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A private school-educated everyman who could play outrageous comedy and wrenching tragedy, Jack Lemmon is one of the Greatest Legendary Comedians in the History of Cinema and one of the most award-winning American actors of all Time. His charming smile, beautiful personality and glowing warmth in his acting earned a massive fanbase all around the globe. Millions and millions warmed to the gifted actor and they still do today. After 50 years in the movie, television and radio business, his greatness as an actor, and his achievements as a performer, made him nothing less than an American icon, a legend. Some Like It Hot? Nobody's Perfect!In the afternoon on February 8 1925, at precisely 2.00pm, a very special and delicate baby boy was born. His parents were Mildred and John. They named the baby, John Uhler Lemmon III. Or otherwise known to people as Jack Lemmon. At the time of the birth, his mother Mildred was playing a very tight game of bridge and when little Jack was on his way, Mildred only made it to the elevator in a Boston, Massachusetts hospital, when Jack entered the world. Even the nurses were in love with the little youngster, quoting; "My, look at the little yellow Lemmon!"Little Jack started kindergarden at the age of 4. He attended Rivers County Day School when still a little lad. Even at the tender age of 4, after appearing with his father in an amateur production of Gold in Them Thar Hills, he declared to his parents that he knew what he wanted to be - an actor. However, Jack was a very sickly child, undergoing several operations until the age of 13. He was treated for such illnesses as tonsillitis and mastoiditis. Jack was also taunted by fellow schoolkids, ribbing him with chants like "Jack, U Lemmon", since his middle name began with a U.At 13 years old, Jack became infatuated with music, and in the first of his teenage years, he was already learning how to play the piano. He soon became a whizz at playing the piano and decided that music was of a great interest to him, as well as acting. At 16 years old, Jack could also play many harmonica themes and could also play the bull-fiddle, which came in handy for Jack for when he played Jerry/Daphne in 1959's "Some Like It Hot".Scrawny as a teenager, Jack took up cross-country running so avidly that he eventually broke the New York record for the two-mile. At that time, his father was the owner of The Doughnut Company of America, which could have given Jack the opportunity to have been in the executive suite of the major corporation, being the rightful only child of his parents. But ambitious Jack moved on to study Drama and English Literature at the posh Harvard University at 17 years old. Jack had also, by then, lost his virginity at 17, adding; "Let's just say, I got my foot wedged in the roof supports of the car," smiled Mr Lemmon.At Andover, Massachusetts, Mr Lemmon became enthralled by the piano and learned to play by ear. This enthusiasm for the ivories overshadowed his interest in acting until late in his senior year when he helped write, direct, and act in the Class Day musical. At Harvard, however, he was active in dramatics from enrollment to commencement and rose to the presidency of the famed Hasty Pudding Club. Graduating in 1947 at the age of 22, Jack served in the Navy as a communication officer with the rank of ensign aboard the carrier, Lake Champlain.When Jack finished working at the war efforts, he headed to New York and the Great White Way. He worked at odd jobs while he waited for a show business opening. He managed to get one as emcee at the Old Knick Music Hall, a converted movie house. "I was the head waiter, the entire orchestra, the comedian, a 143-pound bouncer, song-and-dance man - you name it," said Mr Lemmon. His salary dipped to a low of five dollars a week, but the exposure proved to be Jack's door opener.Mr Lemmon started working in radio with running parts in several soap operas, including The Brighter Day and Road to Life. Soon he found himself working a new medium: television. He gave about 500 television performances and appearances, almost all of them live, on such shows as Studio One, Robert Montgomery Presents, Suspense, and Playhouse 90. He also was involved in four series: Wonderful Guy, The Couple Next Door, Heaven for Betsy and The Ad-Libbers. And by that time, Jack had been dating many famous beautiful actresses.While making the television comedy series, Heaven for Betsy, he had married actress Cynthia Stone, his co-star in the television series. In 1953, Cynthia had their son Christopher, who eventually turned into become an actor and author. In 1953, at the age of 29, Jack made his Broadway debut in Room Service, in which he was noticed by scouts from Hollywood. He was soon summoned west by Harry Cohn, the czar of Columbia Pictures. Mr Cohn tried to change Jack's surname to Lennon but the young actor held firm, winning the admiration of the often tyrannical mogul.In 1954, the young hopeful started his long, legendary