Alan Cumming is an incredibly versatile star of the stage and screen. Whether he’s the seductive emcee in Cabaret or Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids films, he’s instantly recognizable to his fans. He’s starred in a wide variety of projects over the years, including Eyes Wide Shut, Spice World, GoldenEye, X2, and many more popular movies. Most recently, Alan has been hosting the second season of the reality competition show The Traitors on Peacock.
The actor has also been very open about his sexuality. He’s openly bisexual and has been in relationships with both women and men. “I see a worrying trend among LGBT people, that if you identify yourself in just one way, you close yourself off to other experiences. My sexuality has never been black and white; it’s always been gray. I’m with a man, but I haven’t closed myself off to the fact that I’m still sexually attracted to women,” he told Advocate in 2015. For many years, he’s been married to his husband Grant Shaffer. Get to know more about Grant and Alan’s past romances here.
Grant Is an Illustrator
Grant also works in the arts, but he mostly works as a visual artist. He’s a popular illustrator, and he’s probably best known for his NYSee comic series, which depicts hilarious interactions and sightings around the Big Apple. He often shows the comics (as well as places that they’re displayed in public) on his Instagram. He also has a personal account for other photos.
In addition to the comics, his work has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times and Interview Magazine, according to his website. He’s also done storyboarding for movies and TV shows, as well as illustrated children’s books, including the Honey and Leon books, which were written by Alan.
They Had 2 Wedding Ceremonies
After meeting through friends in New York, Alan and Grant first got married in London in 2007. At the time, they said that they had hoped to get married in America originally, but couldn’t as same-sex marriage hadn’t yet been legalized. “As residents of America we would have loved to marry there, but we hope that soon the civil rights that we have been afforded in the U.K. will be available to all gay Americans, and we look forward to celebrating not only our marriage, but the end of prejudice,” they said in a statement at the time, per People.
Five years later, the pair had a second wedding ceremony in New York City, as same-sex marriage had been legalized. “On the 5th anniversary of our wedding in London grant and I tied the knot again in NYC!” he wrote in a since-deleted post on Twitter.
What Has Alan Said About Grant?
Alan is totally committed to Grant, and he’s gushed about what an excellent partner he is. “He’s lovely, kind and hilarious, but he’s also the first person who hasn’t wanted to change me. We respect each other and we were a bit older when we met, so you know yourself more and are more respectful,” he told Closer Weekly in January 2020.
Alan’s Past Marriage
Long before his marriage to Grant, Alan was wed to his first wife Hilary Lyon from 1985 to 1993. Unfortunately, after eight years, the pair’s marriage came to an end, and the actor revealed that he was heartbroken when it ended in a 2021 interview with White Wine Question Time. “I was so young when I got married. I left home to get away from my father, I got into a marriage to feel secure and to feel… I was in love and everything as well. But I felt I was seeking the familiar,” he said on the podcast, via Yahoo News.
As a child of divorce, Alan revealed that he was “devastated” when his marriage ended. “I wanted my marriage to be a success to prove them wrong, or to prove that you could do it. Which is a really bad reason! It wasn’t the main reason. It was certainly one of the things and what I felt when I failed in my marriage,” he said. “I was really, really devastated because it was the most adult grown up thing that I had done independently. And I wanted to make it a success. I needed it to be sure. And for it to work.”
Other Past Romances
After his marriage to Hilary, Alan was briefly linked to fellow actress Saffron Burrows, who he met while filming Circle of Friends, according to The Guardian. In an interview with the British outlet, he explained that he thought that she was a great match for him at the time. “I was really lucky in that the first relationship I had after Hilary was with Saffron, who’s really… understanding and a broadminded person,” he said. The two of them were also briefly engaged, but never went through with marrying. The Spy Kids star admitted that it would’ve been “disastrous” in hindsight.
After Saffron, Alan had a relationship with theater director Nick Philippou. During their time together, they co-founded the theater group The Art Party, per Playbill. The pair broke up in early 2003 or late 2002, after about six years together. In fact, they bought a home together shortly before breaking up, but split up before closing, according to Observer.