Robert Cummings
Biography
Robert Cummings was an American actor who worked in film and television in both comedy and drama. Born in Joplin, Missouri, he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and began in theater before entering films. Early credits included You and Me (1938), and he became a leading man in the 1940s with The Devil and Miss Jones (1941), It Started with Eve (1941), Kings Row (1942) and Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur (1942). Hitchcock also directed him in Dial M for Murder (1954). On television he starred in My Hero and The Bob Cummings Show, playing photographer Bob Collins, and he won a 1955 Emmy for best actor in a single performance for Twelve Angry Men; he received five Emmy nominations overall. Later films included My Geisha (1962), Beach Party (1963), The Carpetbaggers (1964), What a Way to Go! (1964), Stagecoach (1966) and Five Golden Dragons (1967).
80years old at death
- Born Joplin
- Died Woodland Hills
- Star sign: GeminiThe sign runs May 21 to June 20
- Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (birth name)Also credited as Bob Cummings, Blade Stanhope Conway and Bruce Hutchens
Movie Career
- Films
- 22
- Career span
- 89 years1937 to 2026
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About the name
Cummings invented the name "Blade Stanhope Conway" and paid a local theater janitor to put it on the marquee for Candida. He posed for a photo in front of the marquee and made 80 prints.
Behind the award
Cummings won the 1955 Emmy for Best Actor in a Single Performance for playing Juror Number Eight in the TV play Twelve Angry Men, the role Henry Fonda took in the film.
A role that slipped away
Columbia hoped to cast Cummings as the lead in Golden Boy in August 1939, but talks with Universal fell through, and William Holden, then a screen newcomer, took the part.
A role that slipped away
For The High and the Mighty, producer John Wayne picked Cummings as Captain Sullivan, an airline pilot, in part because Cummings could fly. Director William A. Wellman, though, went against Wayne and gave the role to Robert Stack.
A first
In February 1942, Cummings helped establish Squadron 918-4 at the Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale, California, and he became its first commanding officer.
Robert Cummings movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Alfred Hitchcock directed two of these films, Sam Wood two. Two actors appear in four of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Bess Flowers's page
Harry Davenport's page
Charles Coburn's page
Shirley MacLaine's page
Edward G. Robinson's page
Frank Puglia's page
All films by Alfred Hitchcock
Sam WoodDirector, 2 films, 1941 to 1942
All films by Sam Wood
Also two films together8 more actors
- Ronald ReaganDisneyland Handcrafted (2026) and Kings Row (1942)
- Minor WatsonPrincess O'Rourke (1943) and Kings Row (1942)
- Clem BevansTell It to the Judge (1949) and Saboteur (1942)
- George RaftFive Golden Dragons (1967) and You and Me (1938)
- Norman LloydReign of Terror (1949) and Saboteur (1942)
- Betty FieldFlesh and Fantasy (1943) and Kings Row (1942)
- Ralph MorganSleep, My Love (1948) and Wells Fargo (1937)
- Annette FunicelloDisneyland Handcrafted (2026) and Beach Party (1963)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Robert Cummings's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$63.8 million
6 of the 22 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 22 films: 6 worldwide figure; 1 us gross only; 1 never in cinemas; 14 figure not found.
- 6Worldwide figure
- 1US gross only
- 1Never in cinemas
- 14Figure not found
Highest grossing
The six biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$40M62.6% of the total
- 2$13M20.8% of the total
- 3$4.0M6.3% of the total
- 4$3.0M4.7% of the total
- 5$2.3M3.6% of the total
- 6$1.2M2.0% of the total
Awards
Three awards and honors from 1955 to 1984, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 1955 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Westinghouse Studio One | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 1984 | Aberconway Medal | Won | |
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.