John Cullum (born circa 1930) is an American actor and

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

. He has appeared in many stage musicals and dramas, including '' Shenandoah'' (1975) and ''

On the Twentieth Century ''On the Twentieth Century'' is a musical with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Cy Coleman. Based partly on the 1932 play ''Twentieth Century'' and its 1934 film adaptation, the musical is part operetta, part farce an ...

'' (1978), winning the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for each. In 1966 he gained his first Tony nomination as the lead in ''

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever'' is a musical with music by Burton Lane and a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner based loosely on ''Berkeley Square'', written in 1926 by John L. Balderston. It concerns a woman who has ESP and has been re ...

'', in which he introduced the

title song A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

, and more recently received Tony nominations for ''

Urinetown The Musical ''Urinetown: The Musical'' is a satirical comedy musical that premiered in 2001, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bu ...

'' (2002) ( Best Actor in a Musical) and as Best Featured Actor in the revival of '' 110 in the Shade'' (2007). Some of his other notable roles included tavern owner Holling Vincoeur in the television drama series '' Northern Exposure'', gaining an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination (Best Supporting Actor in a Drama). He was featured in fifteen episodes of the NBC television series '' ER'' as

Mark Greene Mark Greene, Doctor of Medicine, M.D. is a fictional character from the American medical drama series ''ER (TV series), ER,'' portrayed by actor Anthony Edwards (actor), Anthony Edwards. He first appears in the series' 24 Hours (ER), pilot epi ...

's father. He also played the farmer, Jim Dahlberg, in the landmark television drama ''

The Day After ''The Day After'' is an American television film that first aired on November 20, 1983 on the ABC television network. More than 100 million people, in nearly 39 million households, watched the film during its initial broadcast. With ...

''. He has made multiple guest appearances on ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'' and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' as attorney, now judge, Barry Moredock, and appeared as Big Mike in several episodes of '' The Middle''. He also appeared as Senator Beau Carpenter on the CBS series, '' Madam Secretary''.

Personal life

Cullum was born in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

, the son of a banker. He attended Knoxville High School and the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

. He played on the university's

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

championship

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

team and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. He starred in "Chucky Jack", an outdoor drama about Tennessee Governor

John Sevier John Sevier (September 23, 1745 September 24, 1815) was an American soldier, frontiersman, and politician, and one of the founding fathers of the State of Tennessee. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, he played a leading role in Tennes ...

, at the old Hunter Hills Theater in Gatlinburg. Cullum has been married to Emily Frankel since 1959. They have one son,

JD Cullum John David "JD" Cullum (born March 1, 1966) is an American actor who made his film debut in the '' CBS Afternoon Playhouse'' Special ''Revenge of the Nerd'' in 1983, playing a jock. Early life and family Cullum was born in New York City, the so ...

(John David Cullum), who is also an actor.

Career

He made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut as Sir Dinadan in Alan Jay Lerner's and Frederick Loewe's ''

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...

'' in 1960. He also understudied

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

(King Arthur) and

Roddy McDowall Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 4 October 1998) was a British actor, photographer and film director. He began his acting career as a child in England, and then in the United States, in ''How Green Was My Valley'' (1 ...

(Arthur's son Mordred), going on four times when Burton became ill and succeeding McDowall. He went on to play

Laertes In Greek mythology, Laertes (; grc, Λαέρτης, Laértēs ; also spelled Laërtes) was the king of the Cephallenians, an ethnic group who lived both on the Ionian islands and on the mainland, which he presumably inherited from his father A ...

opposite Burton's 1964

performance as

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

(and in the

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

of the production) and in Burton's final Broadway appearance in

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

's ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetu ...

'' in 1983. In 1965, he was called in to replace

Louis Jourdan Louis Jourdan (born Louis Robert Gendre; 19 June 1921 – 14 February 2015) was a French film and television actor. He was known for his suave roles in several Hollywood films, including Alfred Hitchcock's ''The Paradine Case'' (1947), '' Lett ...

during the Boston tryout of the musical ''

.'' It was his first starring role on Broadway, netting him a Theatre World Award and his first

nomination. The original cast album received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

(presented to lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Burton Lane). He portrayed Edward Rutledge of

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

in the Broadway musical '' 1776'', providing a dramatic highlight with his performance of "Molasses to Rum," a tirade against the hypocrisy of some Northerners over the slave trade ("They don't keep slaves, but they are willing to be considerable carriers of slaves to others. They're willing – for the shilling.") Cullum had been the third Rutledge on Broadway, but played the role the longest and repeated it for the 1972 film. He is well known for premiering the role of Charlie Anderson in the musical '' Shenandoah,'' which began at

Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, th ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

in 1974. Cullum won the

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

Drama Desk The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fol ...

and Outer Critics Circle Awards when the show was produced on Broadway in 1975. He also played the role at Wolf Trap, Virginia, in June 1976, opened the national tour for 3 weeks in Fall 1977 in Chicago, and starred in the limited run Broadway revival in 1989. He followed ''Shenandoah'' by playing the maniacal Broadway producer Oscar Jaffee in the 1978 musical ''

'', opposite

Madeline Kahn Madeline Gail Kahn ('' née'' Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian and singer, known for comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including '' What's Up, Doc?'' (1972), ' ...

and later

Judy Kaye Judy Kaye (born October 11, 1948) is an American singer and actress. She has appeared in stage musicals, plays, and operas. Kaye has been in long runs on Broadway in the musicals ''The Phantom of the Opera'', ''Ragtime'', '' Mamma Mia!'', and ...

