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.
Series | The Last Days of Lehman Brothers | 2025 | |
Movie | Rebel Ridge | 2025 | |
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 | That Guy... Who Was In That Thing 3: Trek Stars | Self | 2019-08-08 |
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 | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | Benjamin Lockwood | 2018-06-22 |
Series | Counterpart | Yanek | 2017-12-10 |
Movie | Marshall | The Judge | 2017-10-13 |
Series | The Young Pope | Cardinal Michael Spencer | 2016-10-21 |
Movie | 50 Years of Star Trek | Self | 2016-08-14 |
Movie | The Promise | Henry Morgenthau Sr. | 2016-12-02 |
Movie | Big Hero 6 | Professor Robert Callaghan (voice) | 2014-10-24 |
Movie | The Trials of Cate McCall | Justice Sumpter | 2013-11-28 |
Movie | Cowgirls n' Angels | Terence Parker | 2012-05-25 |
Movie | Soldiers of Fortune | Haussman | 2012-06-07 |
Movie | La Classe américaine | Self | 2012-10-05 |
Movie | A Night at the Movies: Hollywood Goes to Washington | Himself | 2012-10-05 |
Movie | Still Mine | Craig Morrison | 2012-09-10 |
Series | American Horror Story | Dr. Arthur Arden | 2011-10-05 |
Movie | Memorial Day | Bud Vogel | 2011-06-06 |
Movie | Hide Away | The Ancient Mariner | 2011-10-30 |
Movie | Admissions | The Clerk | 2011-10-14 |
Movie | The Artist | Clifton | 2011-10-12 |
Movie | Pope Pius XII | Pope Pius XII | 2010-10-31 |
Movie | Secretariat | Ogden Phipps | 2010-08-20 |
Movie | A Lonely Place for Dying | Howard Simons | 2009-01-01 |
Series | Impact | Lloyd | 2009-02-14 |
Movie | Surrogates | Dr. Lionel Canter | 2009-09-24 |
Movie | The Last Days of Lehman Brothers | Hank Paulson | 2009-09-09 |
Movie | Beyond All Boundaries | Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift / Fleet Admiral William Halsey | 2009-11-09 |
Movie | Starz Inside - Unforgettably Evil | Self | 2009-07-26 |
Movie | Tortured | Jack | 2008-09-10 |
Movie | Whatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential' | Self | 2008-09-23 |
Movie | W. | George H.W. Bush | 2008-10-17 |
Movie | Dante's Inferno | Virgil (voice) | 2007-01-18 |
Movie | Spider-Man 3 | Captain Stacey | 2007-05-01 |
Series | Masters of Science Fiction | Unknown | 2007-08-04 |
Movie | Becoming Jane | Mr. Austen | 2007-03-02 |
Movie | The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Bird | Self | 2006-10-03 |
Movie | Avenger | Paul Devereaux | 2006-04-09 |
Movie | The Queen | Philip of Edinburgh | 2006-09-15 |
Series | Pope John Paul II | Cardinal Adam Sapieha | 2005-12-04 |
Movie | Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy | Narrator | 2005-10-04 |
Movie | The Longest Yard | Warden Hazen | 2005-05-27 |
Series | Salem's Lot | Donald Callahan | 2004-06-20 |
Movie | I, Robot | Dr. Alfred Lanning | 2004-07-15 |
Series | Angels in America | Henry | 2003-12-07 |
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 | The Snow Walker | Walter "Shep" Shepherd | 2003-09-11 |
Movie | A Death in the Family | Joel Lynch | 2002-01-01 |
Movie | The Magnificent Ambersons | Major Amberson | 2002-01-12 |
Movie | RFK | President Lyndon Baines Johnson | 2002-08-25 |
Movie | Project Viper | MP 1 | 2002-05-15 |
Movie | The Sum of All Fears | President Fowler | 2002-05-31 |
Movie | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron | The Colonel (voice) | 2002-05-24 |
Series | Six Feet Under | George Sibley | 2001-06-03 |
