While his debut film as an actor, Prague (1992), premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, Alan Cumming also fetched the Best Actor Award at the Atlantic Film Festival. He was 27 at the time, however, the Scottish-American actor, singer, author, and activist began his career in the mid-1980s with theatre and television. After finding success in theatre and television industries, Cumming ventured into films in the 1990s. He went on to appear in movies such as GoldenEye (1995), Titus (1999), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Company Man (2001), X2 (2003), and The Tempest (2010).

Cumming is best known for his performance as Eli Gold in the popular TV show The Good Wife: a role that fetched him critical appreciation and several award nominations including three Primetime Emmy Award and Two Golden Globe nominations. He has also received an Olivier Award for his stage performance in Accidental Death of an Anarchist. The acclaimed actor is also an author and has contributed many opinion pieces to several publications. He has written the novel Tommy's Tale and the autobiography Not My Father's Son: A Memoir. Not just an outstanding artist, but Cumming is an avid contributor to Social and Humanitarian causes. He is openly bisexual and is married to Grant Shaffer, an illustrator. Cumming was also awarded the Humanitarian Award by PETA in 2017.His 2017 releases include the movies After Louie, Battle of the Sexes, and Show Dogs.