James Cromwell Biography

Fast Facts

• Came from a family of entertainers: His father was noted film director John Cromwell (Since You Went Away, Abe Lincoln in Illinois) and his mother, Kay Johnson, was an actor
• First major TV role came in 1974, when he won the part of Archie Bunker's pal Jerome "Stretch" Cunningham on the sitcom All in the Family
• Made his big-screen debut in the 1976 mystery spoof Murder by Death
• Had difficulty getting roles early in his career because of his height (nearly 6' 7"); however, in 1995, he became the tallest actor ever nominated for an Academy Award
• Has been arrested several times for his political activism: at a 1971 anti-Vietnam War demonstration where he grabbed a police officer who allegedly assaulted a woman; and in 2001, for trespassing during an animal-rights demonstration against Wendy's restaurants in Virginia
• Is an outspoken advocate for animal rights