# Hume Cronyn

Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. OC (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter and playwright. He appeared in many stage productions, television and film roles throughout his career, and garnered numerous accolades, including three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards, as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Cronyn was the husband of actress Jessica Tandy, with whom he was presented with the Kennedy Center Honor in 1986 and National Medal of Arts in 1990. In 1999, he was awarded with a star on the Canada's Walk of Fame.

## Early life

Cronyn, one of five children, was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His father, Hume Blake Cronyn Sr., was a businessman and a Member of Parliament for London (after whom the Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory at Western University, then known as The University of Western Ontario and asteroid (12050) Humecronyn are named). His mother, Frances Amelia (née Labatt), was an heiress of the brewing company of the same name; as the daughter of John Labatt and the granddaughter of John Kinder Labatt. Cronyn's paternal great-grandfather, Right Reverend Benjamin Cronyn, an Anglican cleric of the Anglo-Irish Protestant Ascendancy, served as the first bishop of the Anglican diocese of Huron and founded Huron College, from which grew the University of Western Ontario.
His great-uncle, Benjamin Jr., was both a prominent citizen and early mayor of London, Ontario, but 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, and a first cousin of the Canadian-British artist Hugh Verschoyle Cronyn GM (1905–1996).
Cronyn was the first Elmwood School boarder in Ottawa (at the time Elmwood was called Rockliffe Preparatory School) and boarded at Elmwood between 1917 and 1921. After leaving Elmwood, Cronyn went to Ridley College in St. Catharines, and McGill University in Montreal, where he became a member of Kappa Alpha Society. Early in life, Cronyn was an amateur featherweight boxer, having the skills to be nominated for Canada's 1932 Olympic Boxing team.

## Career

After graduating from Ridley College Cronyn attended McGill University, where he switched majors from pre-law to drama. He continued his acting studies thereafter under Max Reinhardt and at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1934, the same year he joined The Lambs, 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. He won a Drama Desk Special Award in 1986. In 1990, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
His first Hollywood film was Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943). He later appeared in Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944) and worked on the screenplays of Rope (1948) and Under Capricorn (1949). He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Seventh Cross (1944) and won a Tony Award for his performance as Polonius opposite Richard Burton's Hamlet (1964). Cronyn bought the screenplay What Nancy Wanted from Norma Barzman, who was later blacklisted with her husband Ben Barzman, with the idea of producing the film and starring Tandy. However, he sold the screenplay to RKO which later filmed it as The Locket (1946). Cronyn also made appearances in television, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes "Kill With Kindness" (1956) and "The Impromptu Murder" (1958) and Hawaii Five-O episodes "Over Fifty? Steal" (1970) and "Odd Man In" (1971).
Cronyn starred with his second wife Jessica Tandy in a short-lived (1953–1954) radio series, The Marriage (based on their earlier Broadway play, The Fourposter), playing New York attorney Ben Marriott and his wife, former fashion buyer Liz, struggling with her switch to domestic life and their raising an awkward teenage daughter (future soap opera star Denise Alexander). The show was scheduled to move from radio to television, with Cronyn producing as well as acting in the show. However, Tandy suffered a miscarriage and the show's debut was delayed a week. The series, which was the first situation comedy broadcast in color, premiered in July 1954 to "warm and enthusiastic reviews"; eight episodes were aired.
The couple also appeared in many memorable dramatic stage, film and television outings, including The Seventh Cross (1944), The Green Years (1946), The Gin Game (1977), Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), The World According to Garp (1982), Cocoon (1985), the television film Foxfire (1987), *batteries not included (1987), Cocoon: The Return (1988), To Dance with the White Dog (1993) and Camilla (1994).
Cronyn had an association with the Stratford Festival as a member of both the acting company and its board of governors. He played Shylock in The Merchant of Venice in 1976, and debuted his play Foxfire in 1980. The play would later move to Broadway (and won Tandy a Best Actress Tony award), and a film version was made in 1987.
In 1990 he won an Emmy award for his role in the TV Movie Age-Old Friends. His later appearances included the films The Pelican Brief (1993), Marvin's Room (1996) and the Showtime TV film 12 Angry Men (1997).