screen career in a film starring opposite comedienne Judy Holliday. He had played the part of Holliday's boyfriend in the comedy "It Should Happen to You". And starred again with Holliday for "Phffft!" the same year. He was then cast in a musical the next year with actress Betty Grable, "Three For The Show". Although the film received bad reviews and didn't do as well as expected, Jack still enjoyed singing and dancing in the film.He became an Academy Award winner in only his fifth movie, winning an Oscar® for his portrayal of the hapless Ensign Pulver in John Ford's "Mister Roberts". Jack then starred in small, minor comedy roles. He had starred in small films in the middle of the 1950s, opposite Janet Leigh in "My Sister Eileen" and June Allyson in "You Can't Run Away from It". Unfortunately in 1956, Jack split with Cynthia Stone. They were married for 6 years. Their son Chris was only 3 years old. Jack filed for divorce papers at the end of 1956. It was then that Mr Lemmon decided to have a 'play' before getting married again too soon.In 1957, Jack then travelled to Trinidad to film the drama "Fire Down Below" with Robert Mitchum and Rita Hayworth. The interiors were shot at Warwick Films' studio in London. Jack had developed close friendships with Mitchum and, particularly, Hayworth while the filming took place. "Fire Down Below" did fine at the box office, but Jack was still adament to show the public and the world that he could do both comedy and drama. And with "Fire Down Below" being a dark drama, Jack was happy with the recognition it received.Jack then made another small comedy film, named "Operation Mad Ball" the same year. It was released just after "Fire Down Below" and the film earned small box office success. Jack then returned to Drama, playing a wannabe cowboy in the self-titled "Cowboy" in 1958, opposite Glenn Ford. The film was a huge success and the public finally realised that Jack did indeed have the amazing talent to do both drama and comedy roles. In 1958, Jack played warlock Nicky Holroyd in his next comedy, titled "Bell, Book & Candle". The film brought Jack to work with actress Kim Novak and James Stewart. It was rumoured that Jack went on several dates with Novak, when she was, at that time, engaged to the film's director, Richard Quine. But Jack had declared that they were just rumours...at that time. However the rumours, naturally, 'didn't go down well' with director Quine and despite all the production problems suffered, "Bell, Book & Candle" proved to be a major hit.By now, Jack had became the major star that he is today. Earning a celebrity and comedy reputation, as well as drama, Jack was relishing the ride and he was loving it. His comedic sense of humour alerted a certain major Hollywood director, refering to Mr Billy Wilder. Wilder had watched Jack's comedic talents for many years and was very interested in signing Jack up for Wilder's next major comedy movie, perhaps the Greatest Comedy of all Time, "Some Like It Hot". With Jack's cute sense of humour and handsome looks, Wilder knew that Jack was perfect as Jerry and as the unforgettable Daphne. Wilder had already cast Tony Curtis, another aspiring young actor. Wilder originally wanted Mitzi Gaynor to play to main female lead but Jack reassured Wilder to cast Marilyn Monroe, who was a friend of Jack's. Although Monroe wasn't sure about the role, she decided to accept the offer as she needed the money.But all was not well on the set. Monroe was between 2-3 hours late to the set and was often unrehearsed. Curtis and Wilder soon became impatient with Marilyn's unprofessionalism, but Jack was never hurtful towards Monroe. The two were great friends during the filming and kept in contact for years afterwards. Rumours of an affair between Jack and Monroe began to circulate, Marilyn was then currently married to Arthur Miller. Despite all the production problems, "Some Like It Hot" would become 1959's most popular and biggest film and has now been ranked as the greatest comedy of all Time. Jack being Jack stole every scene in the movie! Jack was overall delighted with the success. He won an Academy Award for his cross-dressing performance in the film; Monroe also won an award for her startling performance as Sugar.With several big hits under his belt, Jack then worked on yet another small movie after the huge success of "Some Like It Hot". He played a struggling lawyer with actress Doris Day and built a life-long friendship with her, after starring together in "It Happened to Jane" in 1959. Jack then starred with Shirley MacLaine in another big screen, box office success, "The Apartment". The film was made in 1960 and was again directed by Billy Wilder. MacLaine was already a big name and she was very fond of Jack. The two got on extremely well and their chemistry was clearly shown by the acting in the film. Jack earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for the film. MacLaine also earned a Best Actress nomination at the same awards ceremony. But the film still won Best