This handsome, weathered, stage-trained actor garnered national attention with his portrayal of trapper/restaurateur Holling Vincoeur on "Northern Exposure" (CBS, 1990-95). Tennessee native John Cullum began his acting career when he was cast by Joseph Papp in several small roles in a 1957 New York production of "Julius Caesar". Three years later, he worked extensively with Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival, appearing in such plays as "Henry V" and "The Taming of the Shrew". His work on Broadway began in the original production of "Camelot" (1960), playing the role of Sir Dinadan and understudying star Richard Burton. He later played Laertes to Burton's Hamlet in John Gielgud's 1964 modern-dress production that was also filmed and nearly twenty years later supported Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in a revival of Noel Coward's "Private Lives" (1983). By that time, Cullum had established himself as a versatile stage actor, moving comfortably between musicals and straight plays. He received his first Tony Award nomination as the psychiatrist treating Barbara Harris in the Lerner and Lane musical "One A Clear Day You Can See Forever" (1965). In 1966, Cullum succeeded Richard Kiley as the "Man of La Mancha" and portrayed Declaration of Independence signer Edward Rutledge (of South Carolina) in the award-winning musical "1776" (a role he reprised in the 1972 feature adaptation). He received his first Tony and became an uncontested Broadway star playing the father trying to keep his sons out of the Civil War in "Shenandoah" (1975) and garnered a second medallion as the egotistical film director Oscar Jaffe in "On the Twentieth Century" (1978). He played the manipulated playwright Sidney Bruhl in "Deathtrap" (1980) and earned critical notice for his one-man show about the American artist "Whistler" (1981). In the 90s, he returned to musicals in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Aspects of Love" (1990) and as Cap'n Andy in "Show Boat" (1996) and then dazzled audiences and reviewers as Joe Keeler in the revival of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" (1997).
Like many leading stage actors, Cullum found limited success in TV and features. He made his film debut as one of Jean Simmons' brothers in "All the Way Home" (1963) and also had a small role as a missionary in "Hawaii" (1966). Cullum relied on his Tennessee roots to play a district attorney in "MARIE: A True Story" (1985) and wrote himself a strong leading role as an eccentric in 1997's "The Secret Life of Algernon", adapted from the Russell H Grennan novel.
Cullum's small screen credits include a stint on the NBC soap opera "The Doctors", a supporting role on "The Day After" (ABC, 1983), the highly publicized TV drama of the aftermath of nuclear war, and the short-lived series "Buck James" (ABC, 1987-88), in support of Dennis Weaver. He also made his TV directorial debut with an episode of NBC's "Quantum Leap" in 1990.
- Born:
March 2, 1930 in Knoxville, Tennessee
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Job Titles:
Actor, Director, Singer, Screenwriter
Family
Education
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University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee
Milestones
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1957 New York stage debut in production of "Julius Caesar"
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1960 Broadway debut in the original production of "Camelot"; also understudied Richard Burton as King Arthur
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1960 Made first apperances as member of the New York Shakespeare Festival in "Henry V', "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Measure for Measure"
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1963 Feature acting debut, "All the Way Home"
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1963 Had regular role on the NBC daytime drama "The Doctors"
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1964 Played Laertes in John Gielgud-directed "Hamlet" starring Richard Burton; production was filmed and received a limited theatrical release
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1965 Starred opposite Barbara Harris in the musical "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever"; garnered first Tony nomination
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1966 Succeeded Richard Kiley as Don Quixote in "Man of La Mancha"
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1969 Had featured role of South Carolinian Edward Rutledge in the stage musical "1776"
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1972 Reprised role of Rutledge in film version of "1776"
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1973 TV-movie debut, "The Man Without a Country" (ABC)
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1975 Starred in the original Broadway production of "Shenandoah"; won Tony Award
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1977 Stage directing debut, "The Red Blue Grass Western Flyer Show", performed at Goodspeed Opera House
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1978 Cast as film director Oscar Jaffe in the Broadway musical "On the Twentieth Century"; received second Tony Award
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1980 Played the lead in "Deathtrap"
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1981 Starred in the one-man show "Whistler", about the American artist
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1983 Had featured role in the ABC TV-movie "The Day After"
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1983 Played Victor in support of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in "Private Lives" on tour and on Broadway
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1986 Co-starred with Geroge C Scott in "The Boys of Autumn", about the adult Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn
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1987 Starred in the ABC TV series "Buck James"
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1989 Reprised his Tony-winning role in the Broadway revival of "Shenandoah"
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1990 Portrayed Holling Vincoeur on the quirky CBS series "Northern Exposure"
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1990 Had brief stint in the Broadway musical "Aspects of Love"
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1990 TV directorial debut with an episode of NBC's "Quantum Leap"
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1996 Returned to Broadway stage as Cap'n Andy in the Harold Prince-directed revival of "Show Boat"
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1997 Played recurring role of David Green, father of Dr. Mark Green (Anthony Edwards) on "ER" (NBC)
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1997 Screenwriting debut with "The Secret Life of Algernon", co-written with John Gray and Charles Jarrott; also starred in title role
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1998 Returned to series TV as Jason Beghe's father in the CBS series "To Have & To Hold"
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2000 Returned to NYC theater as co-star of Wendy Wasserstein's Off-Broadway play "Old Money"
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2000 Starred in the London stage premiere of Arthur Miller's "Mr. Peters' Connections"
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2001 Headlined the raucous Off-Broadway musical "Urinetown"
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2006 Cast in an adaptation of Armistead Maupin's novel "The Night Listener"
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2006 Cast in the HBO original film, "The Notorious Bettie Page" starring Gretchen Mol as the 1950's pin-up model
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2007 Cast in the Broadway revival of "110 in the Shade"; earned a Tony award nomination
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Raised in Tennessee
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Served in the US Army during the Korean War