HE IS known to millions around the world as Bond villain Boris Grishenko, X-Men superhero Nightcrawler and the waspish Emcee in the acclaimed Broadway adaptation of Cabaret.
But now Alan Cumming is attempting to bring down the final curtain on Hillary Clinton's bid to become president of the United States.
The Aberfeldy-born actor has given his backing to Barack Obama, accusing his Democrat opponent of being a "cold,
dumb, fear-mongering, hysterical, hypocritical liar" who has been only too willing to play the race card.
The extraordinary intervention by the Scot, who has become a prominent political activist in the US, is made all the more cutting by the fact that he was previously a strong supporter of Clinton and her husband Bill.
Obama already has the backing of a host of celebrities, including George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Will Smith and Oprah Winfrey – while Clinton is backed by Barbra Streisand, Natalie Portman, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg and Elton John.
Cumming used his official website to make his feelings clear about the race for the White House. The 43-year-old, who previously attended the Democrat National Convention, penned a lengthy, no-holds-barred and vituperative article entitled: "Hillary is mean!"
He states: "I have been lying by the pool in a hotel, jetlagged and trying to sleep, but I can't!
"And the reason? An image of Hillary Clinton is haunting me. There she is captured mid-tirade, her eyes steely and cold, her mouth distorted like a Francis Bacon painting and I am scared. Hillary is haunting me. I don't like Hillary."
The Hollywood star then goes on to list the reasons why he has withdrawn his support for the former First Lady.
"I used to like Hillary a lot, but she lost me when she voted for the war in Iraq. She knew what she was doing and she got it wrong.
"Nowadays thankfully, we admire the people who stood up against Bush and the WMD lies instead of those, like her, who voted with him to prove they had the balls to run a country.
"Baby, you should know more than most women that it takes more balls to stand up for what you believe in and not cave in to what you think the world wants you to do."
Cumming claims that Clinton has run a mean-spirited and negative campaign which compares badly with her Democrat rival.
"Hillary has totally underestimated the need and the desire of the American people for precisely what Obama can give them – hope, inspiration and a belief that the world can change," he said.
Cumming also savaged Clinton's use of television adverts which featured images of terrorist atrocities and posed the question: "Who would you rather have pick up the phone at 3am?"
He said: "Well actually, I would rather it was not a hysterical person who tries to make us vote for her by scaring us, and even stooping so low as to use footage of Osama bin Laden and 9/11 in her own political broadcasts, something she has spoken out against in the past when the same semiotics were used by the Republicans, her true rivals."
The graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama also claimed both Bill and Hillary used the race issue to undermine Obama – who is running to be the first black US President.
"It seems Hillary has no qualms about using the race issue to churn up ancient and disgusting ill-will. Bill has conveniently forgotten about his popularity among the black population, but that's because he doesn't have it any more after a series of race blunders that made him look condescending, out of touch and yes, mean."
Cumming, a prominent campaigner for gay rights, reserves his most caustic remarks for Hillary's recent U-turn after claiming she came under fire during a visit to Bosnia in the 1990s.
"She says she got shot at by enemies when she just didn't and then she tries to say that she 'mis-spoke'.
"Uh no, Hillary. You lied. That makes you a liar and not only that, but a stupid liar because there was a film crew a few feet away from you."
Dr Mark Shephard, an expert in US politics, said Cumming's comments would come as a further body-blow to Clinton's ailing campaign.
The senior lecturer at Strathclyde University said: "In an era when party loyalties are becoming increasing fluid, celebrity endorsements are becoming more and more influential in US Presidential elections.
"Alan Cumming is a big name in the US because of his role in James Bond and other well-known films.
"A number of other high-profile supporters of Hillary Clinton have jumped ship and endorsed Obama recently and it further damages her slim chances of becoming the Democrat Presidential candidate.
"Barring any last minute disasters, Obama would seem to have the nomination sewn up."
No one from the Clinton campaign office was available to comment.
The full article contains 842 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
