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A Multi-Hyphenate Force: Exploring The Traitors Host Alan Cumming's Career
As the actor/singer/writer/advocate returns once again to Peacock's hit reality series The Traitors, we take a look at the incredible versatility of his career.
To some fans of Peacock's addictive reality competition series The Traitors, they may only recognize Alan Cumming as the witty yet cunning host who absolutely adores ratcheting up the paranoia vibes for his contestants.
But the Scottish-born Cumming is an incredible multi-hyphenate talent who can act, sing, dance, write, and host with equal aplomb. He's been nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and won a Laurence Olivier Award and two Tony Awards, one for his incredible performance in Cabaret (1998) and the other as a producer for A Strange Loop (2022).
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While a castle in the Scottish Highlands has been his recent haunt of late for The Traitors, there's plenty more to explore about Cumming's career. And so we turn our eyes toward this consummate showman's incredible resume, for which he's spent decades effortlessly shifting from theater to television and film.
How did Alan Cumming begin his career?
Born in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland, in 1965 into a non-performing household, Cumming sought a career in the arts, making his TV debut in the British drama Traveling Man (1984), and continued to work in Scottish television shows and in many stage productions in both Scotland and London.
In 1992, he made his film debut co-starring in Ian Sellar's Prague, which drew huge praise and even a Scottish BAFTA Best Actor nomination. But it wasn't until Cumming was cast as the oily creep pursuing Minnie Driver's character in Circle of Friends (1995) that international audiences took notice of his talents. He followed that memorable role up with an appearance in a Pierce Brosnan-led Bond film, playing Boris Ivanovich Grishenko in GoldenEye.
How did Alan Cumming transition to comedy?
After getting cast as several heavies and unwanted suitors in film and television, Cumming made a career turn toward comedies, appearing in some beloved cult titles including Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), Spice World (1997), the series 3rd Rock from the Sun and even a TV adaptation of the musical Annie. In 2000, he hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live. A year later, he co-directed the well-received ensemble film The Anniversary Party with Jennifer Jason Leigh.
When did Alan Cumming make it big on Broadway?
After a triumphant 1993 run as The Master of Ceremonies in Sam Mendes' 1993 revival of the musical Cabaret in London's West End, he reprised the role again on Broadway in 1998 and won a Tony Award. In 2001, Cumming returned to the boards to begin a long streak of noteworthy stage roles on Broadway, including playing Otto in Noël Coward's Design for Living, Mack the Knife in the Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill musical The Threepenny Opera, and starring opposite Dianne Wiest in Anton Chekhov's The Seagull.
Eli Gold & More: What TV series has Alan Cumming starred in?
In November 2008, Cumming became a dual-national and was sworn in as a citizen of the United States. He settled into residence in New York City, which allowed him to take a recurring role as the wily political strategist Eli Gold on the critically acclaimed drama The Good Wife and its sequel, The Good Fight.
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In 2018, he played Dr. Dylan Reinhart, the lead character in Instinct, the series adaptation of James Patterson's 2017 novel Murder Games. Most recently, he appeared in the musical comedy pastiche Schmigadoon!.
In Fall 2024, he appeared in Max's Chimp Crazy, in which he talks about his efforts alongside PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to find his one-time co-star in the 1997 family comedy Buddy, a chimpanzee named Tonka. (Read on for more about Cumming's work with activist groups.)
What movies has Alan Cumming starred in?
Many fans came to know Cumming not from his prolific Broadway or television career but through his film roles. As previously mentioned, he starred alongside Minnie Driver in Circle of Friends and really came into the public eye as Boris Ivanovich Grishenko in GoldenEye opposite Pierce Brosnan's James Bond.
Most notably, Cumming has starred in Annie (1999), the Spy Kids series (2001, 2002, 2003), and as Kurt Wagner (aka the Nightcrawler) in 2003's X2. That's not even mentioning his roles in Eyes Wide Shut (1999), The Tempest (2010), Battle of the Sexes (2017), and many more.
Alan Cumming's activism work
On top of his onscreen work, Cumming is also an activist who works with a variety of organizations near and dear to his heart.
Cumming is most notably a staunch supporter of LGBTQ rights and has MC-ed, attended fundraisers, and spoken out in support of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). In 2005, GLAAD awarded Cumming the Vito Russo Award, which is presented to "an openly lesbian, gay or bisexual member of the entertainment or media community for outstanding contributions toward eliminating homophobia." His work with the group has continued to this day. Cumming is also a supporter of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR), Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and other foundations.
Recent headlines have also reignited public interest in his work with PETA after he took part in Max's Chimp Crazy documentary. In 2022, Cumming worked with PETA to rescue his one-time chimp co-star, Tonka, who he'd bonded with on and offscreen while filming 1997's Buddy.
"During the months we filmed together, baby Tonka and I became good friends, playing and grooming each other and just generally larking about," Cumming said in a statement in 2022, per People. "It's horrible to think he might be in a cage in a dark basement somewhere or have met some other fate, so I'm appealing to whoever knows what has become of him to please come forward and claim the reward."
A month later, PETA rescued Tonka, much to Cumming's relief.
"I feel so emotional about this great news. When I met Tonka while filming the movie Buddy, I made a true friend, and I was honored that he thought of me as a fellow chimp. I'm dancing a jig that PETA has rescued Tonka from the woman who locked him away alone in a basement and lied about it. The thought of Tonka being able to wander free and happy at Save the Chimps' lush, spacious sanctuary for the rest of his life has me singing a happy song," he said in a statement at the time.
When did Alan Cumming start hosting The Traitors?
Along with everything else listed, Cumming has also written two memoirs, Not My Father's Son: A Memoir and Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life, and developed and launched an award-winning fragrance line called "Cumming."
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However, the one thing Cumming had never done before 2023 is host a reality competition show. He was asked to host both the U.K. and U.S. versions of The Traitors, adaptations of the Dutch series De Verraders. Both series became huge hits in their native countries, with audiences loving the high drama and camp Cumming infuses into each series.
Who would Alan Cumming add to The Traitors?
In a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Cumming revealed that his favorite competitors are the ones out of left field: Olympian Ryan Lochte from Season 1 and pro boxer Deontay Wilder and former UK Parliament Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow in Season 2.
"I love the random, crazy people you would never imagine. I like more of those," he said. "And also I’d like more queer people, to be honest. We can up our queer quotient.
The Traitors is available to watch on Peacock alongside The Traitors: Postmortem after show. All of Seasons 1 and 2 are available to watch on Peacock.
Originally published Jan 3, 2024.