Series | 24 | Phillip Bauer | 2001-11-06 |
Movie | Raptor | Benny | 2001-11-06 |
Series | Citizen Baines | 2001-09-29 | |
Movie | RKO 281 | William Randolph Hearst | 2000-04-07 |
Movie | Fail Safe | Gordon Knapp | 2000-04-09 |
Movie | Walking the Mile: The Making of The Green Mile | Himself / Warden Hal Moores | 2000-06-13 |
Movie | Space Cowboys | Bob Gerson | 2000-08-04 |
Series | The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn | Unknown | 1999-03-30 |
Movie | The General's Daughter | General Joseph Campbell | 1999-06-18 |
Movie | A Slight Case of Murder | John Edgarson | 1999-09-19 |
Movie | Snow Falling on Cedars | Judge Fielding | 1999-12-22 |
Movie | The Green Mile | Warden Hal Moores | 1999-12-10 |
Movie | The Bachelor | Priest | 1999-11-05 |
Movie | Owd Bob | Adam MacAdam | 1998-01-01 |
Movie | Babe: Pig in the City | Farmer Arthur Hoggett | 1998-11-25 |
Movie | Species II | Senator Ross | 1998-04-10 |
Movie | Deep Impact | Alan Rittenhouse | 1998-05-08 |
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 | The People vs. Larry Flynt | Charles Keating | 1996-12-25 |
Movie | Star Trek: First Contact | Dr. Zefram Cochrane | 1996-11-22 |
Movie | Indictment: The McMartin Trial | Judge Pounders | 1995-05-20 |
Movie | Babe | Farmer Hoggett | 1995-07-18 |
Series | Partners | Unknown | 1995-09-11 |
Movie | The Shaggy Dog | Charlie Mulvihill | 1994-11-12 |
Movie | Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds In Love | Mr. Skolnick | 1994-05-09 |
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 |
Series | China Beach | Unknown | 1988-04-26 |
Movie | The Rescue | Adm. Rothman | 1988-08-05 |
Series | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Unknown | 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 |
Movie | A Fine Mess | Detective Blist | 1986-08-08 |
Series | Matlock | Unknown | 1986-03-03 |
Series | Easy Street | 1986-09-13 | |
Series | Amazing Stories | 1985-09-29 | |
Series | Wildside | Unknown | 1985-03-21 |
Movie | Explorers | Mr. Müller | 1985-07-12 |
Series | The Twilight Zone | Unknown | 1985-09-27 |
Movie | The House of God | Officer Quick | 1984-01-01 |
Series | Night Court | Unknown | 1984-01-04 |
Movie | Tank | Deputy Euclid | 1984-03-16 |
Series | Hunter | Unknown | 1984-09-18 |
Movie | Revenge of the Nerds | Mr. Skolnick | 1984-07-20 |
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 |
Movie | Barefoot In the Park | Harry Pepper | 1982-03-20 |
Movie | The Rainmaker | Noah Curry | 1982-10-23 |
Series | Knight Rider | Unknown | 1982-09-26 |
Series | Family Ties | Unknown | 1982-09-22 |
Series | Foul Play | Unknown | 1981-01-26 |
Series | Hill Street Blues | Unknown | 1981-01-15 |
Movie | Nobody's Perfekt | Dr. Carson | 1981-08-07 |
Movie | A Christmas Without Snow | Reverend Lohman | 1980-12-09 |
Series | Flo | Unknown | 1980-03-24 |
Movie | Peeping Times | Bernard Mantee | 1978-01-25 |
Movie | The Cheap Detective | Schnell | 1978-06-23 |
Series | Diff'rent Strokes | Unknown | 1978-11-03 |
Series | The White Shadow | Unknown | 1978-11-27 |
Series | Three's Company | 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 |
Series | Eight Is Enough | Unknown | 1977-03-15 |
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 | Barney Miller | Unknown | 1975-01-23 |
Series | Hot l Baltimore | 1975-01-24 | |
Series | Barbary Coast | Unknown | 1975-09-08 |
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 |