Jan 27, 1940

Los Angeles, California, USA

Born in Los Angeles but raised in Manhattan and educated at Middlebury College
and Carnegie Tech, James Cromwell - the son of noted film director John
Cromwell - studied acting at Carnegie-Mellon. He went into the theater (like
both his parents) doing everything from Shakespeare to experimental plays. He
started doing TV in 1974, gaining some notice in a recurring role as Archie
Bunker's buddy Stretch Cunningham in "All in the Family" (1971), made his film
debut in 1976, and goes back to t... ... (read more...) he stage periodically. Some of his more noted
film roles have been in Revenge of the Nerds (1984) and the surprise hit 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).