Alan Cumming's tough childhood, incredible roles and famous relationships
If you are devastated that the most recent series of the British Traitors is over, there is some solace in the fact the US series is now airing on BBC Three. The US series is hosted by Scottish actor and presenter Alan Cumming.
Alan has starred in many films and TV shows and has an impressive credit list. He is known for his roles in films including Eyes Wide Shut, The Tempest and the Spy Kids trilogy, while his TV roles include The Good Wife and Schmigadoon!
The 60-year-old was actually born in Scotland in Aberfeldy, which is not too far from The Traitors' iconic castle. You can read everything we know about the castle, here.
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In his autobiography, Not My Father's Son, Alan describes the emotional and physical violence his father inflicted on him in his childhood. The autobiography recounts a childhood of sadistic violence so extreme that it wasn’t until Alan suffered a nervous breakdown in his late 20s that his memories of the abuse dared to resurface.
After he and his brother, Tom, confronted their father about his abuse, he never spoke to him again. In 2010, he agreed to take part in the BBC show, Who Do You Think You Are? On the eve of filming, his father contacted his brother and told him that Alan was not, in fact, his son. The book relates the actor’s painstaking investigation of both stories, neither of which turned out to be true.
It had been a terrible shock to learn that he was not his father’s son, but even more devastating to discover that this was a lie. Speaking to The Guardian, Alan said: "I used to keep thinking, ‘When did he decide to make it up that I wasn’t his son, when did that happen?’ And then eventually I just thought, ‘You’re never going to find out, and, actually, why am I trying to reason with someone who’s unreasonable and I believe was mentally ill?’ It wasn’t just rage, it was someone who wasn’t dealing with a full deck. And that’s liberating to realise. But it doesn’t make it any less infuriating."
Alan has had some famous relationships. He was married to actress Hilary Lyon, who is known for the TV series, Trust Me, for eight years. He also had a two-year relationship with another actress, Saffron Burrows, who has starred in the Netflix series You, and a six-year relationship with theatre director Nick Philippou.
He is now married to illustrator Grant Shaffer, who he began dating in 2005. He married Grant in 2012, whose illustrations have appeared in magazines and newspapers including The New Yorker and The New York Times.
The Traitors US continues airing on BBC Three on Tuesday, January 28 at 8pm. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter.
