Richard John Cusack (August 29, 1925 – June 2, 2003) was an American actor, filmmaker and humorist.
Personal life
Cusack was born in New York City, the son of Margaret Cusack (née McFeeley) and Dennis Joseph Cusack. His family was of Irish Catholic background. He served with the U.S. Army in the Philippines in World War II. After the war Cusack attended College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he played basketball with Bob Cousy and roomed with Philip F. Berrigan, the peace activist.
Cusack and his wife, Ann Paula “Nancy” (Carolan), had five children: Ann Cusack, Joan Cusack, Bill Cusack, John Cusack and Susie Cusack, all of whom followed him into the acting profession.
Career
Until 1970 Cusack worked as a Clio Award-winning advertising executive.
He then pursued a career as a film actor, beginning with minor roles. Most of his acting roles were playing authority figures, such as a United States Senate Chairman, minister/chaplain, and U.S. Secretary of State; he played a judge in the TV movie Overexposed, and in theatrical releases Things Change and Eight Men Out.
Cusack was a documentary filmmaker. His 1971 abortion documentary The Committee won an Emmy Award. He also owned a film production company.
He was honored with an award from the Evanston Arts Council for preserving a school and converting it into the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, which houses the Piven Theatre Workshop where his famous acting children trained. Two weeks prior to his death, he completed the final draft of a play to memorialize his former college roommate entitled, Backoff Barkman, which was produced posthumously in the Midwest.
Death
Dick Cusack died on June 2, 2003 in Evanston, Illinois, from pancreatic cancer.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | My Bodyguard | Principal | |
| 1983 | Class | Chaplain Baker | |
| 1984 | The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck | Unknown | Television film |
| 1988 | Eight Men Out | Judge Friend | |
| 1988 | Things Change | Judge | |
| 1989 | The Package | Secretary of State | |
| 1990 | Crazy People | Mort | |
| 1992 | Overexposed | Judge | Television film |
| 1993 | The Fugitive | Attorney Walter Gutherie | |
| 1995 | While You Were Sleeping | Doctor Rubin | |
| 1996 | Evil Has a Face | Lester | Television film |
| 1996 | Chain Reaction | Senate Chairman | |
| 1999 | The Jack Bull | Jury Foreman | Television film |
| 2000 | High Fidelity | Minister | |
| 2000 | Return to Me | Mr. Bennington | (final film role) |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Missing Persons | Champion | Episode: “If You Could Pick Your Own Parents…” |
| 1987 | Sable | Mahoney | Episode: “Watchdogs” |
| 1997 | Early Edition | Elderly Man | Episode: “The Wall: Part 2” |
Awards
| Year | Award | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Commitment to Chicago Award | Won | Shared with his wife and children |
