Cyril Cusack

Cyril Cusack
Cusack in The Italian Connection (1972)
Born	Cyril James Cusack (1910-11-26)26 November 1910 Durban, Union of South Africa
Died	7 October 1993(1993-10-07) (aged 82) Chiswick, London
Nationality	Irish
Occupation(s)	Actor, voice actor, stage director
Years active	1918–1993
Spouses	Mary Margaret "Maureen" Kiely ​ ​ (m. 1945; died 1977)​ Mary Rose Cunningham ​ ​ (m. 1979)​
Children	6, including Sinéad, Sorcha, Niamh, Pádraig and Catherine Cusack
Relatives	Richard Boyd Barrett (grandson) Max Irons (grandson)

Cyril James Cusack^[1] (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish^[2][3] stage and screen actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years. During his lifetime, he was considered one of Ireland's finest thespians,^[4] and was renowned for his interpretations of both classical and contemporary theatre, including Shakespearean roles as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and over 60 productions for the Abbey Theatre, of which he was a lifelong member. In 2020, Cusack was ranked at number 14 on The Irish Times' list of Ireland's greatest film actors.^[5]

Born to an English mother and Irish father ,in South Africa and raised in County Tipperary, Cusack dropped out of law school to join the Abbey Theatre and remained with the company for 13 years, acting in over 60 plays. In London, he performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, and later founded his own company which toured across Europe. Making his film debut at age 8, Cusack worked with many top British directors, including Powell & Pressburger, Carol Reed, Peter Brook, Peter Hall, and Anthony Harvey. He co-starred opposite Richard Burton several times, who once commended Cusack's acting as "always himself and yet always totally different". Fluent in both English and Irish, Cusack had a starring role in the first Irish-language feature film, Poitín (1978).

He was the patriarch of the Cusack acting family, as the father of Sinéad Cusack, Sorcha Cusack, Niamh Cusack, Pádraig Cusack, and Catherine Cusack.

Cusack was born in Durban, Natal, South Africa. His mother, Alice Violet (née Cole), was an English Cockney actress and chorus girl, and his father, James Walter Cusack, was an Irish mounted policeman in Natal Colony, South Africa.^[1][2] His parents separated when he was young and his mother took him to England, and then to Ireland. Cusack's mother and her partner, Brefni O'Rorke, joined the O'Brien and Ireland Players.

Cyril made his first stage performance at the age of seven. He was educated at Newbridge College in Newbridge, County Kildare, then read law at University College Dublin. He left without a degree and joined the Abbey Theatre in 1932.

Between then and 1945, he performed in over 60 productions for the Abbey,^[6] particularly excelling in the plays of Seán O'Casey. He also performed in plays by Irish playwright Teresa Deevy Katie Roche^[7] and The King of Spain's Daughter.^[8] In 1932 he also joined the Gate Theatre company, appearing with them in many notable productions over the years. In 1947, Cusack formed his own company, Cyril Cusack Productions, and staged productions in Dublin, Paris and New York.

In 1963, Cusack joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in London and appeared there for several seasons. By this stage he had established a successful career in films, which had started at the age of eight. The same year, Cusack won a Jacob's Award for his performance in the Telefís Éireann production of Triptych.^[9]

Cusack's favorite roles included The Covery in The Plough and the Stars and Christy Mahon in The Playboy of the Western World, which he reprised numerous times.

Cusack's last stage performance was in Chekhov's Three Sisters (1990), in which three of his daughters played the sisters.

Cusack made his film debut in Knocknagow (1918), when he was only 8. His breakthrough role was as a wiry IRA getaway driver opposite James Mason in Carol Reed's Odd Man Out (1947).

Cusack played the titular role in the Galileo (1968), which was the directorial debut of Italian filmmaker Liliana Cavani. Cusack returned to Italy several times throughout his career, particularly in the 1970s, both acting on-camera and working as a voice artist, helping create English-language dubs of Italian films.

Cusack, who was bilingual in English and Irish, had a leading part in the controversial Irish language film Poitín (1977).

One of his final appearances came in 1989, when he appeared as the elderly Dr Spencer in Danny, the Champion of the World alongside his son-in-law Jeremy Irons and his grandson Samuel.

Cusack was twice married:

• The actress Mary Margaret "Maureen" Kiely (1920–1977), on 5 April 1945

Paul (1946) worked as a producer with RTÉ
Sinéad (1948) actress
Sorcha (1949) actress
Niamh (1959) actress
Pádraig (1962) associate producer at the National Theatre in London.^[10]

• Mary Rose Cunningham (1979–1993)
• Catherine, actress, born 1968, is his daughter.

