Hume Cronyn

Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. (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 received many honors, 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 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, the 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 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.

Cronyn and his wife Tandy co-starred in the 1987 film Batteries Not Included.

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 . 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 Phantom of the Opera Gerard The Cross of Lorraine Duval 1944 Lifeboat Stanley 'Sparks' Garrett The Seventh Cross Paul Roeder Blonde Fever Diner at Inn Uncredited 1945 Main Street After Dark Keller Ziegfeld Follies Monty ('A Sweepstakes Ticket') The Sailor Takes a Wife Freddie Potts 1946 A Letter for Evie John Phineas McPherson The Green Years Papa Leckie The Postman Always Rings Twice Arthur Keats The Secret Heart Dinner Party Guest Voice, Uncredited 1947 The Beginning or the End Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer 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 Gaily, Gaily Tom Grogan 1970 There Was a Crooked Man... Dudley Whinner 1974 Conrack Mr. Skeffington The Parallax View Bill Rintels 1981 Honky Tonk Freeway Sherm Rollover Maxwell Emery 1982 The World According to Garp Mr. Fields 1984 Impulse Dr. Carr 1985 Brewster's Millions Rupert Horn 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

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) –