Cyril Cusack
Cyril James Cusack (born November 26, 1910 in Durban , South Africa , † October 7, 1993 in London ) was an Irish actor who worked for a period of 70 years as an actor in film, television and theater. He was widely considered the best Irish actor of his generation.
Career
Cyril Cusack was born in Durban, South Africa, to an English actress and an Irish police officer. His parents separated soon after he was born, after which Cusack spent his childhood with his mother in England and Ireland. At the age of seven he stood by her side for the first time on stage and then became a successful child actor . After Cusack left University College Dublin without a degree, he became a member of the ensemble of the Dublin Abbey Theater in 1932 . His greatest success was there as Christy Mahon in The Hero of the Western World by John Millington Synge . He remained associated with the Abbey Theater until 1947 when he founded his own theater company. With this Cusack appeared in Dublin, Paris and New York, among others. In 1963 he moved to London's Royal Shakespeare Company , of which he was a member for several years.
As early as 1918, while still a child, Cusack had his first film appearance in the silent film Knocknagow . From the late 1940s, Cusack began working regularly as a performer for film and television. He then worked in many international films. His best-known include François Truffaut's dystopian science fiction film Fahrenheit 451 with Oskar Werner and Julie Christie , Hal Ashby's black comedy Harold and Maude with Ruth Gordon, and the Oscar-winning drama My Left Foot with Daniel Day-Lewis . Cusack also played the cranky old Matto in the comedy Two Heaven Dogs on the Way to Hell with Bud Spencer and Terence Hill and the seedy general store owner Mr. Charrington in the remake of the 1984 novel by George Orwell .
Due to his small stature, the character actor was denied leading roles, with a few exceptions, although he enjoyed high recognition from critics and fellow actors. Alec Guinness, for example, counted Cusack among his favorite actors. The actor often embodied lovable comedic characters such as pastors or butlers, but occasionally also negative and abysmally malicious roles. Two of his few leading roles were Galileo Galilei in Liliana Cavani's historical drama Galilei and the black burner in the controversial Irish drama Poitín . One of his last screen appearances was Cusack's fatherly friend of Tom Cruise in the US feature film In a Distant Land . Cusack worked until his death in 1993 at the age of 82.
Private life
Cyril Cusack was a close friend of Irish President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh and was involved in several conservative politics in Ireland , including a ban on abortions .
The actor had a total of six children, including actresses Sinéad Cusack , Sorcha Cusack and Niamh Cusack . Cusack's grandchildren include politician Richard Boyd Barrett and actor Max Irons . On his death he left behind his second wife, Mary Rose Cunningham, whom he married in 1979 - two years after the death of his first wife Maureen.
Filmography (selection)
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Web links
- Cyril Cusack in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Obituary in the New York Times
- ^ Cyril Cusack at Allmovie
- ^ Cyril Cusack at Allmovie
- ↑ Biography at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Biography of Cyril Cusack at Mooncove ( Memento of the original from March 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cusack, Cyril |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cusack, Cyril James (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Irish actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 26, 1910 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Durban , South Africa |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 7, 1993 |
| Place of death | London |