Biography for
Cyril Cusack More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

26 November 1910, Durban, Natal, South Africa

Date of Death

7 October 1993, London, England, UK (motor neuron disease)

Birth Name

Cyril James Cusack

Mini Biography

Although born in South Africa, Cyril Cusack was brought up in Ireland. He was a child star on the Irish stage, appearing first at the age of 7. He toured Ireland with his own theater company. Although he made some very telling film appearances, his small stature kept him from the classic roles.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Crook

Spouse

Mary Rose Cunningham	(1979 - 7 October 1993) (his death) 1 child
Maureen Cusack	(5 April 1945 - 18 December 1977) (her death) 5 children

Trivia

Father of Paul Cusack Sinéad Cusack, Sorcha Cusack, Niamh Cusack Pádraig Cusack and Catherine Cusack.

Father-in-law of Jeremy Irons.

Grandfather of Samuel Irons.

He was offered the role of the Doctor in "Doctor Who" (1963) in 1963 but turned it down.

He tried to discourage all of his six children from pursuing the entertainment field, going so far as to not keeping a TV inside the house while they were young. Nevertheless, all of them went into some form of entertainment. Sons Paul and Padraig worked behind the scenes as director/producer types and daughters, Sinead, Sorcha, Niamh and Catherine all became actresses. In 1990 Cyril performed in an acclaimed stage production of Chekhov's "The Three Sisters" with daughters Sinead, Sorcha and Niamh at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.

Educated in Newbridge College, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, and University College, Dublin, but left without a degree to join the Abbey Theatre in 1932. He received honorary doctorates in 1977 and 1980 from the NUI and the University of Dublin, respectively.

His parents separated when he was young and his mother took him to England, and then to Ireland. Cusack's mother and her subsequent partner, Breifne O'Rorke, joined the O'Brien and Ireland Players where Cyril made his theater debut at age 6.

Formed his own company and staged productions in Dublin, Paris and New York beginning in 1947.

Became a campaigner for conservative causes in Ireland in his later years, notably in his opposition to abortion, where he became a frequent letter-writer into the main Liberal Irish newspaper, The Irish Times. His conservative credentials came under scrutiny, however, 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.

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