Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish actor, who appeared in numerous films and television productions in a career lasting more than 70 years.

Early life

Cusack was born in Durban, Natal, South Africa. His mother, Alice Violet (née Cole), was an English Cockneyactress and chorus girl, and his father, James Walter Cusack, was an Irish mounted policeman in Natal Colony, South Africa. 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. Cusack was educated in Newbridge College, Newbridge, County Kildare and 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, particularly excelling in the plays of Seán O'Casey. He also performed in plays by Irish playwright Teresa Deevy Katie Roche and The King of Spain's Daughter. 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 and staged productions in Dublin, Paris and New York.

Career

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. Also in 1963, Cusack won a Jacob's Award for his performance in the Telefís Éireann production of Triptych. He received honorary degrees in 1977 and 1980 from the NUI and the University of Dublinrespectively.

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

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

Personal life

Cusack was twice married:

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

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

• Mary Rose Cunningham (1979–1993)

Catherine (1968) actress

In his 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. His conservative credentials came under scrutiny following his death and the revelation that he had not been faithful 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.

Regarding his religious faith, Cusack commented "Religion promotes the divine discontent within oneself, so that one tries to make oneself a better person and draw oneself closer to God."

Cusack was a longtime friend of Irish attorney general, Chief Justice and President of Ireland Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, whom he got to know in University College Dublin in the early 1930s.

Death

In October 1993, Cusack died at home in Chiswick, Greater London, from MND. His acting career had lasted 75 years.