Cusack was a strong supporter of Irish nationalism, and often selected projects based on those beliefs. In later life, Cusack became a campaigner for conservative causes in Ireland, notably in his opposition to abortion, where he became a frequent letter-writer to the main liberal Irish newspaper, The Irish Times.

Regarding his Catholic faith,^[11] he commented "Religion promotes the divine discontent within oneself, so that one tries to make oneself a better person and draw oneself closer to God."^[12] His religious credentials came under scrutiny following his death and the revelation that he had been unfaithful in his first marriage, with a long-term mistress, Mary Rose Cunningham, who bore him a daughter, Catherine. Cusack married Cunningham following his first wife's death.

Cusack received honorary doctorates in 1977 and 1980 from the NUI and the University of Dublin respectively.

Cusack was a longtime friend of Irish attorney general, Chief Justice and President of Ireland Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, whom he got to know when they were students at University College Dublin in the early 1930s.^[13]

Cusack is the maternal grandfather of Irish Socialist Workers Party TD Richard Boyd Barrett and English actor Max Irons.

In October 1993, Cusack died at home in Chiswick,^[14] Greater London, from MND.^[A]

Year	Title	Role	Director(s)	Other notes
1918	Knocknagow	Brian's child	Fred O'Donovan
1935	Guests of the Nation	IRA member	Denis Johnston
1936	Servants All	Billy	Alex Bryce	Short film
1941	Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It	Postal Sorter	Walter Forde
	Once a Crook	Bill Hopkins	Herbert Mason
1947	Odd Man Out	Pat	Carol Reed
1948	Escape	Rodgers	Joseph L. Mankiewicz
	Esther Waters	Fred	Ian Dalrymple, Peter Proud
1949	Once a Jolly Swagman	Duggie	Jack Lee
	The Small Back Room	Corporal Taylor	Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
	The Blue Lagoon	James Carter	Frank Launder
1949	All Over the Town	Gerald Vane	Derek Twist
1950	The Elusive Pimpernel	Citizen Chauvelin	Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
	Gone to Earth	Edward Marston
1951	Soldiers Three	Private Dennis Malloy	Tay Garnett
	The Secret of Convict Lake	Edward "Limey" Cockerell	Michael Gordon
	The Blue Veil	Frank Hutchins	Curtis Bernhardt
1953	Saadia	Khadir	Albert Lewin
1954	The Last Moment	Daniel O'Driscoll	Lance Comfort	Segment: "The Sensible Man"
	Destination Milan	Paddy O'Clafferty	Lawrence Huntington
1955	Passage Home	Bohannon	Roy Ward Baker
1956	The Man Who Never Was	Cab Driver	Ronald Neame
	The Man in the Road	Dr. Kelly	Lance Comfort
	The March Hare	Lazy Mangan	George More O'Ferrall
	Jacqueline	Mr. Flannagan	Roy Ward Baker
	The Spanish Gardener	Garcia	Philip Leacock
1957	Ill Met by Moonlight	Captain Sandy Rendel	Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
	The Rising of the Moon	Inspector Michael Dillon	John Ford	Segment: "The Majesty of the Law"
	Miracle in Soho	Sam Bishop	Julian Amyes
1958	Gideon's Day	Herbert "Birdie" Sparrow	John Ford
	Floods of Fear	Peebles	Charles Crichton
1959	Shake Hands with the Devil	Chris Noonan	Michael Anderson
1960	A Terrible Beauty	Jimmy Hannafin	Tay Garnett
1961	Johnny Nobody	Prosecuting Counsel O'Brien	Nigel Patrick
1962	Waltz of the Toreadors	Dr. Grogan	John Guillermin
	I Thank a Fool	Captain Ferris	Robert Stevens
1963	80,000 Suspects	Father Maguire	Val Guest
1965	The Spy Who Came in from the Cold	Control	Martin Ritt
1966	Where the Spies Are	Rosser	Val Guest
	I Was Happy Here	Hogan	Desmond Davis
	Fahrenheit 451	Captain Beatty	François Truffaut
1967	The Taming of the Shrew	Grumio	Franco Zeffirelli
1968	Galileo	Galileo Galilei	Liliana Cavani
	Oedipus the King	The Messenger	Philip Saville
1970	Country Dance	Dr. Maitland	J. Lee Thompson
	King Lear	Duke of Albany	Peter Brook
	Tam-Lin	Vicar Julian Ainsley	Roddy McDowall
1971	Sacco & Vanzetti	Frederick Katzmann	Giuliano Montaldo
	Harold and Maude	Glaucus	Hal Ashby
1972	Execution Squad	Ernesto Stolfi	Steno
	The Italian Connection	Corso	Fernando Di Leo
	...All The Way, Boys!	Matto	Giuseppe Colizzi
1973	The Bloody Hands of the Law	The Judge	Mario Gariazzo
	The Day of the Jackal	The Gunsmith	Fred Zinnemann
	The Homecoming	Sam	Peter Hall	Reprised role from 1965 West End production
	A Likely Story	Tom	William Kronick
1974	Run, Run, Joe!	Parkintosh	Giuseppe Colizzi
	The Balloon Vendor	The Balloon Vendor	Mario Gariazzo
	Juggernaut	Major O'Neill	Richard Lester	Uncredited
	The Abdication	Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna	Anthony Harvey
1975	Children of Rage	Mr. Shalom	Arthur Allan Seidelman
1976	Fear in the City	Giacomo Masoni	Giuseppe Rosati
1978	Poitín	Michil	Bob Quinn
1981	Lovespell	Gormond of Ireland	Tom Donovan
	True Confessions	Cardinal Danaher	Ulu Grosbard
1982	The Outcasts	Myles Keenan	Robert Wynne-Simmons
1983	The World of Don Camillo	The Bishop	Terence Hill
	Wagner	Salomon Sulzer	Tony Palmer
1984	Nineteen Eighty-Four	Charrington	Michael Radford
1986	The Ballroom of Romance	Mr. Dwyer	Pat O'Connor
1987	Little Dorrit	Frederick Dorrit	Christine Edzard
1989	My Left Foot	Lord Castlewelland	Jim Sheridan
1990	The Fool	The Ballad Seller	Christine Edzard
1992	Far and Away	Danty Duff	Ron Howard
	As You Like It	Adam	Christine Edzard

