Born in Los Angeles but raised in Manhattan and educated at Middlebury College and Carnegie-Mellon University, James Cromwell is the son of film director John Cromwell and actress Kay Johnson. He studied acting at Carnegie-Mellon, and went into the theatre (like his parents) doing everything from Shakespeare to experimental plays. He started appearing on television in 1974, gaining some notice in a recurring role as Archie Bunker's friend Stretch Cunningham on All in the Family (1971), made his film debut in 1976, and goes back to the stage periodically. Some of his more noted film roles have been in Revenge of the Nerds (1984), Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and the surprise classic about a charming pig, Babe (1995). He garnered some of the best reviews of his career (many of which said he should have received an Oscar) for his role as a corrupt, conniving police captain in L.A. Confidential (1997).

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James Cromwell in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976)

James Cromwell, Mary Kay Place, Philip Bruns, Dody Goodman, Graham Jarvis, and Louise Lasser in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976)

James Cromwell and David Hyde Pierce in Julia (2022)

James Cromwell and Sarah Lancashire in Julia (2022)

James Cromwell, Christine Cavanaugh, and Miriam Margolyes in Babe (1995)

Kim Basinger, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, and Guy Pearce in L.A. Confidential (1997)

Burt Reynolds, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Bill Goldberg, Terry Crews, Nelly, Lobo Sebastian, Nicholas Turturro, Bob Sapp, Michael Irvin, and Dalip Singh in The Longest Yard (2005)

James Cromwell(I)

James Cromwell(I)

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