, earning his second Tony Award. He received his fourth Tony nomination in 2002 for originating the role of evil moneygrubber corporate president Caldwell B. Cladwell in ''

''. He earned his fifth Tony nomination in the 2007 revival of '' 110 in the Shade'', playing H.C. Curry, father to

Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...

's Lizzie. In 2003, Cullum co-starred with Northern Exposure castmate Barry Corbin in ''Blackwater Elegy'', an award-winning short film written by Matthew Porter and co-directed by Porter and Joe O'Brien. Later Broadway appearances include the title role of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's seldom-performed ''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerning the early Celti ...

,'' at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

in 2007 and '' August: Osage County'', by

Tracy Letts Tracy S. Letts (born July 4, 1965) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He started his career at the Steppenwolf Theatre before making his Broadway debut as a playwright for '' August: Osage County'' (2007), for which he received ...

for the week of September 16, 2008, and then since November 11, 2008. In addition to enjoying a long stage career, he is well known to television audiences for his regular role as Holling Vincoeur on the quirky

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

series '' Northern Exposure'', his extended appearances on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

medical drama '' ER'' as

's father, and on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' as constitutional lawyer and later judge, Barry Moredock. Cullum has also appeared as Lucky Strike executive Lee Garner, Sr. on AMC's ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its fict ...

''. He appeared as Leap Day William, the embodiment of the fictional

Leap Day February 29, also known as leap day or leap year day, is a date added to leap years. A leap day is added in various solar calendars (calendars based on the Earth's revolution around the Sun), including the Gregorian calendar standard in m ...

national holiday, in the "

" episode of the sixth season of

's '' 30 Rock''. John Cullum appeared on Broadway in '' The Scottsboro Boys'' (2010), a musical by

Kander and Ebb Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander (born March 18, 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004). Known primarily for their stage musicals, which include ''C ...

about a notorious miscarriage of justice in the American South in the 1930s. ''The Scottsboro Boys'' was directed by Susan Stroman. John Cullum was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2015 Cullum appeared and sang in the satirical B&W period movie-musical footage of ''Daddy's Boy'' on ''

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ''Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' is an American streaming television sitcom created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, starring Ellie Kemper in the title role. It premiered on March 6, 2015, on Netflix and ran for four seasons, ending on January 25 ...

''. The "forgotten footage" features comically incestuous lyrics set in an innocent context that apes classic 1930's films. Cullum joined the cast of ''

Waitress Waiting staff (British English), waitstaff (North American English), waiters (male) / waitresses (female), or servers (North American English), are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending ...

'' as Joe on October 12, 2017, replacing Larry Marshall.

Work

Stage productions

*''

'' (1960) – Sir Dinadan *''Infidel Caesar'' (1962) *'' The Rehearsal'' (1963) *''

'' (1963) – Laertes *''

'' (1965) – Dr. Mark Bruckner *'' Man of La Mancha'' (1967) – Cervantes/Don Quixote *'' 1776'' (1972) – Edward Rutledge *'' Vivat! Vivat Regina!'' (1972) *'' Shenandoah'' (1975) – Charlie Anderson *''The Trip Back Down'' (1977) *''

'' (1978) *'' Deathtrap'' (1979) – Sidney Bruhl *''

'' (1983) – Victor Prynne *''Doubles'' (1985) *''The Boys in Autumn'' (1986) – Huck *'' You Never Can Tell'' (1986) *''Shenandoah'' (revival) (1989) – Charlie Anderson *''

Aspects of Love ''Aspects of Love'' is a musical with music and book by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart. It is based on the 1955 novella of the same name by David Garnett. The piece focuses on the romantic entanglements of actr ...

'' (1990) – George Dillingham *''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

'' (1994) – Cap'n Andy Hawkes *'' Man of La Mancha'' (1995) – Don Quixote/Cervantes *'' All My Sons'' (1997) – Joe Keller *''

Urinetown ''Urinetown: The Musical'' is a satirical comedy musical that premiered in 2001, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bu ...

