James Cromwell

Born in Los Angeles but raised in Manhattan and educated at Middlebury College and Carnegie-Mellon University, 'James Cromwell' (qv) is the son of film director 'John Cromwell' (qv) and actress 'Kay Johnson' (qv). 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)_ (qv), 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)_ (qv), _Star Trek: First Contact (1996)_ (qv) and the surprise classic about a charming pig, _Babe (1995)_ (qv). 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)_ (qv).::M.S. Burton <suburton@u.washington.edu>