West, Lindsay Lohan for 'Angels'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/thirty-seconds-to-mars-recruit-kanye-west-lindsay-lohan-for-angels-20131029|access-date=8 August 2014|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=29 October 2013|archive-date=15 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215075048/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/thirty-seconds-to-mars-recruit-kanye-west-lindsay-lohan-for-angels-20131029|url-status=dead}} In 2014, he published his autobiography, Not My Father's Son, which deals with both his experiences growing up with an abusive father and the discoveries he made about his maternal grandfather's life while filming Who Do You Think You Are?. That same year he returned again to Broadway to star in Roundabout Theater Company's revival production of Cabaret, directed again by Sam Mendes.{{cite web |last=Snetiker |first=Mark |url=http://www.broadway.com/buzz/169003/roundabout-plans-new-revival-of-cabaret-in-2014-alan-cumming-tapped-to-reprise-tony-winning-role/ | title= Roundabout Plans New Revival of Cabaret in 2014; Alan Cumming Tapped to Reprise his Tony-Award Winning Role |work=Broadway.com |date=24 April 2013 |access-date= 24 April 2013}} Starring opposite Michelle Williams, Cabaret opened 24 April 2014 and closed 29 March 2015. The run was extended originally from its 24-week engagement. The role of Sally changed during the production, when Williams left, to include Emma Stone and Sienna Miller.

File:Alan Cumming at the Highline Ballroom - October 25, 2009 (52).jpg in 2009]]

On 7 June 2015, Cumming co-hosted the 69th annual Tony Awards alongside Kristin Chenoweth. On 5 February 2016, Cumming released his second full-length album, recorded live at New York City's Café Carlyle, Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs: Live at the Cafe Carlyle.{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/alan-cumming-sings-sappy-songs-live-at-the-cafe-carlyle-mw0002898549|title=Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs: Live At The Cafe Carlyle |author= |website=AllMusic |access-date=16 September 2016}} He toured an aptly styled, intimate, cabaret-like live stage production following his success with the Carlyle recording. In November 2016, PBS aired a filming of his show Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs from The Smith Center in Las Vegas.{{Cite web |title=ALAN CUMMING SINGS SAPPY SONGS {{!}} 'Somewhere Only We Know' Performance {{!}} PBS|via = YouTube| date=16 November 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SNtO28pmAI|language=en|access-date=11 February 2020}} In 2016, NBC's 1st Look visited Scotland for a special episode, featuring Alan Cumming. It featured areas of the country that are important to Cumming, and showcased Scotland through his eyes. The show was named Best Lifestyle Programme at the Emmys' 60th annual awards ceremony at New York's Marriott Marquis Broadway Ballroom.{{cite journal|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/15290705.Alan_Cumming_finally_wins_an_Emmy_____for_wandering_around_Scotland/ |title=Alan Cumming finally wins an Emmy – for wandering around Scotland |date= 16 May 2017 |journal=The Herald |access-date=16 May 2017}} Alan Cumming was cast as the lead character in the CBS series Instinct, an academic seeking to help the NYPD solve crimes.{{cite news |last=Bentley |first=Rick |title= Alan Cumming hopeful that groundbreaking CBS series Instinct will find an audience |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2018/03/11/alan-cumming-hopeful-that-groundbreaking-cbs-series-instinct-will-find-an-audience.html |work=Toronto Star |date= 11 March 2018 |access-date=12 March 2018}} In 2018, he played King James on the eleventh series of Doctor Who.{{cite news |last=Fullerton |first=Huw |url= http://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-03-08/alan-cumming-set-to-play-king-james-i-in-doctor-who/ |title=Alan Cumming set to play King James I in Doctor Who |work=Radio Times |date=8 March 2018 |access-date=9 March 2018}} In September 2017, Cumming and promoter Daniel Nardicio opened a bar in Manhattan's East Village called Club Cumming.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/nyregion/life-is-a-cabaret-and-alan-cumming-is-tending-bar.html |title=Life Is a Cabaret (and Alan Cumming Is Tending Bar) |last=Kilgannon |first=Corey |date=20 September 2018 |access-date=27 May 2020 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527002801/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/nyregion/life-is-a-cabaret-and-alan-cumming-is-tending-bar.html |archive-date=27 May 2020 |url-status=live}}