'' (2001) – Caldwell B. Cladwell *''Sin: a Cardinal Deposed'' (2005) – Cardinal Law *'' Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' (2006) *'' 110 in the Shade'' (2007) – H.C. Curry *''

'' (2008) – King Cymbeline *'' August: Osage County'' (2009) *'' The Scottsboro Boys'' (2010) * ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

'' (Shakespeare in the Park) 2011 – Vincentio * '' All's Well That Ends Well'' (Shakespeare in the Park) 2011 – The Duke * '' Casa Valentina'' (2014) * ''

'' (2016)

Filmography

*'' All the Way Home'' (1963) – Andrew *''

'' (1964) – Laertes *''

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

'' (1966) – Rev. Immanuel Quigley *''

They Call Me Trinity ''They Call Me Trinity'' ( it, Lo chiamavano Trinità...) is a 1970 Italian Spaghetti Western comedy film written and directed by Enzo Barboni (under the pseudonym of E.B. Clucher) and produced by Italo Zingarelli. The film stars Terence Hill an ...

'' (1971) *'' 1776'' (1972) – Edward Rutledge (SC) *''The Act'' (1983) – The President *''

The Prodigal ''The Prodigal'' is a 1955 Eastmancolor biblical epic CinemaScope film made by MGM starring Lana Turner and Edmund Purdom. It was based on the New Testament parable about a selfish son who leaves his family to pursue a life of pleasure. The f ...

'' (1983) – Elton Stuart *''

Marie Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in Tr ...

'' (1985) – Deputy Attorney General *''Sweet Country'' (1987) – Ben *''The Secret Life of Algernon'' (1998) – Algernon Pendleton *'' Ricochet River'' (1998) *''

Held Up ''Held Up'' is a 1999 American crime buddy comedy film starring Nia Long and Jamie Foxx. Plot While on a road trip in the Southwest, Rae (Long) discovers that her man, Michael (Foxx), spent the $15,000 they set aside for a home on a vintage St ...

'' (1999) – Jack *'' Inherit the Wind'' (1999) *''Blackwater Elegy'' (2003) *''The Notorious Bettie Page'' (2006) *''The Night Listener (film), The Night Listener'' (2006) *''The Conspirator'' (2011) *''Kill Your Darlings (2013 film), Kill Your Darlings'' (2013) *''Kilimanjaro (film), Kilimanjaro'' (2013) *''Adult World'' (2013) *''Before We Go'' (2014) *''Love Is Strange (film), Love Is Strange'' (2014) *''Christine (2016 film), Christine'' (2016) *''Jungleland (film), Jungleland'' (2019)

Television

*''The Edge of Night'' (1966–67) *''The Bell Telephone Hour'' - "The Lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner" (1966) *''One Life to Live'' (1969) *''Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry#Film, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry'' (1978) *''

'' (1983) *''The Equalizer (1985 TV series), The Equalizer'' (1986) *''Buck James'' (1987) *''Quantum Leap'' – "To Catch A Falling Star" (1989) *'' Northern Exposure'' (1990–95) *''Nothing Sacred (TV series), Nothing Sacred'' – "Mixed Blessings" (1997) Joe Keneally *''Touched By An Angel'' – "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" (1997) Mark Twain *''To Have & to Hold (American TV series), To Have and To Hold'' (1998) *'' ER'' (1997–2000) *''

'' (2001) *'' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2003–present) *''

'' (2007) *'' The Middle'' (2009–2018) *'' 30 Rock'' (2012) *''The Good Wife'' – "Death of a Client" (2013) Cardinal James *''Nurse Jackie'' (2013) *''

'' (2015) *''Thanksgiving'' (2016) *'' Madam Secretary'' (2017) *''The Blacklist (TV series), The Blacklist'' (2019)

Awards and nominations

;Awards *1966 Theatre World Award – ''

'' *1975 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor, Musical – '' Shenandoah'' *1975 Outer Critics Circle Award, Best Performances – '' Shenandoah'' *1975

Best Actor in a Musical – '' Shenandoah'' *1978

Best Actor in a Musical – ''

'' *1982 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience for the one-man show ''Whistler'' *1998 Founders Day Medal,

*2004 Clarence Brown Theatre Company (University of Tennessee), Lifetime Achievement Award *2007 Inductee American Theatre Hall of Fame ;Nominations *1966

Best Actor in a Musical – ''

'' *1993

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama – '' Northern Exposure'' *2002 Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Actor in a Musical – ''

'' *2002

Best Actor in a Musical – ''

'' *2005 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play – ''Sin (A Cardinal Deposed)'' *2007

Best Featured Actor in a Musical – '' 110 in the Shade'' *2008 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play – ''The Conscientious Objector''Gans, Andre
"Drama Desk Nominees Announced; Catered Affair Garners 12 Noms"
playbill.com, April 28, 2008

References

External links

* * *

Star File: John Cullum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullum, John American male singers American male musical theatre actors American male television actors Living people People from Knoxville, Tennessee Tony Award winners Drama Desk Award winners Male actors from Tennessee University of Tennessee alumni 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors Year of birth missing (living people)