Matthew Kimbrough walked into the Cranbrook School Dining Hall and did what came naturally: he sang.

Kimbrough is a 1970 Cranbrook Kingswood graduate and character actor with credits in American Beauty, Mad Men and Erin Brockovich. He was among the first alumni to see the newly refinished floors and walls of the Eliel Saarinen-designed hall, according to Cranbrook Schools. The school shared the moment in an Aug. 27 post, saying the restored space moved him to perform a selection from "Cremora," a production he appeared in as a student more than 50 years ago.

Kimbrough visited campus with his wife Margery. The school described him as a performing arts standout during his student years, a reputation he carried into a four-decade Hollywood career. His screen credits also include Catch Me If You Can, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Wildcat, along with stage work.

He now serves as class agent for the Class of 1970, helping keep his graduating class connected to the school.

A 1929 landmark, refreshed

The Dining Hall dates to 1929, when Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen designed it as part of the original Cranbrook campus in Bloomfield Hills. The room has barely changed. It still features a vaulted ceiling, leaded-glass windows and custom furnishings. Saarinen's original tables and chairs remain in use by students, according to Frederic Magazine.

Rather than replacing the hardwood floor, Cranbrook has maintained and refinished it over the decades, the school said. The latest restoration covered both the floor and the surrounding walls.

Cranbrook Schools posted on X in October 2025 that the Dining Hall had been named among the 15 best-designed dining halls in the world.

Alumni investment in Saarinen spaces

The dining hall work was funded through The Cranbrook Schools Fund, which collects annual donations from alumni and families. Cranbrook credited those donors with making the restoration possible.

The project is one of several recent efforts to preserve Saarinen's original campus architecture. As we reported earlier, Cranbrook alumnus Essel W. Bailey Jr. and Menakka Bailey gave $15 million to restore and endow the Performing Arts Center, another Saarinen building dating to 1932.

A video of Kimbrough's impromptu performance is available on the Cranbrook Schools website.