In recent years, Cumming has been a regular contributor to the Edinburgh International Festival, with performances including Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs in August 2016,{{Cite news |last=Gardner |first=Lyn |date=7 August 2016|title=Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs! at Edinburgh festival review – heart, soul and a bit of cheek |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/aug/07/alan-cumming-sings-sappy-songs-review-edinburgh-festival |access-date=6 April 2023|issn=0261-3077}} Alan Cumming is not Acting his Age in August 2021,{{Cite news |last=Akbar |first=Arifa |date=29 August 2021|title=Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age review – much music, little material |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/aug/29/alan-cumming-is-not-acting-his-age-review- |access-date=6 April 2023|issn=0261-3077}} and Burn in August 2022: a one-man dance show co-produced by Edinburgh International Festival, National Theatre of Scotland and The Joyce Theater, in which he played Scots poet Robert Burns{{Cite news |last=Crompton |first=Sarah |date=14 August 2022|title=Burn; Ballet Freedom review – Alan Cumming gives it a whirl as Robert Burns |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/aug/14/burn-kings-theatre-edinburgh-review-alan-cumming-robert-burns-ballet-freedom-ukraine-pleasance-at-eicc |access-date=6 April 2023|issn=0029-7712}} In 2020, he played in Endgame at The Old Vic, co-starring with Daniel Radcliffe.{{cite web |last=Franklin |first=Marc J. |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/a-look-at-the-old-vics-endgame-with-daniel-radcliffe-and-alan-cumming/ | title= A Look at the Old Vic's Endgame With Daniel Radcliffe and Alan Cumming |work=Playbill | date= 13 February 2020 |access-date= 26 February 2020}} Starting in 2022, Cumming partnered with British-Australian actress Miriam Margolyes in a television series entitled Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland. The series follows the pair as they travel in a motorhome and explore Scotland. That same year, Cumming appeared in My Old School, a documentary about the case of Brandon Lee, a 32-year-old man exposed in 1995 as having attended a Scottish secondary school in the guise of a 17-year-old. Cumming appeared as an avatar for Lee, who did not want to appear on camera for the film, lip syncing to audio of his interviews. Cumming had previously planned to play Lee in a theatrical production in the late 90s which failed to materialize.{{cite web

|work=STV News

|last=Boyd|first=Laura

|date=4 March 2022

|title=Alan Cumming hopes Glasgow schoolboy imposter Brandon Lee 'is happy'

|url=https://news.stv.tv/entertainment/alan-cumming-hopes-glasgow-schoolboy-imposter-brandon-lee-is-happy-after-release-of-my-old-school

}}

In June 2021, Cumming was artistic director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, as announced in June 2020.{{cite web | title=Acclaimed Actor Alan Cumming Announced as Artistic Director of Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2021 | website=Broadsheet | url=https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/entertainment/article/alan-cumming-announced-artistic-director-adelaide-cabaret-festival-2021|date=22 June 2020|first=Daniela |last=Frangos | access-date=23 June 2020}} Later that year, he played Mayor Aloysius Menlove, the closeted small-town mayor of Schmigadoon, in the Apple TV+ comedy musical series Schmigadoon!{{Cite web|last=Cleal|first=Sam|title=The Cast Of "Schmigadoon!" Is Positively Stacked – Here's Where You Know Them From|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/sam_cleal/schmigadoon-cast|date=20 July 2021|access-date=1 October 2021|website=BuzzFeed|language=en-gb}} Since 2023, Cumming hosts the American version of the reality TV series The Traitors.{{cite web | last=White | first=Peter | title='The Traitors' Team Shaking Things Up For Season 2 | website=Deadline | date=29 April 2023 | url=https://deadline.com/2023/04/the-traitors-season-2-interview-cirie-fields-contenders-tv-1235340250/ | access-date=1 May 2023}}

