James Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor, probably best known for his role as Dr. Zefram Cochrane in Star Trek: First Contact. He has been nominated for an Oscar, three Emmy Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards during his career. Cromwell was born in Los Angeles, California and was raised in Manhattan, New York. He was adopted by actress Kay Johnson and actor, director and producer John Cromwell, who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era. He was educated at The Hill School, Middlebury College and Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University), where he studied engineering. Like both his parents, he was drawn to the theater, doing everything from Shakespeare to experimental plays. He has long been an advocate of leftist causes. In an October 2008 interview, he strongly attacked the Republican Party and the George W. Bush administration, saying their controversial foreign policy would "either destroy us or the entire planet." He became a vegetarian in 1974 after seeing a stockyard in Texas and experiencing the "smell, terror and anxiety." He became an ethical vegan while playing the character of Farmer Hoggett in the movie Babe in 1995. He frequently speaks out on issues regarding animal cruelty for PETA, largely the treatment of pigs. Cromwell was married to Anne Ulvestad from 1976 to 1986. They had three children. He married his second wife, Julie Cobb, on 29 May 1986.
Movie | Night Vet | Dr. Abel Evergood | 2025 |
Series | The Last Days of Lehman Brothers | 2025 | |
Movie | Rebel Ridge | 2025 | |
Series | Sugar | Jonathan Siegel | 2024-04-04 |
Movie | Merry Little Batman | Alfred Pennyworth (voice) | 2023-12-08 |
Movie | Prancer: A Christmas Tale | Bud | 2022-11-22 |
Series | Operation Buffalo | Cranky | 2020-05-31 |
Movie | Emperor | John Brown | 2020-08-18 |
Movie | Countdown to Year Zero | 2019-07-11 | |
Movie | The Laundromat | Joseph David Martin | 2019-09-27 |
Movie | The Immortal | Grandfather | 2019-11-30 |
Series | The Family | Douglas Coe | 2019-08-09 |
Movie | That Guy... Who Was In That Thing 3: Trek Stars | Self | 2019-08-08 |
Movie | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | Sir Benjamin Lockwood | 2018-06-06 |
Movie | Marshall | The Judge | 2017-10-13 |
Series | Counterpart | Yanek | 2017-12-10 |
Movie | The Promise | Henry Morgenthau Sr. | 2016-12-02 |
Movie | The Perfect Crime: Leopold & Loeb | Narrator | 2016-02-09 |
Movie | 50 Years of Star Trek | Self | 2016-08-14 |
Series | The Detour | J.R. | 2016-04-11 |
Series | The Young Pope | Cardinal Michael Spencer | 2016-10-21 |
Movie | Big Hero 6 | Professor Robert Callaghan (voice) | 2014-10-24 |
Movie | The Trials of Cate McCall | Justice Sumpter | 2013-11-28 |
Movie | Soldiers of Fortune | Haussman | 2012-06-07 |
Movie | La Classe américaine | Self | 2012-10-05 |
Movie | Cowgirls n' Angels | Terence Parker | 2012-05-25 |
Movie | Still Mine | Craig Morrison | 2012-09-10 |
Movie | Farm to Fridge | Narrator | 2011-02-01 |
Movie | Memorial Day | Bud Vogel | 2011-06-06 |
Movie | Hide Away | The Ancient Mariner | 2011-10-30 |
Movie | The Artist | Clifton | 2011-10-12 |
Series | American Horror Story | Dr. Arthur Arden | 2011-10-05 |
Movie | Secretariat | Ogden Phipps | 2010-08-20 |
Movie | Pope Pius XII | Pope Pius XII | 2010-10-31 |
Movie | Surrogates | Dr. Lionel Canter | 2009-09-24 |
