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(click to enlarge thumbnail)
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1975 Tony Winners
John, Ellen Burstyn, John
Kani,
Angela Lansbury and Winston Nishona
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1978 Tony Winners
John, Jessica Tandy,
Liza Minelli and Barnard Hughes
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Born:
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Birthday - March 2.
Born and raised in Knoxville, TN. Youngest of the five children of
Mr. and Mrs. E. V. Cullum, Jr.
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Personal:
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Married to modern dancer,
choreographer, novelist and playwright, Emily Frankel. They reside in
Manhattan.
Their son, JD Cullum
(birthday - March 1), is an actor and writer based in Los Angeles. JD
is married to fashion designer Shareen Mitchell of SHAREEN.
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Education:
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BA, Speech, University of
Tennessee (UT).
Graduate Studies in Finance, University of Tennessee.
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Sports:
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Member of UT's first Southeast
Conference Championship tennis team. Later toured Europe with
doubles partner Bill Davis.
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Military Service:
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Colonel (top student
officer) of the 1000-man Army Rerserve Officers Training Corps at the
University of Tennessee.
Captain of a transportation company, U.S. Army, 1953-55, Korea.
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Early Work:
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Approximately 40 major and
starring roles in plays produced by the UT Drama Department and
Knoxville's Carousel Theatre. The summer after making his NY
debut, John returned to Tennessee to star as frontier hero John Sevier
(first Governor of Tennessee) in Kermit Hunter's outdoor drama Chucky
Jack . Also studied with Paul Baker at the Dallas
Theatre Center.
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New York Debut:
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1956, as a Soldier in the
acclaimed Phoenix Theatre production of Shaw's St. Joan, starring
Siobhan McKenna.
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Broadway Debut:
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1960, Camelot.
John originated the role of Sir Dinadan and was standby for Richard Burton and
Roddy McDowell. He went on four times for Burton as Arthur, and succeeded McDowell as Mordred.
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Film Debut:
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1962, All the Way Home,
starring Robert Preston and Jean Simmons. John played Ms. Simmons' younger
brother (James Agee's uncle) in the drama based on Tad Mosel's Pulitzer
Prize-winning play of the same name. The play was adapted from James
Agee's Pulitzer Prize-winning, autobiographical book, A Death in the
Family. Agee was a Knoxville native, and
a fellow alumnus of Knoxville High School. The movie was filmed on location
in Knoxville.
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U.K. Debut:
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July 2000, in Arthur
Miller's play, Mr. Peter's Connections, at London's Almeida Theatre,
followed by a short tour. Production directed by Michael
Blakemore.
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Other Milestones:
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In 1983, John Cullum
portrayed farmer Jim Dahlberg in ABC's controversial drama, The Day
After, which depicted the possible aftermath of a nuclear attack on the
United States. The program made headlines around the world, put Mr.
Cullum on the cover of TV Guide, and was seen by an estimated 100
million viewers (a record at the time for a tv-movie). It was later
released as an international feature film.
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Major Awards:
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1965
Tony nomination (Best Actor in a Musical) and Theatre World Award for On
a Clear Day You Can See Forever. The show's original cast album
received the 1965 Grammy Award (presented to
the composer Burton Lane and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner). John
portrayed psychiatrist Mark Bruckner, opposite Barbara Harris.
1975 Tony Award (Best Actor in a Musical), Drama Desk Award and Outer
Critics Circle Award for Shenandoah. Also honored with a
portrait in Sardi's.
John portrayed Virginia farmer Charlie Anderson, who tries to protect his
family from the tragedy and turmoil of the Civil War.
1978 Tony Award (Best Actor in a Musical) for On the Twentieth Century.
John portrayed maniacal impresario, Oscar Jaffee opposite Madeline Kahn's
Lily Garland. Ms. Kahn was succeeded by Judy Kaye. Imogene
Coca co-starred, and Kevin Kline played Lily's new lover.
1978, directed actress Carol Mayo Jenkins to a Drama Desk nomination
(Outstanding Actress in a Play) for Zinnia, a two-character play
written by and co-starring Emily Frankel. Zinnia was presented
off-Broadway.
1981-82 special Drama Desk Award for
"Unique Theatrical Experience" for Whistler, an
Off-Broadway, one-man show based on the life of painter James McNeill
Whistler.
1988, inducted into the East Tennessee Hall of Fame for the performing
arts, along with Dolly Parton and the late Archie Campbell.
Other members of the Hall, to date, include: t Roy Acuff, James Agee, Chet Atkins, Polly Bergen,
Clarence Brown, Mary Costa, "Tennessee" Ernie Ford, David Keith,
Grace Moore and Patricia Neal. Paintings of honorees are displayed in
Knoxville's historic Bijou Theatre (where young John Cullum often performed
in student and community plays).
1993 Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama and 1992 Viewers
for Quality Television "Q" Award for Northern Exposure
(1990-95) in which he portrayed bar owner and naturalist, Holling Vincoeur.
1998 Film Fest-New Haven, First Place Jury Award for The Secret Life of
Algernon. John wrote the screenplay for this black comedy
(adapted from Russell Greenan's novel) and starred in the title role.
Charles Durning and Carrie Anne Moss (later of the Matrix films)
co-starred.
1998, Founder's Day
Medal, University of Tennessee.<>
2002 Tony nomination for Best Performance by Leading Actor in a Musical,
and 2002 Outer Critics Circle nomination for Best Actor in a Musical for Urinetown:
The Musical.
2004, Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Clarence Brown Theatre,
University of Tennessee Theatre Department. First presentation
of this award.
2005, Drama Desk nomination as Outstanding
Actor in a Play for his portrayal of Cardinal Law in Sin
(A Cardinal Deposed).
2007, Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
for 110 in the Shade.
2007 Inductee, Theater Hall of Fame.
2008
Drama Desk nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play for The Conscientious Objector.
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Permission to excerpt and reproduce
is granted and encouraged.
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