Cumming is set to reprise his role as Nightcrawler from X2 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Avengers: Doomsday (2026).{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=26 March 2025|title=Marvel Confirming 'Avengers: Doomsday' Cast: Patrick Stewart, Tom Hiddleston, Hannah John-Kamen, Joseph Quinn, Lewis Pullman, Kelsey Grammer & More |url=https://deadline.com/2025/03/avengers-doomsday-cast-1236351122/ |access-date=26 March 2025|website=Deadline }}

Activism and charity

File:Dick Leitsch with Alan Cumming.jpg]]

Cumming has promoted LGBT rights, MC-ing and attending fundraisers for organisations such as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and taking part in an Equality Network video campaign, from New York, promoting the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Scotland.{{Cite news|url = http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/06/24/video-scottish-campaign-for-equal-marriage-launches-its-time-celebrity-video-campaign/|title = Video: Scottish campaign for equal marriage launches 'It's Time' celebrity video campaign|date = 24 June 2013|access-date = 25 June 2013|work = Pink News|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130627162714/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/06/24/video-scottish-campaign-for-equal-marriage-launches-its-time-celebrity-video-campaign/|archive-date = 27 June 2013|url-status = dead}} Cumming also supports several AIDS charities, including the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR) and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and is also a patron of NORM-UK, an English-registered charity concerned with foreskin health and matters related to circumcision; he has condemned the practice of routine infant circumcision, particularly in the United States, where it is common.{{cite web |url=http://www.norm-uk.org/?1229 |first=John |last=Dalton |title=Film Star Wants the Foreskin to be with you |work=NORM-UK |date=11 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219074448/http://www.norm-uk.org/news.html?action=showitem&item=1229 |archive-date=19 December 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://www.circumstitions.com/news/News25.html#cumming |title=X-Man Nixes Circs |work=circumstitions.com |date=11 June 2007}} Cumming recorded a duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Liza Minnelli to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and 11 September Fund.

In 2005, he released an award-winning fragrance called "Cumming" and a related line of scented bath lotion and body wash. A second fragrance was launched in 2011, named "Second (Alan) Cumming", with all proceeds going to charity.{{cite web |url=http://cbihateperfume.com/shop/2nd-alan-cumming/|title=2nd (Alan) Cumming|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629160552/http://cbihateperfume.com/shop/2nd-alan-cumming/|archive-date=29 June 2020}} In 2014, Cumming was a supporter and activist for the Scottish 'Yes' campaign in the run-up to Scotland's referendum on independence in September 2014. In October 2014, Cumming and the Broadway cast of Cabaret collected donations for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS during the "Gypsy of the Year" fundraising season.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spq7ZJrTCW8| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710124833/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spq7ZJrTCW8| archive-date=10 July 2015 | url-status=dead|title=Alan Cumming Backstage at Cabaret|last=Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS|date=24 October 2014|via=YouTube}}

In October 2023, Cumming signed the Artists4Ceasefire open letter to Joe Biden, President of the United States, calling for a ceasefire of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.{{Cite web |title=Artists4Ceasefire |url=https://www.artists4ceasefire.org/ |access-date=11 December 2023 |website=Artists4Ceasefire |language=en-US}}

Personal life

Cumming is bisexual.{{cite web |url=http://www.advocate.com/bisexuality/2015/03/30/alan-cumming-bisexual-and-you-might-be-too |title=Alan Cumming Is Bisexual—And You Might Be Too |website=Advocate |last1=Sandel |first1=Adam|date=30 March 2015 }} His relationships include an eight-year marriage to actress Hilary Lyon, a two-year relationship with actress Saffron Burrows, and a six-year relationship with theatre director Nick Philippou. In 2006, Cumming stated that he "would dearly like to adopt a child", but that his life was "too hectic" for the rearing of children.{{cite news|url=https://www.entertainmentdaily.co.uk/tv/alan-cumming-reveals-trauma-of-abusive-childhood-in-c4-documentary-miriam-and-alan-lost-in-scotland/|title=Alan Cumming reveals trauma of abusive childhood in C4 documentary Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland|last=Fear|first=Helen|date=16 November 2021|work=Entertainment Daily|accessdate=24 February 2023}}

