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 | Night Vet | Dr. Abel Evergood | 2025 |
Series | Sugar | Jonathan Siegel | 2024-04-04 |
Movie | Rebel Ridge | Judge | 2024-08-27 |
Movie | Merry Little Batman | Alfred Pennyworth (voice) | 2023-12-08 |
Movie | Prancer: A Christmas Tale | Bud | 2022-11-22 |
Movie | Emperor | John Brown | 2020-08-18 |
Series | Operation Buffalo | Cranky | 2020-05-31 |
Movie | Countdown to Year Zero | 2019-07-11 | |
Series | The Family | Douglas Coe | 2019-08-09 |
Movie | The Immortal | Grandfather | 2019-11-30 |
Movie | The Laundromat | Joseph David Martin | 2019-09-27 |
Movie | That Guy... Who Was In That Thing 3: Trek Stars | Self | 2019-08-08 |
Movie | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | Benjamin Lockwood | 2018-06-06 |
Movie | Marshall | The Judge | 2017-10-13 |
Series | Counterpart | Yanek | 2017-12-10 |
Series | The Detour | J.R. | 2016-04-11 |
Movie | The Perfect Crime: Leopold & Loeb | Narrator | 2016-02-09 |
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 | Walking the Mile | Self | 2014-12-09 |
Movie | The Trials of Cate McCall | Justice Sumpter | 2013-11-28 |
Movie | Cowgirls n' Angels | Terence Parker | 2012-05-25 |
Movie | La Classe américaine | Self | 2012-10-05 |
Movie | A Night at the Movies: Hollywood Goes to Washington | Self - Interviewee | 2012-10-05 |
Movie | Still Mine | Craig Morrison | 2012-09-10 |
Movie | Soldiers of Fortune | Haussman | 2012-06-07 |
Movie | Farm to Fridge | Narrator | 2011-02-01 |
Movie | Hide Away | The Ancient Mariner | 2011-10-30 |
Movie | Memorial Day | Bud Vogel | 2011-06-06 |
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 | 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 | Starz Inside - Unforgettably Evil | Self | 2009-07-26 |
Movie | Beyond All Boundaries | Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift / Fleet Admiral William Halsey | 2009-11-09 |
Movie | Whatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential' | Self | 2008-09-23 |
Movie | Tortured | Jack | 2008-09-10 |
Movie | W. | George H.W. Bush | 2008-10-17 |
Movie | Dante's Inferno | Virgil (voice) | 2007-01-18 |
Series | Masters of Science Fiction | Unknown | 2007-08-04 |
Movie | Spider-Man 3 | Captain Stacey | 2007-05-01 |
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 | 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 |
Movie | The John Garfield Story | Self | 2003-02-03 |
Movie | The Snow Walker | Walter "Shep" Shepherd | 2003-09-11 |
Series | Angels in America | Henry | 2003-12-07 |
Movie | A Carol Christmas | Ghost of Christmas Future (uncredited) | 2003-12-07 |
Movie | Blackball | Ray Speight | 2003-05-18 |
Movie | The Magnificent Ambersons | Major Amberson | 2002-01-12 |
Movie | A Death in the Family | Joel Lynch | 2002-03-25 |
Movie | Project Viper | MP 1 | 2002-05-15 |
Movie | RFK | President Lyndon Baines Johnson | 2002-08-25 |
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 | Citizen Baines | 2001-09-29 | |
Movie | Raptor | Benny | 2001-11-06 |
Series | 24 | Phillip Bauer | 2001-11-06 |
Movie | Space Cowboys | Bob Gerson | 2000-08-04 |
Movie | RKO 281 | William Randolph Hearst | 2000-04-07 |
Movie | Walking the Mile: The Making of The Green Mile | Self / Warden Hal Moores | 2000-06-13 |
Movie | Fail Safe | Gordon Knapp | 2000-04-09 |
Movie | The General's Daughter | General Joseph Campbell | 1999-06-18 |
Series | The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn | Unknown | 1999-03-30 |
Movie | A Slight Case of Murder | John Edgarson | 1999-09-19 |
Movie | Snow Falling on Cedars | Judge Fielding | 1999-12-22 |
Movie | The Bachelor | Priest | 1999-11-05 |
Movie | The Green Mile | Warden Hal Moores | 1999-12-10 |
Movie | Owd Bob | Adam MacAdam | 1998-01-01 |
Movie | Species II | Senator Ross | 1998-04-10 |
Movie | Babe: Pig in the City | Farmer Arthur Hoggett | 1998-11-25 |
Movie | Deep Impact | Alan Rittenhouse | 1998-05-08 |
Movie | The Education of Little Tree | Nonno | 1997-12-25 |
Movie | L.A. Confidential | Dudley Smith | 1997-09-19 |
Movie | The People vs. Larry Flynt | Charles Keating | 1996-12-25 |
Movie | Eraser | William Donohue | 1996-06-21 |
Movie | Star Trek: First Contact | Dr. Zefram Cochrane | 1996-11-22 |
Series | Partners | Unknown | 1995-09-11 |
Movie | Indictment: The McMartin Trial | Judge Pounders | 1995-05-20 |
Movie | Babe | Farmer Hoggett | 1995-07-18 |
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 | Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation | Mr. Skolnick | 1992-07-13 |
Movie | The Babe | Brother Mathias | 1992-04-17 |
Series | Home Improvement | Unknown | 1991-09-17 |
Series | American Dreamer | Unknown | 1990-09-20 |
Movie | Miracle Landing | B.J Cocker | 1990-02-11 |
Movie | The Runnin' Kind | Uncle Phil | 1989-09-08 |
Movie | Pink Cadillac | Motel Desk Clerk | 1989-05-26 |
Movie | The Rescue | Adm. Rothman | 1988-08-05 |
Series | China Beach | Unknown | 1988-04-26 |
Series | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Unknown | 1987-09-28 |
Movie | Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | Mr. Skolnick | 1987-07-10 |
Series | Jake and the Fatman | Unknown | 1987-09-26 |
Movie | The Last Precinct | Chief Bludhorn | 1986-01-26 |
Movie | A Fine Mess | Detective Blist | 1986-08-08 |
Series | Easy Street | 1986-09-13 | |
Series | Matlock | Unknown | 1986-03-03 |
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 | Revenge of the Nerds | Mr. Skolnick | 1984-07-20 |
Movie | Oh, God! You Devil | Priest | 1984-11-07 |
Series | Hunter | Unknown | 1984-09-18 |
Movie | Tank | Deputy Euclid | 1984-03-16 |
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 |
Series | Knight Rider | Unknown | 1982-09-26 |
Movie | The Rainmaker | Noah Curry | 1982-10-23 |
Series | Family Ties | Unknown | 1982-09-22 |
Series | Hill Street Blues | Unknown | 1981-01-15 |
Series | Foul Play | Unknown | 1981-01-26 |
Movie | Nobody's Perfekt | Dr. Carson | 1981-08-07 |
Movie | A Christmas Without Snow | Reverend Lohman | 1980-12-09 |
Series | Flo | Unknown | 1980-03-21 |
Movie | Peeping Times | Bernard Mantee | 1978-01-25 |
Movie | The Cheap Detective | Schnell | 1978-06-23 |
Series | The White Shadow | Unknown | 1978-11-27 |
Series | Diff'rent Strokes | Unknown | 1978-11-03 |
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 |