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

Complete filmography

• Knocknagow (1918) as Brian's child
• Guests of the Nation (1935) as IRA member who raises flag / imprisoned IRA member
• Servants All (1936) as Billy
• St. Patrick's Day (1938 TV movie)
• Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It (1941) as Postal Sorter
• Once a Crook (1941) as Bill Hopkins
• Odd Man Out (1947) (with James Mason) as Pat
• Escape (1948) as Rodgers
• Esther Waters (1948) (with Dirk Bogarde) as Fred
• Once a Jolly Swagman (1949) as Duggie
• The Small Back Room (1949) as Cpl. Taylor
• The Blue Lagoon (1949) as James Carter
• All Over the Town (1949) as Gerald Vane
• Gone to Earth (1950) as Edward Marston
• The Elusive Pimpernel (1950) as Chauvelin
• Soldiers Three (1951) as Pvt. Dennis Malloy
• The Secret of Convict Lake (1951) as Edward 'Limey' Cockerell
• The Blue Veil (1951) as Frank Hutchins
• The Wild Heart (1952) as Edward Marston
• Saadia (1953) as Khadir
• The Last Moment (1954) as Daniel O'Driscoll (segment "The Sensible Man")
• Destination Milan (1954) as Paddy O'Clafferty
• Passage Home (1955) as Bohannon the steward
• The Man Who Never Was (1956) as Taxi Driver
• The Man in the Road (1956) as Doctor Kelly
• The March Hare (1956) as Lazy Mangan
• Jacqueline (1956) as Mr. Flannagan
• The Spanish Gardener (1956) as Garcia
• Ill Met by Moonlight (1957) as Captain Sandy Rendel
• The Rising of the Moon (1957) as Inspector Michael Dillon
• Miracle in Soho (1957) as Sam Bishop
• Gideon's Day (1958) as Birdie Sparrow
• Floods of Fear (1958) as Peebles
• Shake Hands with the Devil (1959) as Chris Noonan
• The Moon and Sixpence (1959, TV Movie) as Dr. Coutras
• A Terrible Beauty (1960) as Jimmy Hannafin
• The Power and the Glory (1961, TV Movie) as Tench
• Johnny Nobody (1961) as Prosecuting Counsel O'Brien
• The Chairs (1962, TV Movie) as The Old Man
• Waltz of the Toreadors (1962) as Dr. Grogan
• I Thank a Fool (1962) as Captain Ferris
• 80,000 Suspects (1963) as Father Maguire
• The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) as Control
• Deirdre (1965, TV Movie) as Conchubar
• Where the Spies Are (1966) as Rosser
• I Was Happy Here (1966) as Hogan
• Fahrenheit 451 (1966) as Fireman Captain Beatty
• The Taming of the Shrew (1967) as Grumio
• Dial M for Murder (1967, TV Movie) as Chief Insp. Hubbard
• Oedipus the King (1968) as Messenger
• Galileo (1968) as Galileo Galilei
• Red Peppers (1969, TV Movie) as Bert Bentley
• David Copperfield (1969, TV Movie) as Barkis
• Country Dance (1970) as Dr. Maitland
• Tam-Lin (1970) as Vicar Julian Ainsley
• King Lear (1971) as Albany
• Sacco e Vanzetti (1971) as Frederick Katzmann
• Poet Game (1971, TV Movie) as Dr. Saunders
• Harold and Maude (1971) as Glaucus
• Caliber 9 (1972) as Hotel Clerk (English version, voice, uncredited)
• Execution Squad (1972) as Former Superintendent Stolfi
• Manhunt in Milan (1972) as Corso
• The Hands of Cormac Joyce (1972, TV Movie) as Mr. Reece
• All The Way, Boys (1972) as Matto
• Il Boss (1973) as Gabrielli / Projectionist (English version, voice, uncredited)
• The Day of the Jackal (1973) as Gozzi, The gunsmith
• The Homecoming (1973) as Sam
• The Bloody Hands of the Law (1973) as The Judge
• A Likely Story (1973)
• Catholics (1973) as Father Manus
• Run, Run, Joe! (1974) as Parkintosh
• What Have They Done to Your Daughters? (1974) as Coroner (English version, voice, uncredited)
• Street Law (1974) as Records Librarian (English version, voice, uncredited)
• Juggernaut (1974) as Major O'Neill (uncredited)
• The Abdication (1974) as Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna
• Last Moments (1974) as The Balloon Vendor
• Deep Red (1975) as Florist (English version, voice, uncredited)
• Children of Rage (1975) as David's father
• The Big Racket (1976) as Bodyguard / Clerk (English version, voice, uncredited)
• Could It Happen Here? (1977) as Taxi Driver (English version, voice, uncredited)
• Fear in the City (1978) as Giacomo Masoni
• Poitín (1978) as Michil
• Les Miserables (1978, TV Movie) as Fauchelevent
• Cry of the Innocent (1980, TV Movie) as Detective Inspector Tom Moloney
• No Country for Old Men (1981, TV Movie)
• True Confessions (1981) as Cardinal Danaher
• Lovespell (1981) as Gormond of Ireland
• Andrina (1981, Short) as Captain Bill Torvald
• The Ghost Downstairs (1982, TV Movie) as Mr. Fishbane
• The Outcasts (1982) as Myles Keenan
• The Ballroom of Romance (1982) as Mr. Dwyer
• One of Ourselves (1983, TV Movie) as Quigley
• The Comedy of Errors (1983, TV Movie) as Aegeon
• Two by Forsyth (1984, TV Movie)
• The World of Don Camillo (1984) as Bishop
• Dr. Fischer of Geneva (1984, TV Movie) as Steiner
• Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) as Mr. Charrington (shopkeeper and covert Thought Police agent, in the film version of George Orwell's)
• The Kingfisher (1985, TV Movie) as Hawkins
• The Ballroom of Romance (1986) as Mr. Dwyer
• Little Dorrit (1987) as Frederick Dorrit
• The Tenth Man (1988, TV Movie) as The Priest
• My Left Foot (1989) as Lord Castlewelland
• Danny the Champion of the World (1989, TV Movie) as Doc Spencer
• The Fool (1990) as The Ballad Seller
• Far and Away (1992) as Danty Duff
• As You Like It (1992) as Adam

Partial television credits

• The Golden Bowl (1972), Masterpiece Theatre (US) as Bob Assingham
• Clochemerle (1972) (UK) as Mayor Barthelemy Piechut
• The Hands of Cormac Joyce (1972) (TV - Hallmark Hall of Fame) as Mr. Reece
• Glenroe (1974) (Ireland) as Uncle Peter
• Jesus of Nazareth (1977), NBC (US) as Rabbi Yehuda
• The Comedy of Errors, BBC & Time-Life Shakespeare Series (US/UK) as Aegeon
• Strumpet City (1980) (Ireland) as Father Giffley
• Tales of the Unexpected, episode "The Hitch-Hiker" (1980) as Michael Fish
• Death of an Expert Witness, based on the novel by P.D.James (1983), ITV (UK) as Mister Lorrimer
• Privilege (1984), based on Frederick Forsyth stories, adapted by Michael Feeney Callan (1984), Mobile Showcase Network (US) as Martin Pound
• Tales of the Unexpected, episode "Accidental Death" (1984) as Percy Hampton

Theatre work

• Jo Mahony in Katie Roch (1936)
• The King of Spain's Daughter (1935)