Certain actors guarantee a good time whenever they appear on my TV or the big screen, and one of the earliest to claim that esteemed spot in my mind was the Scottish actor, author, and all-around Renaissance man, Alan Cumming. Alongside Sandra Bernhard, he stands out as one of the first instances from my youth where I learned of an actor being bi.
Born on January 27, 1965, in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland, Alan Cumming was the younger of two sons to an estate head forester father and an insurance company secretary mother. Unfortunately, Cumming faced various forms of abuse from his father, who cast doubt on his biological paternity — an accusation later disproven by DNA testing. Consequently, the actor remained estranged from his father for many decades.
After leaving high school at 16 and briefly working at a magazine for a few years, Cumming began getting acting training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now known as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow. He also began racking up professional stage roles while still in school, and by the time of his graduation found himself in a steady line of stage work. Some of his most notable works during this time were stand-up work in Victor and Barry as well as a memorable turn as everyone’s favorite melancholy Dane, Hamlet (#Bi2).
Cumming found Hollywood calling, and quickly racked up a bunch of iconic turns in notable roles in GoldenEye (1995), Circle of Friends (1995), Emma (1996), Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997), X2: X-Men United (2003), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Spice World (1997), Josie and the Pussycats (2001) — a personal favorite — Titus (1999), and the Spy Kids (2001-2003) trilogy — to name just a few. I feel it’s important to note that this list is not all-inclusive, but rather covers the first fifteen years or so of his screen work. Some of his most famous turns on television include his work on The Good Wife (2009-2016), Schmigadoon! (2021-2023), and as the lead in Instinct (2018-2019), a CBS procedural notable for being the first network drama with a lead character who is gay.
Not satisfied with dominating Tinseltown, Cumming made his Broadway debut as the Master of Ceremonies in the revival of Cabaret — a turn that earned him a Tony award. Cumming often bounces back and forth between work on the stage and screen, which has earned him no less than, in no particular order: a BAFTA, an Emmy award, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations, the Laurence Olivier Award, National Board of Review and Spirit Awards, amongst countless other bouts of recognition for his broad, eccentric body of work.
Regarding bisexuality, Cumming has married three times: first to Hilary Lyon, then to Circle of Friends co-star and #OneofUs actresses Saffron Burrows, and for the past decade-plus, illustrator Grant Shaffer. He has been very open about his bisexuality for years and makes sure to still claim and proclaim that label, no matter the gender of his partner. On his official website, in a FAQ on his bisexuality, he states:
All I’m saying is that I think my sexuality and most people’s sexuality is gray. I am married to a man. I have a healthy sexual appetite and a healthy imagination. I also have an attraction to women. I’ve never lost it, actually. I’ve always been attracted to both sexes, and whether I act on it or not is not anyone’s business, really. I’m not going to close myself off to the possibility of experience just because society says we must stick within these rigid boundaries.
Cumming's other enterprises include novelist, children’s book author, memoirist (in which he discusses the abuse he experienced at the hands of his father), hosting game shows and reality competition shows, director, producer (and recently won another Tony for that for his work on A Strange Loop), photographer, a businessman with multiple products making fun of his own name (including owning a NYC nightclub called Club Cumming and a perfume called — what else — Cumming.
Recently Cumming made international headlines for giving back his OBE award given to him by the late Queen Elizabeth II, doing so on his 58th birthday. It was done so in protest, writing that after much thought:
The Queen’s death and the ensuing conversations about the role of the monarchy and especially the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of Indigenous peoples across the world really opened my eyes … Also, thankfully, times and laws in the U.S. have changed, and the great good the award brought to the L.G.B.T.Q. + cause back in 2009 is now less potent than the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire.
Cumming is also noted for his charity work as well as his work as a gay rights activist, both in the UK as well as America, where he has dual citizenship.
Alan Cumming is not only an incredibly accomplished actor on stage and screen, but a multifaceted businessman and philanthropist whose work and good deeds far surpass the performances on the boards or on the screen. And he is openly, unapologetically bi.
As you can see, this article is merely scratching the surface of Cumming’s career and life, so if you are curious to learn more fun stuff about him (like the fact he has made a recording with Liza Minnelli and has had his portrait hanging in the Scottish National Gallery), I highly suggest starting with reputable sites online like his official website as well as checking out his works from your local library.
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