Richard John CusackMartin, Douglas

''The New York Times'', June 04, 2003 (August 29, 1925 – June 2, 2003) was an American actor, filmmaker, and documentarist.

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 The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...

in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he played basketball with Bob Cousy and roomed with

Philip F. Berrigan Philip Francis Berrigan, SSJ (October 5, 1923 – December 6, 2002) was an American peace activist and Catholic priest with the Josephites. He engaged in nonviolent, civil disobedience in the cause of peace and nuclear disarmament and wa ...

, 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. Circa 1963-1966, the Cusack family moved from New York City to Evanston, Illinois, where the five children grew up.

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 The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

. 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 The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

Death

Dick Cusack died on June 2, 2003 in Evanston, Illinois, from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

, aged 77.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cusack, Dick 1925 births 2003 deaths American male film actors American Roman Catholics American male screenwriters United States Army personnel of World War II College of the Holy Cross alumni American people of Irish descent Cusack family (United States) Deaths from pancreatic cancer Male actors from Evanston, Illinois Male actors from New York City Deaths from cancer in Illinois Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from Illinois 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers 20th-century American screenwriters