## Marriages and family

Cronyn's first marriage was to the philanthropist Emily Woodruff in late 1934 or early 1935. They shared a "lavender marriage" and never lived together. Woodruff insisted that the marriage remain a secret because of her lesbian relationships. They quietly divorced in 1936.
Cronyn married the actress Jessica Tandy in 1942. The couple had a daughter, Tandy, and a son, Christopher. Cronyn and Tandy lived in the Bahamas, then at a lakeside estate in Pound Ridge, New York, and, finally, in Easton, Connecticut. Jessica Tandy died in 1994, aged 85, from ovarian cancer.
After he was widowed, Cronyn married author/playwright Susan Cooper (with whom he had co-written Foxfire) in July 1996. His 1991 autobiography, which covered his life and career up to the mid-1960s, was titled A Terrible Liar (ISBN 0-688-12844-0). His intention to write a second volume never materialized.

## Death

Cronyn died on June 15, 2003, from prostate cancer aged 91.

## Honours

In 1979, Cronyn was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. On July 11, 1988, he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada, giving him the post nominal letters "OC" for life.
Cronyn was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 1999. He also received the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal in 1992 and the Canadian version of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree (LLD) by the University of Western Ontario on October 26, 1974. His wife, Jessica Tandy, was given the same degree on the same day.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1943 | Shadow of a Doubt | Herbie Hawkins | |
| 1943 | Phantom of the Opera | Gerard | |
| 1943 | The Cross of Lorraine | Duval | |
| 1944 | Lifeboat | Stanley 'Sparks' Garrett | |
| 1944 | The Seventh Cross | Paul Roeder | |
| 1944 | Blonde Fever | Diner at Inn | Uncredited |
| 1945 | Main Street After Dark | Keller | |
| 1945 | Ziegfeld Follies | Monty | ('A Sweepstakes Ticket') |
| 1945 | The Sailor Takes a Wife | Freddie Potts | |
| 1946 | A Letter for Evie | John Phineas McPherson | |
| 1946 | The Green Years | Papa Leckie | |
| 1946 | The Postman Always Rings Twice | Arthur Keats | |
| 1946 | The Secret Heart | Dinner Party Guest | Voice, Uncredited |
| 1947 | The Beginning or the End | Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer | |
| 1947 | Brute Force | Captain Munsey | |
| 1948 | The Bride Goes Wild | John McGrath | |
| 1949 | Top o' the Morning | Hughie Devine | |
| 1951 | People Will Talk | Professor Rodney Elwell | |
| 1956 | Crowded Paradise | George Heath | |
| 1960 | Sunrise at Campobello | Louis Howe | |
| 1963 | Cleopatra | Sosigenes | |
| 1964 | Richard Burton's Hamlet | Polonius | |
| 1969 | The Arrangement | Arthur Houghton | |
| 1969 | Gaily, Gaily | Tom Grogan | |
| 1970 | There Was a Crooked Man... | Dudley Whinner | |
| 1974 | Conrack | Mr. Skeffington | |
| 1974 | The Parallax View | Bill Rintels | |
| 1981 | Honky Tonk Freeway | Sherm | |
| 1981 | Rollover | Maxwell Emery | |
| 1982 | The World According to Garp | Mr. Fields | |
| 1984 | Impulse | Dr. Carr | |
| 1985 | Brewster's Millions | Rupert Horn | |
| 1985 | Cocoon | Joe Finley | |
| 1987 | *batteries not included | Frank Riley | |
| 1988 | Cocoon: The Return | Joe Finley | |
| 1993 | The Pelican Brief | Justice Rosenberg | |
| 1994 | Camilla | Ewald | |
| 1996 | Marvin's Room | Marvin | |
| 2001 | Off Season | Sam Clausner | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1949 | The Ford Theatre Hour | Hugo Barnstead | Episode: "Once Sunday Afternoon" |
| 1949 | Suspense | Dr. Violet | Episode: "Dr. Violet" |
| 1950 | The Ford Theatre Hour | Harry Binion | Episode: "Room Service" |
| 1950 | Suspense | Sig | 2 episodes |
| 1950 | Pulitzer Prize Playhouse | Charles Ponzi | Episode: "The Ponzi Story" |
| 1950 | The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse | — | Episode: "The Reluctant Landlord" |
| 1953 | Omnibus | Bartender | Episode: "Glory in the Flower" |
| 1954 | The Motorola Television Hour | Anthony Updyke | Episode: "The Family Man" |
| 1954 | The Marriage | Ben Marriott | 8 episodes |
| 1955 | Producers' Showcase | Michael | Episode: "The Fourposter" |
| 1955 | Omnibus | Harold 'Mitch' Mitchell | Episode: "Advice to Bathers" |
| 1955 | The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse | Ben Marriott | Episode: "Christmas 'til Closing" |
| 1956 | The United States Steel Hour | Priam Farll | Episode: "The Great Adventure" |
| 1956 | Climax! | Reverend Mr. Muldoon | Episode: "The Fifth Wheel" |
| 1956 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Fitzhugh Oldham | Season 2 Episode 4: "Kill with Kindness" |
| 1958 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Henry Daw | Season 3 Episode 38: "The Impromptu Murder" |
| 1959 | The Moon and Sixpence | Dirk Stroeve | Television film |
| 1959 | A Doll's House | Nils Krogstad | Television film |
| 1960 | Juno and the Paycock | — | Television film |
| 1970–1971 | Hawaii Five-O | Lewis Avery Filer | 2 episodes |
| 1981 | The Gin Game | Weller Martin | Television film |
| 1987 | Foxfire | Hector Nations | Television film |
| 1989 | Day One | James F. Byrnes | Television film |
| 1989 | Age-Old Friends | John Cooper | Television film |
| 1991 | Christmas on Division Street | Cleveland Meriwether | Television film |
| 1992 | Broadway Bound | Ben | Television film |
| 1993 | To Dance with the White Dog | Robert Samuel Peek | Television film |
| 1995 | People: A Musical Celebration Of Diversity | Grandpa (voice) | Television film |
| 1997 | 12 Angry Men | Juror #9 | Television film |
| 1997 | Alone | John Webb | Television film |
| 1998 | Seasons of Love | Lonzo | Television film |
| 1999 | Sea People | Mr. John McRae | Television film |
| 1999 | Santa and Pete | Saint Nick | Television film |
| 2000 | Yesterday's Children | Old Sunny Sutton | Television film |

