Today was one of those tough choices. It’s not just his 140 credits. It’s that he has relatively minor but iconic roles in quite a few iconic movies. They may not be the most famous films going—though it’s true X2 in particular is far from obscure—but some of us will never forget them. And if my In The Theatre count for him is only two, and my I Own It On Physical Media count is only four, there are several others that he appeared in that I’d like to and at least a dozen more that I’ve seen, if nothing else, and several I’d like to. He’s a busy man who makes entertaining media, and that means it’s hard to pick an image.
His early life was not great—I’ve also read his autobiography. It turns out his father was for years convinced he wasn’t Cumming’s father and felt this made it okay to emotionally and physically abuse the child under his care. (Cumming’s mother did not feel she could divorce until she was financially dependent, and while I get that, that still makes it hard on a kid.) Cumming and his brother have since taken DNA tests and are their mother’s husband’s biological child, but who even cares at that point. He also says he learned to act by hiding his feelings from his father, which is so depressing to consider.
I mean, I’m not sorry we got the results we did. The first place I encountered him was as the utterly sleazy Sean Walsh in Circle of Friends, a movie I wish were available for more people to experience. Our article image is him as tech magnate and high school loser Sandy Frink of Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. There is, as established, Nightcrawler. Sebastian of The Tempest. Saturninus of Titus. Mr. Elton of Emma. We could go on, and we aren’t even touching Sir Billi, because Christ why would you? And I found out while writing that he did a whopping thirteen episodes of Courage, the Cowardly Dog, though the only character I can identify is Rumpledkiltskin.
And if a lot of the characters he plays are delightfully sleazy social climbers, well, he’s good at playing delightfully sleazy social climbers. Oh, obviously, he can play more than that—see also Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (seriously, see also Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical)—but if you’re looking for that specific kind of character, why would you look anywhere else, if you can get Alan Cumming? Several of his breakout characters were that kind of person—Mr. Elton, Sean Walsh, and so forth—and we learned it early.
There’s so much more we could talk about with him. That autobiography, which is very good indeed and so painful in places. His Broadway career. His time hosting assorted PBS shows. His activism—I’m less than thrilled by his association with PETA, because they’re awful, but he’s definitely done work I’m happier with for other causes. Yes, he’s openly bisexual, and he’s used his celebrity to fight for LGBTQ causes. He’s written music. He is a busy, talented man, and part of me always thinks of him as dancing with Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino.
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