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Biography of Jack LemmonName: Jack LemmonBirth Date: February 8, 1925 Death Date: June 27, 2001 Place of Birth: Newton, Massachusetts, United States of America Nationality: American Gender: Male Occupations: actor Jack Lemmon For more than four decades, whether working in comedy or tragedy, actor Jack Lemmon (1925-2001) epitomized the joys and travails of Americans in the latter half of the 20th century. Noted as one of the most versatile U.S. film actors of his generation, Lemmon gave numerous memorable performances in theater, film, and television, greatly influencing a later generation of actors.Actor Jack Lemmon was born in the Boston suburb of Newton, Massachusetts, on February 8, 1925--legend has it that he was actually born in the hospital elevator. The son of a successful businessman, Lemmon grew up under the expectation that he would follow his father into the bakery business. He was educated at Andover Academy and by the time he graduated from Harvard University he was thoroughly bitten by the acting bug, having acted in summer stock and in some of Harvard's Hasty Pudding productions. In a 1990 interview in the Independent …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…of the decade he appeared in yet another political drama, JFK, and also starred in a number of comedies, particularly reviving his partnership with Matthau. The pair made five movies together during the decade, including Grumpy Old Men, Grumpier Old Men, and The Odd Couple II, all of which enjoyed fair commercial success but mixed critical reviews. Lemmon's television work included remakes of 12 Angry Men and Inherit the Wind, both of which earned him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. He won the Golden Globe for his performance as Henry Drummond, the Clarence Darrow-like defense attorney in the latter. Lemmon's last important role came in the 1999 television film Tuesdays with Morrie, for which he won an Emmy award. He died from cancer on June 27, 2001. Further Reading Widener, Don, Lemmon, Macmillan, 1975.Boston Globe, April 23, 1995>Chicago Sun-Times, June 29, 2001.Independent (London, England), February 21, 1990.Los Angeles Times, December 9, 1996; January 24, 2000; June 30, 2001; September 11, 2001.San Francisco Chronicle, November 30, 2000. |