Picture at the Academy Awards and huge phenominal success.After releasing comedy "The Wackiest Ship in the Army" just after "The Apartment", Mr Lemmon decided to take leave for a year in 1961 and thought about what next to do. Jack had been seen out and about with many beautiful actresses but he soon got serious with actress Felicia Farr. He was then approached again by director Richard Quine, to make another small movie. Jack wasn't too sure but decided to take the role after finding out that Kim Novak, his close pal, would be his glamourous co-star. The film was named "The Notorious Landlady" and was released in 1962.Jack pleaded with popular director Blake Edwards to give him the role in Edwards' next drama, "Days of Wine and Roses". Edwards then casted Jack to play alcoholic Joe Clay, opposite English actress Lee Remick. Jack and Edwards became good mates and decided to make a comedy soon after "Days of Wine and Roses". The world was shocked to see their favorite comedian act like a true alcoholic and that's exactly what Jack wanted. But the public then got used to Jack's dramatic side and warmed to his ideas. But in real life, after the filming of "Days of Wine and Roses" ended, Jack suffered alcoholism after acting out such dramatic scenes. It soon got to a point when Jack lashed out at his favorite aunt, that he needed help. He attended Alcoholic's Anonymous meetings. If that wasn't bad enough, one of Jack's closest friends, Marilyn Monroe, had died that year. The final verdict was that Monroe had commited an accidental suicide, but Jack was among the others who believed that it wasn't accidental, or even suicide.Soon after attending Monroe's funeral on August 8 1962, Jack started to feel much better. He soon returned to being the loveable Jack Lemmon we all know and love. He then starred again with Shirley MacLaine in 1963's "Irma La Douce". While filming the comedy, Jack finally decided to marry Felicia Farr in France. Things were looking up for Jack. The film was one of the year's biggest hits. With Jack and Shirley being a couple of global inspirations, they made their famous inprints in the famous Hollywood Cement. Jack was then cast in small comedy roles in the first few years of the '60s. He had made "Under the Yum Yum Tree", "Good Neighbor, Sam" and "How to Murder Your Wife" all during 1963, '64 and '65. With all three being classic hits, Jack was reunited with best pal Tony Curtis to make 1965's wacky "The Great Race". Jack played the classic villainous Professor Fate and the drunken Prince Hapnick in the film. It also starred the beautiful Natalie Wood, another close friend of Jack's.Although getting bad reviews, "The Great Race" proved to be a real smash hit at the box office for 1965. The following year, Jack was finally cast together, for the first time, with good pal Walter Matthau. They started their classic movie partnership with the comedy "The Fortune Cookie", directed by Billy Wilder. The movie was a massive success, earning Matthau an Oscar award for his role as the crooked lawyer. At the age of 41 in 1966, Jack had a daughter with his wife Felicia. Her name was Courtney Lemmon. Jack was then cast in 1967's romantic comedy "Luv" opposite Peter Falk, his co-star in "The Great Race". Jack also made "The Odd Couple" that same year with Walter Matthau. Based on a Neil Simon play, "The Odd Couple" was the most popular film of the 1960s and Jack was getting more popular and famous by the day.In 1969, Jack made "The April Fools" with Catherine Deneuve. Another comedy which was another big hit for Jack. By 1970, Jack had made the legendary classic "The Out-of-Towners" with comedienne Sandy Dennis. The film took box offices by storm and Jack had become a national institution. But by now, Jack felt he had a point to make. This time he wanted to direct a film. And so he did. In 1971, he directed the comedy drama "Kotch", starring good pal Walter Matthau and Jack's wife Felicia Farr. But in the end, Jack felt uncomfortable behind the camera, rather than in front of it. Although he had a very small minor role in the film, he still felt he belonged performing instead of instructing. "Kotch" received reasonably good reviews but had made just enough money to be a success. But Jack soon returned to the screens to make the comedy "The War Between Men and Women" in 1972. He starred opposite Barbara Harris and Jason Robards in the film. It was another hit for that year. Jack was then cast with English actress Juliet Mills. They starred in "Avanti!", an Italian comedy based on a mysterious car accident involving their parents' "mysterious" death which only ends up with a hilarious storyline! It was once again directed by Billy Wilder. The film made millions at the box office.Soon Jack felt he should now start getting a little more serious in his roles. His next film was as Harry Stoner in 1973's "Save the Tiger". His stunning performance earned him his second Oscar® award for "Best Actor", after winning "Best Supporting Actor" for 1955's "Mister Roberts". Jack is still