Year	Title	Role	Other notes
1953-56	Rheingold Theatre	Various	5 episodes
1959	DuPont Show of the Month	David Wylie	Episode: "What Every Woman Knows"
	The Moon and Sixpence	Dr. Coutras	Television film
1960	ITV Play of the Week	Doctor	Episode: "The Enchanted"
	Armchair Mystery Theatre	Stan Bracey	Episode: "The Dummy"
1961	The Power and the Glory	Tench	Television film
1962	The Chairs	The Old Man
	Somerset Maugham Hour	Wilson	Episode: "The Lotus Eater"
	ITV Play of the Week	The Devil	Episode: "Don Juan in Hell"
	T.E. Lawrence 1888-1935	Voice of T E Lawrence	broadcast 27th. November., BBC
1963	Playhouse	Mr. Berry	Episode: "The Wedding Dress"
1963-64	Festival	Krapp / Thomas Becket / Father	3 episodes
1964	Drama 61-67	Harold Petley	Episode: "The Big Toe"
1965	Deirdre	Conchubar	Television film
1965-77	BBC Play of the Month	Mr. Fielding / Waiter	Episodes: "Passage to India" & "You Can Never Tell"
1967	Dial M for Murder	Chief Inspector Hubbard	Television film
	Thirty-Minute Theatre	Jumbo Boylan	Episode: "A Time of Wolves and Tigers"
1968	Omnibus	The Whisky Priest	Episode: "Graham Greene: The Hunted Man"
1969	Red Peppers	Bert Bentley	Television film
	David Copperfield	Barkis
1970	On Trial	Marshal Philippe Pétain	Episode: "Marshal Pétain – A Matter of Honour"
	The Sinners	The Monsignor	Episode: "The Bosom of the Country"
1971	Poet Game	Dr. Saunders	Television film
	Shirley's World	Charlie	Episode: "The Reunion"
1972	Clochemerle	Mayor Barthelemy Piechut	Miniseries; 6 episodes
	The Golden Bowl	Bob Assingham
	Them	Coat Sleeves	5 episodes
	The Hands of Cormac Joyce	Mr. Reece	Television film
1973	Orson Welles Great Mysteries	Mr. White	Episode: "The Monkey's Paw"
	ITV Sunday Night Theatre	Father Manus	Episode: "Catholics"
1976	BBC2 Playhouse	Adler	Episode: "The Mind Beyond: The Man with the Power"
1977	Thursday Play Date	Fox Melarkey	Episode: "Crystal and Fox"
	Jesus of Nazareth	Yehuda	Miniseries; 4 episodes
	Jackanory	The Storyteller	5 episodes
1978	Les Misérables	Fauchelevent	Television film
1980	Strumpet City	Father Giffley	Miniseries; 6 episodes
	Cry of the Innocent	Tom Moloney	Television film
1980-84	Tales of the Unexpected	Michael Fish / Percy Hampton	Episodes: "The HItch-Hiker" & "Accidental Death"
1981	The Little World of Don Camillo	Narrator (voice)	13 episodes
	No Country for Old Men	Tom Sheridan	Television film
	Maybury	Mac	Episode: "Maisie and Mac"
	Andrina	Captain Bill Torvald	Television film
1982	The Kingfisher	Hawkins
1982	The Ghost Downstairs	Mr. Fishbane
1983	Death of an Expert Witness	Mr. Lorimer	Miniseries; 2 episodes
	Glenroe	Uncle Peter
	One of Ourselves	Quigley	Television film
	BBC/Time-Life Shakespeare	Aegeon	Episode: "The Comedy of Errors"
1984	Two by Forsyth		Television film
	Play for Today	Mr. Reed	Episode: "Rainy Day Women"
	Dr. Fischer of Geneva	Steiner	Television film
1986	Robin of Sherwood	Agravaine	Episode: "The Inheritance"
	The Theban Plays by Sophocles	Priest	Episode: "Oedipus the King"
1988	The Ray Bradbury Theater	Dr. Jeffers	Episode: "The Small Assassin"
	Menace Unseen	Mr. Simmondson	Miniseries; 3 episodes
	The Tenth Man	The Priest	Television film
1989	Danny, the Champion of the World	Doc Spencer
1992	Screen Two	Percy	Episode: "Memento Mori"
1993	The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles	George Clemenceau	Episode: "Paris, May 1919"

