Cusack, Cyril James

▪ 1994

      Irish actor (b. Nov. 26, 1910, Durban, South Africa—d. Oct. 7, 1993, London, England), was considered the finest Irish actor of his generation; he had a subtle, economical, and finely controlled style and a brooding, melancholic air that mesmerized audiences. He was especially compelling as Covey in Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars and as Christy Mahon in John Synge's The Playboy of the Western World. Cusack and his mother moved to Ireland in 1916, and with the actor Brefni O'Rourke they formed a theatrical company that toured throughout the country. Cusack made his acting debut at age seven and later claimed that he had attended nearly every school in Ireland. He earned a degree in law at University College, Dublin, but decided to pursue an acting career. He joined (1932) the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and during the following 13 years appeared in nearly 70 plays. During that time, he also occasionally appeared onstage in Britain. He then formed (1945) his own company, writing, directing, and acting in innumerable productions. Cusack joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (1963) and the National Theatre (1964) in London, continued to appear in Ireland, and traveled to Paris and to the U.S., winning critical acclaim, awards, and honorary doctorates. He also appeared on television and in such motion pictures as Odd Man Out (1947), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), The Taming of the Shrew (1967), The Day of the Jackal (1973), and My Left Foot (1989). Cusack was the patriarch of a theatrical dynasty; his four daughters and a grandson also became actors. In 1990 he appeared in London with three of his daughters in Chekhov's The Three Sisters.

* * *