Born: January 27, 1965
Nationality: Scottish and American
Professions: Actor, writer, director, singer, presenter, producer, activist
Sexuality: Bisexual
Gender Identity: Cisgender man

Overview

Alan Cumming is a Scottish-American performer and activist whose decades-long career spans stage, screen, music, literature, and political advocacy. Renowned for his versatility and boundary-defying roles, Cumming is one of the most decorated queer actors in modern history. He is also known for his fearless honesty regarding his sexuality, traumatic upbringing, and political convictions, making him a defining figure in queer cultural history.

Early Life

Cumming was born in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland, and raised near Carnoustie. His father, Alex, was the head forester of the Panmure Estate. His mother, Mary Darling, worked as a secretary. He has an older brother, Tom. His upbringing was marked by emotional and physical abuse from his father, a topic he later explored in his memoir Not My Father’s Son. A DNA test conducted later in life confirmed that he and his brother were indeed his father’s biological children, disproving the latter’s long-held suspicions.

Cumming was a precocious child, describing himself as a voracious reader, particularly drawn to the Famous Five series. He began his professional acting training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), where he also met longtime collaborator Forbes Masson.

Career

Theatre

Cumming’s stage career began in Scotland, performing with companies like the Royal Lyceum, Dundee Rep, and Theatre Workshop. His breakthrough came with Conquest of the South Pole in 1988, earning him an Olivier nomination. He won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for Accidental Death of an Anarchist in 1991.

His most iconic role remains the Emcee in Cabaret, first performed in London’s West End in 1993, then reprised on Broadway in 1998, 2014, and 2015. He won the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Theatre World awards for the Broadway revival. He also starred in Design for Living, The Threepenny Opera, Bent, The Bacchae, and a one-man version of Macbeth.

In 2019, he starred in Jeremy O. Harris’s Daddy. In 2022, he debuted Burn, a solo dance-theatre work portraying Robert Burns. His 2024 Broadway show Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age explores aging, identity, and performance.

Film

Cumming has appeared in more than 50 films. Notable performances include:

• Circle of Friends (1995)
• GoldenEye (1995)
• Emma (1996)
• Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
• Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
• X2: X-Men United (2003) as Nightcrawler
• Burlesque (2010)
• Battle of the Sexes (2017)
• My Old School (2022), where he portrayed Brandon Lee via voice-synced interview
  He is scheduled to reprise Nightcrawler in the upcoming Marvel film Avengers: Doomsday (2026).

He also co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in The Anniversary Party (2001) and directed Suffering Man’s Charity (2007).

Television

Cumming’s television credits span drama, comedy, and animation. Highlights include:

• The High Life (1995), which he co-created
• The Good Wife (2010–2016) as Eli Gold, earning three Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations
• Instinct (2018–2019), as the first openly gay lead character on a major US network crime drama
• Schmigadoon! (2021–2023) as Mayor Menlove and Dooley Blight
• Doctor Who as King James I and later as a voice role in 2025
• The Traitors (US, 2023–present) as host and producer

He has also appeared in Queers, Briarpatch, The L Word, Frasier, Web Therapy, and Arthur, among others.

Activism

Cumming is an outspoken bisexual man and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, HIV/AIDS causes, and gender autonomy. He supports organizations such as GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, Broadway Cares, The Trevor Project, and AMFAR. He has also spoken out against routine infant circumcision and supported NORM-UK.

He is politically engaged and a vocal supporter of Scottish independence and the Scottish National Party. He endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2016 US presidential election and signed the Artists4Ceasefire letter in 2023 calling for an end to violence in Gaza.

In 2009, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the arts and equality. In 2023, he returned the honor, citing discomfort with its colonial associations.

Personal Life

Cumming was previously married to actress Hilary Lyon and dated actress Saffron Burrows and director Nick Philippou. He has been in a relationship with illustrator Grant Shaffer since 2005. They became civil partners in 2007 and legally married in New York in 2012.

He became a dual US-UK citizen in 2008. Since 2012, he has followed a vegan lifestyle and received PETA’s Humanitarian Award in 2017. Cumming is an atheist and has stated that, though he once wanted to adopt, his life has remained too full for parenthood.

Selected Awards

• Tony Award for Cabaret (1998)
• Olivier Award for Accidental Death of an Anarchist (1991)
• GLAAD Vito Russo Award (2005)
• Human Rights Campaign Humanitarian Award (2005)
• Emmy Awards for The Traitors (2024)
• Honorary doctorates from the University of Abertay Dundee and the Open University
• PETA Humanitarian Award (2017)
• Producer credit on Tony-winning musical A Strange Loop (2022)

Bibliography

• Tommy’s Tale: A Novel (2002)
• Not My Father’s Son: A Memoir (2014)
• You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams: My Life in Stories and Pictures (2016)
• Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life (2019)
• The Adventures of Honey & Leon (2017), illustrated by Grant Shaffer
• May the Foreskin Be With You (2012), a foreword on circumcision and bodily autonomy

Legacy

Alan Cumming stands as a groundbreaking queer figure in entertainment, celebrated for refusing to fit into binaries. His work has opened doors for LGBTQ+ visibility in mainstream media, and his willingness to blend performance with political and personal truth has earned him international acclaim. He remains a vital voice in queer history and one of the most versatile performers of his generation.