Movie | The Last Days of Lehman Brothers | Hank Paulson | 2009-09-09 |
Movie | A Lonely Place for Dying | Howard Simons | 2009-01-01 |
Series | Impact | Lloyd | 2009-02-14 |
Movie | Starz Inside - Unforgettably Evil | Self | 2009-07-26 |
Movie | W. | George H.W. Bush | 2008-10-17 |
Movie | Whatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential' | Self | 2008-09-23 |
Movie | Tortured | Jack | 2008-09-10 |
Movie | Spider-Man 3 | Captain Stacey | 2007-05-01 |
Movie | Dante's Inferno | Virgil (voice) | 2007-01-18 |
Movie | Becoming Jane | Mr. Austen | 2007-03-02 |
Series | Masters of Science Fiction | Unknown | 2007-08-04 |
Movie | Avenger | Paul Devereaux | 2006-04-09 |
Movie | The Queen | Philip of Edinburgh | 2006-09-15 |
Movie | King Leopold's Ghost | 2006-05-28 | |
Series | Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Adam Sapieha | 2005-12-04 |
Movie | The Longest Yard | Warden Hazen | 2005-05-27 |
Movie | Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy | Narrator | 2005-10-04 |
Movie | I, Robot | Dr. Alfred Lanning | 2004-07-15 |
Series | Salem's Lot | Donald Callahan | 2004-06-20 |
Series | Angels in America | Henry | 2003-12-07 |
Movie | The Snow Walker | Walter "Shep" Shepherd | 2003-09-11 |
Movie | A Carol Christmas | Ghost of Christmas Future (uncredited) | 2003-12-07 |
Movie | The John Garfield Story | Self | 2003-02-03 |
Movie | Blackball | Ray Speight | 2003-05-18 |
Movie | A Death in the Family | Joel Lynch | 2002-01-01 |
Movie | RFK | President Lyndon Baines Johnson | 2002-08-25 |
Movie | Project Viper | MP 1 | 2002-05-15 |
Movie | The Magnificent Ambersons | Major Amberson | 2002-01-12 |
Movie | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron | The Colonel (voice) | 2002-05-24 |
Movie | The Sum of All Fears | President Fowler | 2002-05-31 |
Series | Citizen Baines | 2001-09-29 | |
Series | 24 | Phillip Bauer | 2001-11-06 |
Movie | Raptor | Benny | 2001-11-06 |
Series | Six Feet Under | George Sibley | 2001-06-03 |
Movie | Walking the Mile: The Making of The Green Mile | Self / Warden Hal Moores | 2000-06-13 |
Movie | Space Cowboys | Bob Gerson | 2000-08-04 |
Movie | Fail Safe | Gordon Knapp | 2000-04-09 |
Movie | RKO 281 | William Randolph Hearst | 2000-04-07 |
Movie | The General's Daughter | General Joseph Campbell | 1999-06-18 |
Series | The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn | Unknown | 1999-03-30 |
Movie | The Green Mile | Warden Hal Moores | 1999-12-10 |
Movie | The Bachelor | Priest | 1999-11-05 |
Movie | Snow Falling on Cedars | Judge Fielding | 1999-12-22 |
Series | The West Wing | President D. Wire Newman | 1999-09-22 |
Movie | A Slight Case of Murder | John Edgarson | 1999-09-19 |
Movie | Owd Bob | Adam MacAdam | 1998-01-01 |
Movie | Babe: Pig in the City | Farmer Arthur Hoggett | 1998-11-25 |
Movie | Deep Impact | Alan Rittenhouse | 1998-05-08 |
Movie | Species II | Senator Ross | 1998-04-10 |
Movie | L.A. Confidential | Dudley Smith | 1997-09-19 |
Movie | The Education of Little Tree | Nonno | 1997-12-25 |
Movie | Eraser | William Donohue | 1996-06-21 |
Movie | Star Trek: First Contact | Dr. Zefram Cochrane | 1996-11-22 |
Movie | The People vs. Larry Flynt | Charles Keating | 1996-12-25 |
Movie | Babe | Farmer Hoggett | 1995-07-18 |
Movie | Indictment: The McMartin Trial | Judge Pounders | 1995-05-20 |
