A classic example of the "mentor-turned-evil" trope, Captain Dudley Smith comes across as the well-meaning boss of the three protagonists, Exley, White, and Vincennes. He occasionally blurs the boundary between justice and injustice, ostensibly for the sake of the "greater good." He even rejects Exley's request to be promoted to detective, reasoning that Exley "doesn't have the stomach" for the job. Later in the film, when Vincennes learns something about Smith that he shouldn't have, Smith murders Vincennes, revealing himself as the main antagonist. Fortunately, Vincennes is smart enough to warn fellow officer Exley about Smith's treachery through Smith himself, uttering "Rollo Tomasi" as his final words to Smith. Later, when Smith queries Exley about "Rollo Tomasi," the mere mention of the name is enough for Exley to deduce that it was Smith who killed Vincennes, and perhaps even his own father.
After being defeated at the hands of Exley and White during the film's riveting climax, Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell went on to star in "The Green Mile," "Secretariat," and "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," to name a few. He also portrayed former president George H.W. Bush in Oliver Stone's George W. Bush biopic "W," a film that explored the complex father-son relationship between the two presidents. But he might best be known for the central but near-silent role he played shortly before "L.A. Confidential," as the kindly but stoic Farmer Hogget in 1995's "Babe."
In addition to acting in movies, Cromwell has been a proponent of several activist and advocacy causes, especially those related to animal rights. Being a vegan himself, Cromwell has been a vocal opponent of animal abuse and cruelty, and he has been arrested on multiple occasions for his public protests (via The Los Angeles Times). Most recently, the actor protested the price increase for plant-based milk by supergluing his hands to a display case at a Starbucks in Manhattan (via NPR).