Year	Title	Role	Other notes	Refs.
1932	The Vigil	The Boy		[15]
	Wrack	Hughie Boyle		[15]
1933	Drama at Inish	Michael		[15]
1934	Parnell of Avondale	Countryman		[15]
	Macbeth	Malcolm		[15]
	Six Characters in Search of an Author	The Son		[15]
	At Mrs. Beams	Colin Langford		[15]
1935	Candida	Marchbanks		[15]
	Noah	Japheth		[15]
	Summer's Day	Curran		[15]
	The King of Spain's Daughter	Jim Harris		[16][17][15]
	An Páistín Fionn	N/A	As director	[18][15]
1936	Coriolanus	Titus Larius		[15]
	Boyd's Shop	Andy		[15]
	Katie Roche	Jo Mahoney		[15]
	The Passing Day	Hind		[15]
	The Silver Jubilee	John Joseph Barrett		[15]
	The Jailbird	Mr. Bunton		[15]
1937	Shadow and Substance	O'Flingsley		[15]
	Quin's Secret	Quin		[15]
	Killycreggs in Twilight	Loftus de Lury		[15]
	The Patriot	Dan Cusack		[15]
	The Man in the Cloak	Mangan		[15]
	The Invincibles	Kelly		[15]
	An Phíb Fé Sna Bántaibh	N/A	As director	[19]
	Cartney and Kevney	Cartney		[15]
	She Had to Do Something	Neddy		[15]
	An tÉirighe Amach	N/A	As director	[20][15]
	Aon-Mhac Aoife Alban	N/A		[21][15]
1938	Bird's Nest	Hyacinth		[22][15]
1939	Give Him a House	Pat Hooey		[15]
	They Went by Bus	John Joe Martin		[15]
1942	The Storm	Cuiliogan		[23][15]
1943	An Traona sa Mhóinfhéar	An 'Máistir'		[24][15]
	Faustus Kelly	Town Clerk		[15]
	The Bride	Dr. Jack Power O'Connor		[15]
	Poor Man's Miracle	Joseph		[15]
1944	The Wise Have Not Spoken	Francis		[15]
	The New Regime	Jim M'Cuttack		[15]
	The Shadow of a Gunman	Mr. Gallagher		[15]
	The Plough and the Stars	The Covey		[15]
	Grogan and the Ferret	Mr. Dobbin		[15]
	Sodar I nDiaidh na nUasal	Dorante		[15]
	The Jailbird	Mr. Bunton		[15]
	Shadow and Substance	Dermot Francis O'Flingsley		[15]
	Old Road	Myles Cosgrave		[15]
	The Player Queen	Stage Manager		[15]
	The Whiteheaded Boy	Denis		[15]
	Boyd's Shop	John Haslett		[15]
	The End House	Seumas		[15]
1945	Juno and the Paycock	Johnny Boyle		[15]
	Rossa	Judge Keogh		[15]
	Tenants at Will	Dawson		[15]
	The Plough and the Stars	The Covey		[15]
	The Playboy of the Western World	Christy Mahon		[15]
1966	Recall The Years	Performer		[15]
1967-68	The Shaughraun	Conn		[15]
1968	The Cherry Orchard	Leonid Andreieveitch Gayev		[15]
1970	Hadrian the Seventh	Frederick William Rolfe		[15]
1974-75	The Vicar of Wakefield	Dr. Primrose		[15]
1976	The Plough and the Stars	Fluther Good		[15]
1978	Uncle Vanya	Ivan Petrovich Voinitsky		[15]
	You Never Can Tell	Walter		[15]
1979	A Life	Desmond Drumm		[15]
1980	John Bull's Other Island	Father Peter Keegan		[15]
	A Life	Desmond Drumm		[15]
1984	The Merchant of Venice	Shylock		[15]
1989	The Lower Depths	Luka		[15]

