James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor. Over a more than forty-year career, he has had memorable roles in such films as Babe (1995), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), The Green Mile (1999), Space Cowboys (2000), The Sum of All Fears (2002), W. (2008), The Artist (2011), and Big Hero 6 (2014), as well as television series like Six Feet Under (2003–05), 24 (2007), and American Horror Story: Asylum (2012).
The 6'7" Cromwell has the distinction of being the tallest actor to get nominated for an Academy Award, earning a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in Babe (he is also one of the few actors who has appeared in Star Trek who is taller than the 6'4" Jonathan Frakes and equally-tall Michael Dorn). He's also been nominated for four Emmy Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards during his career. He won the 2013 Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor for his role in Still Mine and the 2013 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his role in American Horror Story: Asylum.
Cromwell's Hollywood roots run deep. His father, John Cromwell, was a prominent actor and director during The Golden Age of Hollywood, whose career was cut short after getting blacklisted in the early '50s; his mother, Kay Johnson, was an actress in the same era.
His roles have included:
- Murder by Death (1976) as Marcel Cassette
- The Cheap Detective (1978) as Schnell
- The Man with Two Brains (1983) as Realtor
- Tank (1984) as Deputy Euclid Baker
- Revenge of the Nerds (1984) as Mr. Skolnick
- Explorers (1985) as Mr. Müller
- A Fine Mess (1986) as Det. Blist
- The Babe (1992) as Brother Mathias
- Romeo is Bleeding (1993) as Cage
- Babe (1995) as Farmer Arthur Hoggett
- Eraser (1996) as William Donohue
- The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) as Charles Keating
- Star Trek: First Contact (1996) as Dr. Zefram Cochrane
- L.A. Confidential (1997) as Capt. Dudley Smith
- Babe: Pig in the City (1998) as Farmer Arthur Hoggett
- Deep Impact (1998) as Alan Rittenhouse
- Species II (1998) as Sen. Judson Ross
- The General's Daughter (1999) as Lt. Gen. Joseph Campbell
- The Green Mile (1999) as Warden Hal Moores
- The Bachelor (1999) as The Priest
- Space Cowboys (2000) as Bob Gerson
- Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) as The Colonel
- The Sum of All Fears (2002) as President J. Robert Fowler
- RFK (2002) as President Lyndon Johnson
- I, Robot (2004) as Dr. Alfred Lanning
- The Longest Yard (2005) as Warden Rudolph Hazen
- The Queen (2006) as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
- Becoming Jane (2007) as Rev. Austen
- Spider-Man 3 (2007) as Capt. George Stacy
- W. (2008) as George H. W. Bush
- Surrogates (2009) as Dr. Lionel Canter
- Secretariat (2010) as Ogden Phipps
- Under the Roman Sky (2010) as Pope Pius XII
- The Artist (2011) as Clifton
- Big Hero 6 (2014) as Prof. Callaghan
- The Promise (2016) as Ambassador Morgenthau
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) as Benjamin Lockwood
- The Laundromat (2019) as Joseph David "Joe" Martin
- Emperor (2020) as John Brown
- Merry Little Batman (2023) as Alfred Pennyworth
- All in the Family (1974) as Stretch Cunningham (three episodes)
- The Rockford Files (1974) as Terry (episode "The Countess")
- Maude (1974) as Alfie (episode "Last Tango in Tuckahoe")
- Hot L Baltimore (1975) as Bill Lewis
- Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976–77) as Rev. Buryfield
- M*A*S*H (1977) as Capt. Leo Bardonaro (episode "Last Laugh")
- Three's Company (1977) as Det. Lanigan (episode "Chrissy's Night Out")
- Barney Miller (1977–81) as four different characters in four episodes
- Alice (1978) as Det. Ralph Hilton (episode "Who Ordered the Hot Turkey?")
- Maude (1978) as Dr. Farrington (episode "The Obscene Phone Call")
- Eight is Enough (1979) as Coach Pollard (episode "The Better Part of Valor")
- Diff'rent Strokes (1979) as Father O'Brien (episode "Arnold's Hero")
- Little House on the Prairie (1980) as Harve Miller (two episodes)
- Dallas (1984–85) as Gerald Kane (three episodes)
- Night Court (1985) as Alan (episode "Nuts About Harry")
- Family Ties (1985) as John Hancock (episode "Philadelphia Story")
- Hunter (1985) as Seymour Robbins (episode "Sniper")
- Hardcastle and McCormick (1985) as Jake Fellows (episode "Undercover McCormick")
- The Twilight Zone (1985) as Obediah Payne (episode "A Message from Charity")
- Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1985–86) as Gregory (two episodes)
- Amazing Stories (1986) as Francis (episode "One for the Road")
- Magnum, P.I. (1986) as French Policeman (episode "Photo Play")
- Easy Street (1986–87) as Quentin Standard
- China Beach (1988) as Ambassador (Pilot)
- Mr. Belvedere (1988) as Roy Gallagher (episode "Fat Cats")
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990) as Prime Minister Nayrok (episode "The Hunted")
- Life Goes On (1990) as Bill Henderson (episode "Thatcher and Henderson")
- Matlock (1990) as Judge Raymond Price (episode "Nowhere to Turn")
- Jake and the Fatman (1991) as Havilland (episode "It Never Entered My Mind")
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (1993) as Jaglom Shrek (two episodes)
- L.A. Law (1994) as Attorney Hutton (episode "McKenzie, Brackman, Barnum and Bailey")
- Home Improvement (1994) as Fred (episode "My Dinner with Wilson")
- Picket Fences (1995) as The Bishop (episode "Saint Zach")
- ER (2001) as Bishop Stewart (three episodes)
- Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) as Dr. Zefram Cochrane (two episodes)
- Six Feet Under (2003–05) as George Sibley
- The West Wing (2004) as President D. Wire Newman (episode "The Stormy Present")
- 24 (2007) as Phillip Bauer
- My Own Worst Enemy (2008) as Alistar Trumble
- American Horror Story: Asylum (2012–13) as Dr. Arthur Arden
- Boardwalk Empire (2012–13) as Andrew W. Mellon
- Betrayal (2013–14) as Thatcher Karsten
- Murder in the First (2014–15) as Warren Daniels
- Halt and Catch Fire (2015) as Jacob Wheeler
- The Young Pope (2016) as Cardinal Michael Spencer
- The Detour (2017) as J.R.
- Berlin Station (2018) as Gilbert Dorn (three episodes)
- Counterpart (2018–19) as Yanek (four episodes)
- Succession (2018–23) as Ewan Roy (recurring role)
