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Born in January 27, 1965
Alan Cumming was born on January 27, 1965 in Aberfeldy, Scotland. His family lived nearby in Dunkeld, where his father was a forester for Atholl Estate. -
Intro to Theatre
Cumming participated in plays at his high school; Carnoustie High School. Soon after that Alan began working with the Carnoustie Theatre Club and Carnoustie Musical Society. -
Alan left high school with 8 'O' Grades and 4 Highers
He left Carnoustie High School when he was 16 and took a staff job at a magazine. -
Post Graduating
After graduating High School, Alan worked extensively in Scottish theater and television. -
Approach to Soap Operas
Alan began to work on soap operas known as "Take the High Road" -
Academy of Music and Drama
In September 1982, he entered a three-year course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama -
First Debut
Alan Cumming was able to make his first appearance on tv. -
Graduated the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Alan Cumming graduated in 1985 with a B.A. (Dramatic Studies) and awards for verse speaking and direction. -
Gordon Bottomley Award
Graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with a B.A. and also won the Gordon Bottomley Award for direction, and an award for the speaking of Scots verse in 1985. -
First Olivier award
Alan Cumming earned his first Olivier award nomination for Most Promising Newcomer of 1988. -
Film Career
Alan's film career began with Ian Sellar's Prague (1992) -
Olivier Awards 1993-94
In 1993 he played Hamlet for the English Touring Theare to great critical acclaim ranked first and second--with his performance in "CabaretHe received a 1994 Olivier award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical for "Cabaret", and for Hamlet he received the 1994 TMA Best Actor award and a Shakespeare Globe award nomination. -
Hollywood Films
In 1994, he made his first Hollywood film, Circle of Friends (1995), and his performance as the oleaginous Sean Walsh -
Won Broadway's 1998 Tony Award as Best Actor
Won Broadway's 1998 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for a revival of "Cabaret." -
Spy Kids film
Alan played the role of Fegan Floop being the villain in the movie "Spy Kids" in 2000. -
Recognition Awards
Alan received the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics' Circle, Theatre World, FANY, New York Press and New York Public Advocate's awards for his performance. -
Director of "The Anivarsary Party"
Alan wrote, directed, produced and acted in The Anniversary Party (2001) with Jennifer Jason Leigh, which premiered at the Cannes Film festival in 2002 and went on to win a National Board of Review award and two Independent Spirit award nominations. -
Broadway shows
Alan adapted and played the lead in 2002 for the play "Elle" by Jean Genet -
First Novel
Alan found the time to write a novel, "Tommy's Tale", in 2002. -
X2: X-Men United 2003
Alan also played in the movie X2: X-Men United in (2003). Speaks fluent German. This came in handy when Cumming was cast in X2 as Nightcrawler, a mutant born and raised in Munich, Germany. -
Produced the film "Sweet land"
More recently he has produced the documentary Show People (2004) and the films Sweet Land (2005) -
Return to Broadway
In 2006, he returned to Broadway as Macheath in "The Threepenny Opera". -
U.S. Citizen
Cumming became a U.S. Citizen in 2008. -
Not My Fathers Son
In 2014, Cumming published the tell-all memoir "Not My Father's Son", which documents the physical and emotional abuse inflicted on him by his father, and their years of estrangement. -
Handing back Award
Cumming posted a picture on his Instagram with a caption telling us all something he recently did: returned his OBE. He noted he received the award not only for his job as an actor, but also for "activism for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community, USA."