Gregory Scott Cummins, raised in Orinda, California, began his theater arts training at U.C. Berkeley while on a football scholarship, which earned him the position of starting punter from 1974-1977. During his years at Berkeley, he studied acting, theater history, and theory, including: Greek, Roman, Restoration, Renaissance, Comedia del Arte, and Shakespeare, etc. In correlation with his core studies, Greg performed in numerous plays (Volpone, Orpheus Descending, Skin of Our Teeth, Ah Wilderness) and contributed to numerous productions as both stage carpenter and stage manager. Meanwhile, his academic pursuits expanded towards stage design, playwriting, lighting, stage carpentry, and make-up.

Upon transferring to the University of Hawaii-Manoa, he entered into a two-year study of dramatic arts training in addition to being the punter for the U.H. football team for the 77-78′ and 78-79′ seasons. He set new school punting records, some still standing to this day, as well as led the nation in 3 punting statistic categories. (In 1991, Greg was named to the University of Hawaii’s All-Time fantasy football team by position as the best punter in its 40 year history. Under the tutelage of Terence Knapp and Glen Cannon, Greg continued studying advanced acting with a special emphasis on Shakespeare and classical theater. Terrence Knapp, who had worked closely with and under the arm of Lawrence Olivier for fifteen years at the Royal Shakespeare Company as his sole understudy, served as a strong influence in Greg’s education. Knapp served as Greg’s instructor through the course of all acting classes, Shakespeare reading, analysis and interpretation courses, all movement and voice, and theater history. Greg also dedicated himself to one year of directing classes taught by Glen Cannon, which included directing one-act and main stage student productions. In addition (concurrently), he performed on main stage as Orlando in As You Like It, directed by Terence Knapp, and at the Hawaii Performing Arts Company as Richard the Lionhearted in Lion in Winter. Culminating his college football career Greg moved on to professional football, however, two years later, his professional football career with the San Diego Chargers fell short as a result of an injury. But as fate would have it, Greg returned to U.C. Berkeley in 1983 to complete his B.A. in Theater Arts, during which time he performed Benedick and Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing.

Upon continuing his education, Greg was accepted into the graduate directing program at the University of Hawaii, but instead chose to proceed to U.C.L.A. where he completed his M.F.A. in Acting in 1985. As part of his first year of his training, Greg followed an intensive Method acting program, which he mastered under Delia Salvi. His education also consisted of courses in movement for the actor under Tom Orth, as well as additional courses in voice training, theater history, and classical and contemporary dramatic literature. His second year consisted of continued advanced movement, voice and classical literature study; meanwhile, his acting was concentrated in Shakespeare and all other forms of classical performance. Greg performed lead roles in four U.C.L.A theatrical productions as Sydney in Deathtrap, Jerry from Betrayal, Chris from Division Street, and Satan in an original comedy as part of a joint U.C.L.A. and Hispanic Theater ensemble production. The M.F.A. degree also required a one-hour, one-man Masters thesis performance. Greg successfully culminated his U.C.L.A. experience by winning the professionally sponsored Hugh O’Brien acting competition, held annually on the U.C.L.A. campus.

Greg’s professional acting career started immediately at Solvang’s P.C.P.A. Theaterfest (summer repertory theater). He performed and understudied lead and supporting lead roles in Hamlet, Amadeus, and And a Nightingale Sang, thus providing a springboard towards continued success after twelve years of intensive training in Acting and directing, having performed lead and supporting roles in over 30 stage productions in professional, regional, University, and community theaters.

In 1986, Greg went on to begin his Television and Film career, which, to the present, spans twenty six years, encompassing lead and supporting lead and supporting roles in many feature films. A few most notable films include Cliffhanger, Italian Job, Batman Returns, Switchback, Last of the Dogmen, Stone Cold, and Purgatory. He has also performed numerous guest-starring, recurring, and lead roles in television episodics, sitcoms, network and cable movies and pilots, ranging from Hunter, Murphy Brown, Touched by an Angel, Walker-Texas Ranger, to Charmed, Numb3rs, NCIS-Los Angeles and It’s always Sunny in Philadelphia. Greg has also found time to teach acting as his schedule permits. Recently, he has completed courses in Directing for film, cinematography, and Independent Film Production from the U.C.L.A. extension program as he continues to expand his knowledge of the camera and the director’s role in film. In addition, Greg has been in the final stages of completing two screenplays with the intention of directing and acting in his own independently produced films.

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