Cumming and his partner, illustrator Grant Shaffer, dated for two years before becoming civil partners at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London, on 7 January 2007.{{cite web |url= http://www.eonline.com/news/54125/alan-cumming-groomed-for-marriage |title=Alan Cumming Groomed for Marriage |last=Finn |first=Natalie |date=8 January 2007 |publisher=E! |access-date=15 April 2013}} Cumming and Shaffer legally married in New York on 7 January 2012, the fifth anniversary of their London union.{{cite journal |last=Kinser|first=Jeremy |date=9 January 2012|title=Alan Cumming Remarries Husband in New York |url=http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2012/01/09/Alan_Cumming_Remarries_Husband/ |journal=The Advocate |access-date=15 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411033656/http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2012/01/09/Alan_Cumming_Remarries_Husband/|archive-date=11 April 2012 }}

On 7 November 2008, Cumming became a dual-national and was sworn in as a citizen of the United States at a ceremony in Manhattan.{{cite web |url=http://www.alancumming.com/blog.php?id=25|title=I bought a blue car today!|last=Cumming|first=Alan |date=7 November 2008 |work=alancumming.com |access-date=15 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304194810/http://www.alancumming.com/blog.php?id=25|archive-date=4 March 2012 }}{{cite news|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/alan-cumming-interview-seen-future-got-t-shirt-2452375|title=Alan Cumming interview: seen the future, got the t-shirt |last=Ross|first=Peter|date=1 November 2008|newspaper=The Scotsman|access-date=13 March 2022}}

Cumming has stated that since 2012 he has maintained a vegan lifestyle.{{cite journal|last=Pashman|first=Heidi|url=http://www.shape.com/celebrities/celebrity-photos/25-sexiest-vegan-and-vegetarian-celebrities/slide/22 |title=25 Sexiest Vegan and Vegetarian Celebrities |journal=Shape|date=13 January 2013|access-date=14 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214200355/http://www.shape.com/celebrities/celebrity-photos/25-sexiest-vegan-and-vegetarian-celebrities/slide/22 |archive-date=14 December 2013 }} PETA awarded him its Humanitarian Award in 2017.{{cite web |title=Photo Flash: Alan Cumming Receives PETA's Humanitarian Award at Valentine's Day Bash |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/miami/article/Photo-Flash-Alan-Cumming-Receives-PETAs-Humanitarian-Award-at-Valentines-Day-Bash-20170213 |website=BroadwayWorld |date=13 February 2017}}

He is a supporter of the Scottish National Party and Scottish independence.{{cite news|last=Brooks|first=Libby|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/13/nicola-sturgeon-quips-she-could-let-snp-field-candidates-in-england|work=The Guardian|access-date=12 November 2017|title=Nicola Sturgeon quips she could field SNP candidates in England |date=13 December 2016}} Cumming endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 US presidential election.{{cite web |url = https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/274314-alan-cumming-backs-sanders/ |title = Alan Cumming backs Sanders |work = The Hill |first = Judy |last = Kurtz |date = 25 March 2016 }}

Cumming is an atheist.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iC6OAgAAQBAJ&q=Leigh%3A+Did+you+grow+up+religious%3FCumming%3A+I+was+made+to+go+to+church%2C+but+no%2C+it+wasn%27t+a+very+religious+thing.+And+I%27m+completely+atheist.+I+don%27t+hold+any+beliefs+about+God+and+stuff.+And+I+can%27t+do+the+church+thing.+Last+year%2C+I+was+here+in+New+York%2C+at+a+Christmas+party%2C+and+everyone+went+to+midnight+Mass+except+me.+I+just+listened+to+music+while+they+were+all+out%2C+supposedly+communing+with+God%2C+but+they+were+just+doing+it+because+it%27s+habit.L%3A+Maybe+they+like+it%2C+though.C%3A+They+don%27t+like+it.+And+I+do+like+it.+But+I+have+the+sort+of+conscience+that+says+if+you+go+you+are+supporting+the+myth.+And+it+makes+me+angry%2C+all+that.&pg=PA91|title=Celebrities in Hell|page=91|last1=Smith|first1=Warren Allen|year=2011|publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=9780557837526|access-date=18 January 2017}}

