Hume Cronyn
Hume Blake Cronyn,
OC ,
LL.D (
July 18,
1911 –
June 15,
2003) was a Canadian/American stage and film actor.
Early life
Cronyn was born in
London,
Ontario,
Canada, one of five children of
Hume Blake Cronyn, a businessman and a
Member of Parliament for
London (and for whom the
Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory and asteroid (12050)
Humecronyn are named), and his wife Frances Amelia
Labatt, an heiress of the brewing company of the same name.
His grandfather was Verschoyle Cronyn. His great-grandfather was
Bishop Benjamin Cronyn, founder of
Huron College at the
University of Western Ontario. His great-uncle Benjamin Jr. was both a prominent citizen and early
mayor of London, Ontario. Benjamin Jr. was later indicted for fraud and fled to Vermont. During his tenure in London he built a mansion called Oakwood, which currently serves as the head office of the
Info-Tech Research Group.
Cronyn was also a cousin of Canadian-born theater producer, Robert Whitehead.
Career
After graduating from
Ridley College, Cronyn studied drama at
McGill University, and continued his acting studies under
Max Reinhardt and at the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In
1934, he made his
Broadway debut as a janitor in "Hipper's Holiday" and became known for his versatility, playing a number of different roles on stage.
His initial
Hollywood film was in
1943 in
Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt. He later appeared in that director's
Lifeboat and was a writer for the screenplays of
Rope and
Under Capricorn. He was nominated for an
Academy Award for
best supporting actor for his performance in
The Seventh Cross in
1944.
Personal life
Cronyn was married to actress
Jessica Tandy from
1942 until her death in
1994, and appeared with her in many of their more memorable dramatic stage, film and TV outings, including
The Gin Game,
Foxfire,
Cocoon and
Cocoon: The Return.
He became an
American citizen in
1966. His
1991 autobiography was called
A Terrible Liar (ISBN 0688128440).
Hume Cronyn married author
Susan Cooper in July
1996. In
1988, he was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada. He died at age 91 of
prostate cancer at his home in
Fairfield, Connecticut.
Hipper's Holiday - 1934
High Tor - 1937
There's Always a Breeze - 1938
Escape This Night - 1938
Off to Buffalo - 1939
Three Sisters - 1939
The Weak Link - 1940
Retreat to Pleasure - 1940
Mr. Big - 1941
Portrait of a Madonna - 1946 (Director)
The Survivors - 1948
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep - 1950
Hilda Crane - 1950
The Little Blue Light - 1951
The Fourposter - 1951
The Honeys - 1955
A Day By The Sea - 1955
The Egghead - 1957
The Man in the Dog Suit - 1958
Triple Play - 1959
Big Fish, Little Fish - 1961
Hamlet - 1964 (
Tony Award for role of Polonius)
The Physicists - 1964
Slow Dance on the Killing Ground - 1964
A Delicate Balance - 1966
Promenade, All! - 1972
Noël Coward in Two Keys - 1974
The Gin Game - 1977 (performed, produced)
Foxfire - 1982 (performed, wrote play and lyrics)
The Petition - 1986
Shadow of a Doubt - 1943
Phantom of the Opera - 1943
The Cross of Lorraine - 1943
Lifeboat - 1944
The Seventh Cross - 1944
Main Street After Dark - 1945
The Sailor Takes a Wife - 1945
A Letter for Evie - 1945
Ziegfeld Follies - 1946
The Postman Always Rings Twice - 1946
The Green Years - 1946
The Beginning or the End - 1947
Brute Force - 1947
The Bride Goes Wild - 1948
Top o' the Morning - 1949
People Will Talk - 1951
Crowded Paradise - 1956
The Moon and Sixpence - 1959 (television)
A Doll's House - 1959 - (television)
Juno and the Paycock - 1960 - (television)
Sunrise at Campobello - 1960
Cleopatra - 1963
Hamlet - 1964
The Arrangement - 1969
Gaily, Gaily - 1969
There Was a Crooked Man... - 1970
The Parallax View - 1974
Conrack - 1974
Rollover - 1981
Honky Tonk Freeway - 1981
The Gin Game - 1981 - (television)
The World According to Garp - 1982
Impulse - 1984
Brewster's Millions - 1985
Cocoon - 1985
*batteries not included - 1987
Foxfire - 1987 - (television)
Cocoon: The Return - 1988
Day One - 1989 - (television)
Age-Old Friends - 1989 - (television)
Christmas on Division Street - 1991 - (television)
Broadway Bound - 1992 - (television)
To Dance with the White Dog - 1993 - (television)
The Pelican Brief - 1993
Camilla - 1994
Marvin's Room - 1996
12 Angry Men - 1997 - (television)
Alone - 1997 - (television)
Seasons of Love - 1998 - (television)
Sea People - 1999 - (television)
Santa and Pete - 1999 - (television)
Yesterday's Children - 2000 - (television)
Off Season - 2001 - (television)
*
Hume Cronyn at the IBDB*
Order of Canada Citation*
Find-A-Grave profile for Hume Cronyn