### Stage

* 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

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result |
| Academy Awards | 1945 | Best Supporting Actor | The Seventh Cross | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 1993 | Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Broadway Bound | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 1984 | Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | The Dollmaker | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 1988 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Foxfire | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 1990 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Age-Old Friends | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 1992 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Christmas on Division Street | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 1992 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Broadway Bound | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 1994 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | To Dance with the White Dog | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 1998 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | 12 Angry Men | Nominated |
| Daytime Emmy Awards | 2000 | Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming | Sea People | Nominated |
| Daytime Emmy Awards | 2002 | Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming | Off Season | Nominated |
| Daytime Emmy Awards | 2005 | Outstanding Performer in a Children/Youth/Family Special | A Separate Peace | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 1996 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Marvin's Room | Nominated |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | 1985 | Best Adapted Drama Anthology | The Dollmaker | Won |
| Saturn Awards | 1986 | Best Actor | Cocoon | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | 1990 | Best Actor | Cocoon: The Return | Nominated |
| American Comedy Awards | 1992 | Funniest Male Performer in a TV Special – Network, Cable or Syndication | Broadway Bound | Nominated |
| CableACE Awards | 1991 | Best Actor in a Movie or Miniseries | Age-Old Friends | Won |
| Humanitas Prize | 1985 | 90 Minute or Longer Network or Syndicated Television | The Dollmaker | Won |
| Tony Awards | 1961 | Best Actor in a Play | Big Fish, Little Fish | Nominated |
| Tony Awards | 1964 | Best Featured Actor in a Play | Hamlet | Won |
| Tony Awards | 1965 | Best Producer (Dramatic) | Slow Dance on the Killing Ground | Nominated |
| Tony Awards | 1967 | Best Actor in a Play | A Delicate Balance | Nominated |
| Tony Awards | 1978 | Best Play | The Gin Game | Nominated |
| Tony Awards | 1978 | Best Actor in a Play | The Gin Game | Nominated |
| Tony Awards | 1986 | Best Actor in a Play | The Petition | Nominated |
| Tony Awards | 1994 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
| Drama Desk Awards | 1978 | Outstanding Actor in a Play | The Gin Game | Nominated |
| Drama Desk Awards | 1986 | Drama Desk Special Award | Drama Desk Special Award | Won |
| Drama League Awards | 1961 | Distinguished Performance | Big Fish, Little Fish | Won |
| Obie Awards | 1973 | Distinguished Performance by an Actor | Krapp's Last Tape | Won |

## Radio appearances

| Year | Program | Episode/source |
| 1945 | Suspense | "Double Entry" |
| 1946 | Suspense | "Blue Eyes" |
| 1946 | Suspense | The One Who Got Away |
| 1952 | Philip Morris Playhouse | One Sunday Afternoon |

## Book

* A Terrible Liar: A Memoir (1991) – ISBN 0-688-12844-0