Jack Lemmon
Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park
Jack Lemmon
was the "everyman" actor who excelled in both comedic and dramatic
roles, and won Academy Awards in both areas. His career included
everything from belly-laugh comedy to gut-wrenching tragedy,
from Shakespeare to "The Simpsons." In nearly 100 films, Lemmon
typically played slightly flawed but deeply likeable characters
struggling, not to exceed, but just to survive.
The Harvard-educated son of a Boston doughnut
company executive, Lemmon began his acting career in college.
After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Lemmon worked
as a beer-hall piano player in New York City, and appeared in radio
productions, television dramas and off-Broadway plays before making
his film debut in "It Should Happen to You" (1954), co-starring
with Judy Holliday. The following year, Lemmon co-starred with
Henry Fonda, William Powell and James Cagney in "Mister Roberts"
(1955), the filmed version of the successful Broadway play.
Lemmon's performance as Ensign Frank Pulver, the scheming laundry
and morale officer on a World War II supply ship, earned him an
Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor.
After appearing in several more comedies over
the next few years, including "You Can't Run Away From It"
(1956), "Operation Mad Ball" (1957) and "Bell, Book and Candle"
(1958), Lemmon co-starred with Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe
in "Some Like it Hot" (1959), which usually tops most critic
and fan lists as the best American comedy. (The film probably
wouldn't have become a comedy classic, however, if the producers
had gotten their wish of Frank Sinatra to play Lemmon's role.)
Lemmon and Wilder next teamed in "The Apartment"
(1960), co-starring Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray. Lemmon
played a mid-level executive who tries to climb the corporate
ladder by loaning out his apartment for his bosses' afternoon
trysts. A stellar mix of comedy and tragedy, "The Apartment" won
Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay,
and Lemmon was again nominated for Best Actor.
Lemmon earned his fourth Academy Award nomination
for "The Days of Wine and Roses" (1962) for his role as a public
relations executive who sinks to the depths of alcoholism, then
tries to pull both himself and his wife, played by Lee Remick, back
up to sobriety. Several times during the film, just before taking
a drink, Lemmon would say, "It's magic time." In fact, Lemmon used
that phrase throughout his career, just before stepping in front of
the cameras.
Lemmon returned to comedy in "The Fortune Cookie"
(1966), again directed by Billy Wilder, and notable as Lemmon's
first film with long-time co-star and off-screen friend Walter Matthau.
Two years later, Lemmon and Matthau co-starred in their most famous
collaboration, "The Odd Couple" (1968), written by Neil Simon, with
Lemmon as the persnickety Felix Unger and Matthau as the slovently
Oscar Madison, two recently divorced men forced to share an apartment.
Lemmon and Matthau co-starred in seven more films -
"The Front Page" (1974), "Buddy Buddy" (1981), "Grumpy Old Men" (1993),
"Grumpier Old Men" (1995), "The Grass Harp" (1995), "Out to Sea"
(1997) and "The Odd Couple II" (1998). Lemmon also directed Matthau
in "Kotch" (1971) - a performance that netted Matthau an Academy Award
nomination as Best Actor. (Lemmon and Matthau also both appeared
in "JFK" (1991), though in smaller roles, not as co-stars.)
Lemmon finally won his Academy Award for Best Actor
for his performance in "Save the Tiger" (1973) as a bitter, corrupt
businessman. Lemmon was the first actor to win Academy Awards as
both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Since then, four other
actors have taken home both awards -- Gene Hackman, Jack Nicholson,
Robert DeNiro and Kevin Spacey.
Lemmon played primarily dramatic roles in the 1980s
and 1990s, including Academy Award-nominated performances in
"The China Syndrome" (1979), "Tribute" (1980) and "Missing" (1982),
giving him a total of eight Oscar nominations in his career. Lemmon
won his only Emmy Award for his performance in the television film,
"Tuesdays With Morrie" (1999).
In 1988, Lemmon received the Life Achievement Award
from the American Film Institute. Ten years later, the AFI released
its list of "100 Greatest American Movies," in commemoration of the
first 100 years of American cinema, and "Some Like it Hot" was
ranked number 14. Two years later, AFI released its list of the 100
funniest American movies, with three films starring Lemmon in the
top 20 - "Some Like it Hot" was ranked number 1, "The Odd Couple" was
number 17, and "The Apartment" was number 20.
Lemmon died a few days before the first anniversary
of Matthau's death, and is buried just a few feet away from his long-time
friend and co-star.
Lemmon was born John Uhler Lemmon III on Feb. 8,
1925, in Boston, MA. He died on June 27, 2001, in Los Angeles, CA.
1925 - 2001
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