James Cromwell received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his memorable performance as Farmer Hoggett in the international smash Babe and went on to play the role in the hit sequel Babe: Pig in the City. Cromwell’s other memorable motion picture work includes The Longest Yard, I, Robot, Space Cowboys, Frank Darabont’s critically acclaimed The Green Mile, The General’s Daughter, Snow Falling on Cedars, The Bachelor, The Sum of All Fears, Star Trek: First Contact, The People vs. Larry Flynt, DreamWorks SKG’s Spirit: Stallion of The Cimarron, Stephen Frears’ Oscar nominated The Queen, Becoming Jane, The Education of Little Tree, Secretariat, Spiderman Three, and as Police Captain Dudley Smith in L.A. Confidential. He has a pivotal role in the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, NY Film Critics, Golden Globe® winning, and multiple Oscar nominated The Artist, released by the Weinstein Company, and will next be seen in the charming family drama Cowgirls & Angels.
On television, Cromwell recently played Dr. Arthur Arden on American Horror Story: Ayslum. Cromwell was notably seen on the FOX hit series 24 as Phillip Bauer, playing Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer)’s father. He earned multiple Emmy®nominations for his work on the HBO original series, Six Feet Under, the HBO movie, RKO 281, and the NBC drama, ER. His body of work encompasses dozens of miniseries and movies-of-the-week, including a starring role in TNT’s A Slight Case of Murder, a cameo appearance in HBO’s Angels in America, West Wing, Picket Fences, Home Improvement, L.A. Law and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Cromwell has also performed in many revered plays, including Hamlet, The Iceman Cometh, Devil’s Disciple, All’s Well That Ends Well, Beckett and Othello in many of the country’s most distinguished theatres including the South Coast Repertory, the Goodman Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum, the American Shakespeare Festival, Center Stage, the Long Wharf Theatre and the Old Globe. He recently played A. E. Houseman in the American premiere of Tom Stoppard’s The Invention of Love at A.C.T. in San Francisco. Cromwell has directed at resident theatres across the country and was the founder and Artistic Director of his own company, Stage West, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He also co-directed a short film, which was shown at the London Film Festival. He will return to his theatrical roots, playing Pozzo in the upcoming theatrical revival of Waiting for Godot in spring 2012 at the Mark Taper Forum for noted director Michael Arabian.
Born in Los Angeles, Cromwell grew up in New York and Waterford, Connecticut and studied at Carnegie Mellon University (then Carnegie Tech). His father, John Cromwell, an acclaimed actor and director, was one of the first presidents of the Screen Directors Guild. His mother, Kay Johnson, was a stage and film actress.