currently the only actor to have ever won two Oscar® awards in an actors' life. Jack's next film, "Wednesday", wasn't classed as one of Jack's best, but it still did well at the box office. After releasing "Wednesday", Jack starred in the comedy "The Front Page", directed by Billy Wilder, and starring with good pal Walter Matthau. The film was a slow-moving success. In 1975 when Jack turned 50, he starred in the comedy drama "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" as Mel Edison, co-starring with Anne Bancroft. He then starred in "Alex & Gypsy" and 1977's "Airport '77". All of these films did extremely well. But it was in 1979 that Jack's even darker side came out. "The China Syndrome" is a thriller that showed Jack could definately carry out a big budget drama thriller. He starred with Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas in the film.In 1980, Jack starred in "Tribute", co-starring a young Kim Cattrall and Lee Remick, Jack's co-star 1962's "Days of Wine and Roses". The film didn't do as well as expected but it still helped launch Jack into to being recognised as a dramatic actor, as well as a comedic actor. In 1981, Jack starred in the last film that he did with Billy Wilder, before Wilder retired. The film was named "Buddy Buddy" and co-starred Jack with Walter Matthau. A comedy with drama mixed in. An often over-looked classic but both Jack and Matthau acted amazingly and the film made money. In 1982, Jack went back to the serious acting, and starred in the drama "Missing". Based on a true story, Jack starred with actress Sissy Spacek and Melanie Mayron. The film was a huge success. The following year, Jack took another break from acting in 1983 to think things through. He was to return to the movies to make 1984's "Mass Appeal", as what his contract had stated. Jack wasn't too sure on making the movie but eventually made it. Giving a very lived-in, often moving performance as Father Tim Farley, the film was unfortunately a slow-moving miscalculation.Jack was then cast in some forgettable roles, such as 1985's "Maccheroni" and 1986's comedy "That's Life". But in 1989, after starring in many successful television projects in 1988, Jack starred in the very poor movie "Dad". Although Jack still gave his very best in the movie, it still wasn't a success like it was expected. But during the year that brought out "Dad", Jack received the Life Achievement Award of the American Film Institute. In 1991, Jack starred in "JFK", based on the Kennedy assassination. He was cast opposite Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman, Kevin Costner and Kevin Bacon. The film was a massive success. By now, Jack had also found a new passion for golf and entered several golf tournaments.Then in 1992 at the age of 67, Jack starred in the comedy drama "Glengarry Glen Ross", opposite one of Jack's biggest fans Kevin Spacey, Al Pacino and Alec Baldwin. The film was a fast-moving success and Jack had another huge hit under his belt. Soon after, Jack starred in 1993's drama "Short Cuts". But it was Jack's next film that helped make Jack into one of the world's beloved actors. He starred in the comedy "Grumpy Old Men" with Walter Matthau and Ann-Margret, who starred as Jack's love interest. In 1995, Jack made a sequel to "Grumpy Old Men", naturally named "Grumpier Old Men", this time also starring the glamourous Sophia Loren. Both of the "Grumpy Old Men" movies were massive successes.Mr Lemmon then made his debut as a guest star on the American cartoon show "The Simpsons". He voiced a character called Frank Ormond who convinces Marge, voiced by Julie Kavner, to get into the Pretzel business. Soon after this, he starred in the outrageous comedy "Out to Sea" with Walter Matthau in 1997. After several more TV projects, including 12 Angry Men, Jack starred in "The Odd Couple II" with Walter Matthau, a sequel to the 1968 comedy smash "The Odd Couple". Although the sequel wasn't as good or as popular as the classic original, it still did well at the box office.At the age of 73, Jack was beginning to feel not as well as usual. After having several operations, it turned out that Jack was suffering from a very rare bladder cancer. But Jack had kept this secret from the world for two whole years. He carried on working, as that was what he felt was the right thing to do. Jack starred in the 1999 television project, "Tuesdays with Morrie" which proved to be his final major role and an appropriate end to his stellar career. Jack was overall pleased with everything he did. In the year 2000, Jack voiced Robert Redford's golf fable "The Legend of Bagger Vance". Sadly on June 27th 2001, Jack Lemmon died of cancer. He was in a Los Angeles hospital with his wife Felicia Farr and his two children, Chris and Courtney, by his side. It is believed that his last words were simply: "Yes...I'm Jack Lemmon." He was buried at the Westwood Memorial Park, only a few graves next to Marilyn Monroe and Walter Matthau, who had died a year before Jack did.Get Your Own! | View Slideshow
