CYRIL CUSACK

'Cyril Cusack' (November 26, 1910 – October 7, 1993) was an Irish Shakespearean actor, who appeared in more than 90 films [1].
Born in Durban, Natal, South Africa he was the son of a sergeant in the mounted police and an actress. His parents separated when he was young and his mother took him to England, and then to Ireland. Cusack's mother and her partner, Breifne 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, Co. 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 sixty productions, particularly excelling in the plays of Sean O'Casey. In 1947, Cusack formed his own company and staged productions in Dublin, Paris and New York.
In 1963, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, England and appeared there for several seasons. By this stage he had established a successful career in films.
Cusack was twice married:

★ 1) Maureen Kiely Cusack, an actress, died in 1977, with whom he had three daughters (Sinéad, Sorcha and Niamh) and two sons (Paul and Padraig).

★ 2) Mary Rose Cunningham (1979–1993); one daughter (Catherine)
He received honorary doctorates in 1977 and 1980 from the NUI and the University of Dublin respectively.

Contents

Film roles

Theatre roles

External links

Film roles

★ Mick Brian's son in ''Knocknagow'' (1918),

★ Pat in ''Odd Man Out'' (1947) with James Mason,

★ James Carter in ''The Blue Lagoon'' (1949),

★ Chief Insp. Hubbard in ''Dial M for Murder'' (1967),

★ fireman captain in ''Fahrenheit 451'' (1966),

★ the gunsmith in ''Day of the Jackal'' (1973),

★ Father Manus in ''Catholics'' (1973),

★ uncredited as Major O'Neill in ''Juggernaut'' (1974),

★ Mr. Charrington, shopkeeper and covert Thought Police informant, in the film version of George Orwell's ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'',

★ Lord Castlewelland in ''My Left Foot'' (1989) with Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker.

Theatre roles

Cusack's last stage performance was in Chekhov's ''The Three Sisters'', in which three of his daughters played the sisters. His four daughters, Niamh, Sorcha, Sinéad and Catherine are actresses. His sons, Paul Cusack and Pádraig Cusack, work as a producer with RTÉ and as Associate Producer at the National Theatre, London, respectively.
In October 1993, Cyril Cusack died in London, England of motor neurone disease, one month before what would have been his 83rd birthday.

External links

★