Series | Partners | Unknown | 1995-09-11 |
Movie | Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds In Love | Mr. Skolnick | 1994-05-09 |
Movie | The Shaggy Dog | Charlie Mulvihill | 1994-11-12 |
Series | ER | Unknown | 1994-09-19 |
Movie | Romeo Is Bleeding | Cage | 1993-09-13 |
Movie | The Babe | Brother Mathias | 1992-04-17 |
Movie | Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation | Mr. Skolnick | 1992-07-13 |
Series | Home Improvement | Unknown | 1991-09-17 |
Movie | Miracle Landing | B.J Cocker | 1990-02-11 |
Series | American Dreamer | Unknown | 1990-09-20 |
Movie | Pink Cadillac | 1989-05-26 | |
Movie | The Runnin' Kind | Uncle Phil | 1989-09-08 |
Movie | The Rescue | Adm. Rothman | 1988-08-05 |
Series | China Beach | Unknown | 1988-04-26 |
Series | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Prime Minister Nayrok | 1987-09-28 |
Series | Jake and the Fatman | Unknown | 1987-09-26 |
Movie | Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | Mr. Skolnick | 1987-07-10 |
Series | Easy Street | 1986-09-13 | |
Movie | A Fine Mess | Detective Blist | 1986-08-08 |
Series | Matlock | Unknown | 1986-03-03 |
Series | The Twilight Zone | Unknown | 1985-09-27 |
Movie | Explorers | Mr. Müller | 1985-07-12 |
Series | Wildside | Unknown | 1985-03-21 |
Movie | The House of God | Officer Quick | 1984-01-01 |
Movie | Tank | Deputy Euclid | 1984-03-16 |
Movie | Revenge of the Nerds | Mr. Skolnick | 1984-07-20 |
Series | Night Court | Unknown | 1984-01-04 |
Series | Hunter | Unknown | 1984-09-18 |
Movie | Oh, God! You Devil | Priest | 1984-11-07 |
Movie | The Man with Two Brains | Realtor | 1983-06-10 |
Series | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Unknown | 1983-10-03 |
Series | Knight Rider | Curtis | 1982-09-26 |
Movie | The Rainmaker | Noah Curry | 1982-10-23 |
Series | Family Ties | Unknown | 1982-09-22 |
Movie | Barefoot In the Park | Harry Pepper | 1982-03-20 |
Series | Hill Street Blues | Unknown | 1981-01-15 |
Series | Foul Play | Unknown | 1981-01-26 |
Movie | Nobody's Perfekt | Dr. Carson | 1981-08-07 |
Series | Flo | Unknown | 1980-03-21 |
Movie | A Christmas Without Snow | Reverend Lohman | 1980-12-09 |
Movie | The Cheap Detective | Schnell | 1978-06-23 |
Series | The White Shadow | Unknown | 1978-11-27 |
Series | Diff'rent Strokes | Unknown | 1978-11-03 |
Movie | Peeping Times | Bernard Mantee | 1978-01-25 |
Series | Three's Company | Unknown | 1977-03-15 |
Series | Eight Is Enough | Unknown | 1977-03-15 |
Movie | The Girl in the Empty Grave | Deputy Malcolm Rossiter Jr. | 1977-09-20 |
Movie | Deadly Game | Deputy Malcom Rossiter Jr. | 1977-12-01 |
Movie | Murder by Death | Marcel Cassette | 1976-06-23 |
Series | Alice | Unknown | 1976-08-31 |
Series | The Nancy Walker Show | Glen | 1976-09-30 |
Series | All's Fair | Unknown | 1976-09-20 |
Series | Once an Eagle | J.L. Cleghorne | 1976-12-02 |
Series | Barbary Coast | Unknown | 1975-09-08 |
Series | Hot l Baltimore | 1975-01-24 | |
Series | Barney Miller | Unknown | 1975-01-23 |
Series | The Rockford Files | Terry | 1974-09-13 |
Series | Little House on the Prairie | Unknown | 1974-09-11 |
Series | Police Story | Unknown | 1973-03-20 |
Series | M*A*S*H | Unknown | 1972-09-17 |
Series | All in the Family | Unknown | 1971-01-12 |
Series | The Fugitive | Unknown | 1963-09-17 |
Movie | Daddy Long Legs | Extra (uncredited) | 1955-05-05 |