Acting credits

=Theatre=

Year ! Title ! Role ! Company/Location ! Notes
class="wikitable"
1987	Cabaret	Cliff	Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh	musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1987-10-02/22/index.html review of Cabaret by Sally Kinnes], The List, Issue 51, 2–15 October 1987, p. 20
1987	Babes in the Wood	Barry	Tron Theatre, Glasgow	comedy by Forbes Masson and Alan Cumming[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1987-12-11/33/index.html preview of Babes in the Wood], The List, Issue 56, 11 December 1987 - 7 January 1988, p. 29[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1988-01-08/25/index.html review of Babes in the Wood], The List, Issue 57, 8–21 January 1988, p. 23
1988	Great Expectations	Pip	TAG Theatre Company, Glasgow	musical adaptation of the Dickens novel by John Clifford
1988	Victor and Barry say Goodbye	Barry	Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh	comedy by Forbes Masson and Alan Cumming[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1988-08-19/15/index.html review of Victor and Barry say Goodbye by Andrew Burnet], The List, Issue 74, 19–25 August 1988, p. 13
1989 \|As You Like It \|Silvius \|Royal Shakespeare Company \|
1991 \|Romeo and Juliet \|Romeo \|National Theatre Studio \|
1993 \|Hamlet \|Hamlet \|English Touring Theatre \|
1993 \|Cabaret \|Emcee \|Donmar Warehouse \|West End Revival
1998 \|Cabaret \|Emcee \|Henry Miller Theatre and Studio 54 \|Broadway Revival
2001 \|Design for Living \|Otto \|American Airlines Theater \|Broadway Revival
2002 \|Elle \|various \|The Art Party, Zipper Theatre \|English adaptation of Jean Genet's one-act play Elle{{Cite journal \|last=Eisler \|first=Garrett \|date=May 2003 \|title=Performance Review: "Elle" \|url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/2fd601ecdb1bbafc/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1096 \|journal=Theatre Journal \|volume=55 \|issue=2 \|pages=329–331 \|doi=10.1353/tj.2003.0061 \|via=ProQuest}}
2006 \|Threepenny Opera \|Macheath \|Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 \|Broadway Revival
2007 \| rowspan="2" \|The Bacchae \| rowspan="2" \|Dionysus \| rowspan="2" \|National Theatre of Scotland \| rowspan="2" \|new adaptation of classic Euripides play by David Greig, from a translation by Ian Ruffell{{Cite web \|title=The Bacchae \|url=https://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/past-performances/the-bacchae \|access-date=12 September 2024 \|website=National Theatre of Scotland \|language=en}}
2008
2008 \|The Seagull \|Trigorin \|Classic Stage Company \|
2012 \| rowspan="2" \|Macbeth \| rowspan="2" \| \|National Theatre of Scotland \| rowspan="2" \|one-man adaptation{{Cite journal \|title=Macbeth \|url=https://playbill.com/production/macbeth-ethel-barrymore-theatre-vault-0000014000 \|journal=Playbill}}
2013 \|Ethel Barrymore Theatre
2014 \|Cabaret \|Emcee \|Studio 54 \|Broadway Revival
2019 \|"Daddy" \|Andre \|Pershing Square Signature Center \|original play by Jeremy O. Harris{{Cite news \|last=Brantley \|first=Ben \|date=5 March 2019 \|title=Review: This 'Daddy' Has Issues. A Pool and Alan Cumming, Too. \|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/theater/review-jeremy-o-harris-daddy.html \|access-date=11 September 2024 \|work=The New York Times}}
2020 \|Endgame \|Hamm \|The Old Vic \|

Selected film credits:

Black Beauty (1994)
Circle of Friends (1995)
GoldenEye (1995)
Emma (1996)
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)
Spice World (1997)
Annie (1999)
Titus (1999)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Plunkett & Macleane (1999)
Get Carter (2000)
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000)
The Anniversary Party (2001)
Spy Kids (2001)
Company Man (2001)
Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
Nicholas Nickleby (2002)
X2: X-Men United (2003)
Garfield: The Movie (2004)
Son of the Mask (2005)
Ripley Under Ground (2005)
The Tempest (2010)
Burlesque (2010)
The Good Wife (2010–2016)
Battle of the Sexes (2017)
Schmigadoon! (2021–2023)
Drive Back Home (2024)

Awards and recognition

In March 2005, Cumming received the Vito Russo Award at the 16th Annual GLAAD Media Awards for outstanding contributions toward eliminating homophobia.{{cite web|last=Gans|first=Andrew|date=25 March 2005|title=GLAAD Media Awards to Honor Billy Crystal and Alan Cumming |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/glaad-media-awards-to-honor-billy-crystal-and-alan-cumming-com-124912 |website=Playbill |access-date=13 March 2022}} In July of the same year, he was 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, and in 2015 he received an honorary degree from the Open University.{{cite news |title=Alan Cumming: Actor and US Traitors host hands back OBE |work=BBC News |date=27 January 2023 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64426465 |access-date=27 January 2023}} He also is a patron of the Scottish Youth Theatre, Scotland's National Theatre "for and by" young people.

{{Wikinews|Actor Alan Cumming returns OBE for British Empire's 'toxicity'}}

Cumming was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours for services to film, theatre and the arts and to activism for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community in the United States.{{LondonGazette |issue=59090 |date=13 June 2009 |page=24 |supp=y}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/jun/13/queens-birthday-honours-list-diplomatic |title=Queen's birthday honours list: Diplomatic service and overseas list |date=13 June 2009 |location=London|quote=Actor, Producer and Presenter. For serv film, theatre and the arts and to activism for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community|work=The Guardian}}{{cite news|url=http://www.bimedia.org/652/bi-obe|title=Bi OBE|date=25 November 2009|work=Bi Media|quote=He was honoured for services to film, theatre and the arts – and for his work as a bisexual, lesbian and gay rights campaigner. 'I have a voice because of my work. I'm loud and I speak my mind,' he said.}} On 27 January 2023, his 58th birthday, Cumming announced via his Instagram page that he had decided to return his OBE due to "misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire".

Cumming has also been honoured for his activism and humanitarian work by organisations such as the Trevor Project and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. In 2022, he received a Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer of the musical A Strange Loop.{{Cite news |last=Paulson |first=Michael |date=12 June 2022 |title=Moments From the 2022 Tony Awards: 'Strange Loop,' 'Lehman Trilogy' and More |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/06/12/theater/tony-awards |access-date=13 June 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}

Bibliography

[http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/49250103 Tommy's Tale: A Novel]. New York: ReganBooks, 2002. {{ISBN|978-0-060-39444-8}}.
[https://search.worldcat.org/en/title/1465923064 May the foreskin be with you: why circumcision doesn't make sense and what you can do about it.]. Magnus Books, 2012. {{ISBN|978-1-936-83339-9}}
[http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/868644016 Not My Father's Son: A Memoir]. New York: Dey Street, an imprint of William Morrow Publishers, 2014. {{ISBN|978-0-062-22506-1}}.
{{Cite book |title=You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams: My Life in Stories and Pictures |url=http://www.rizzoliusa.com/book.php?isbn=9780847849000|year=2016|location=New York|publisher=Rizzoli New York|isbn=9780847849000 |oclc=939994490}}
[https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-399-55797-2 The Adventures of Honey & Leon] By: Alan Cumming, Illustrated by: Grant Shaffer {{ISBN|978-0-399-55797-2}}[https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-399-55797-2 The Adventures of Honey & Leon] Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
[https://books.google.com/books?id=qAAXEAAAQBAJ Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life], a topical memoir, 2019. [https://books.google.com/books?id=qAAXEAAAQBAJ Scrollable preview.] Iron Press.