Year	Title	Role	Other notes	Refs.
1933	A Bride for the Unicorn	Egbert the Eccentric
1935	A Deuce O' Jacks	Various characters
1940	Les Parents terribles	Michel
1942	Tar Éis an Aifrinn	N/A	As playwright	[25]
1945	Tareis an Aifrinn		Also playwright
1990	Three Sisters	Ivan Romanovich Chebutykin		[26][27]

Year	Title	Role	Other notes	Refs.
1964	Andorra	Can	At The Old Vic
1974	The Tempest	Antonio
	Spring Awakening	Masked Man
1977	The Plough and the Stars	Fluther Good	At the Royal National Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Other notes	Refs.
1963	The Physicists	Johann Wilhelm Stettler	At the Royal National Theatre
1963	Julius Caesar	Cassius	At the Royal Shakespeare Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Theatre	Other notes	Refs.
1918	Arrah-na-Pogue		Tour
1920	Dick Whittington	The Cat
	The Sign of the Cross
	Shot at Dawn
	The Terror
1922	Ali Baba	The Donkey
	The Babes in the Wood	Babe
1924	Irish and Proud of It	The Boy
1928	Tilly of Bloomsbury	Indian student	Norwich Repertory Company
	Mr. Wu	Carruthers
	Milestones
	The Promised Land
	Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure
1935	Gruagach Dúr an Deagh-Chroidhe	N/A		As director
1936	Ah, Wilderness!	Richard	Ambassadors Theatre	London debut
1939	The Playboy of the Western World	Christy Mahon	Mercury Theatre
	The Plough and the Stars	The Covey	Q Theatre
1940	Les Parents terribles	Michel	Gate Theatre
1941	Thunder Rock	Streeter	St Martin's Theatre
1942	The Doctor's Dilemma	Louis Dubedat	Theatre Royal Haymarket
1950	Pommy	Nosey	People's Palace, Mile End
1954	The Playboy of the Western World	Christy Mahon	Théâtre de la Ville
1957	A Moon for the Misbegotten	Phil Hogan	Bijou Theatre
1958	Casement	Roger Casement	Theatre Royal Waterford
1959	Goodwill Ambassador	Seumas O'Beirne	Olympia Theatre, Dublin
1960			Shubert Theatre
			Wilbur Theatre
	Krapp's Last Tape	Krapp	Empire Theatre, Belfast
	Arms and the Man	Bluntschli
			Queen's Theatre, Dublin
	The Voices of Doolin	Doolin	Tour
1961	The Temptation of Mr. O	Mr. O	Olympia Theatre, Dublin	Also playwright	[28]
1968	The Shaughraun	Conn	Aldwych Theatre
	The Cherry Orchard	Gayev	Olympia Theatre, Dublin	Dublin Theatre Festival
1970	Hadrian the Seventh	Frederick William Rolfe	Tour
	Coriolanus	Menenius	John F. Kennedy Theatre
			The Old Vic
1976	The Plough and the Stars	Fluther Good	Tour
1978	You Never Can Tell	Walter	Tour
1980	A Life	Desmond Drumm	The Old Vic
			Tour

• Cyril Cusack at IMDb
• Cyril Cusack at the BFI's Screenonline
• Cyril Cusack at The Teresa Deevy Archive
• Cyril Cusack at Abbey Theatre Archive