When cold, gloomy and dreary days come knocking….laugh them off!
Get a cosy orange plaid throw, a big bowl of pop corn and lose yourself in the elegantly crafted plot of a witty, laugh out loud classic comedy flick… need ideas?
Any starring the Hollywood namesake of our site will do!
Jack Lemmon was born in 1925 in Newton Massachusetts, and his father was the president of a doughnut company. “Jack” attended and earned a degree from the prestigious ivy league University of Harvard.
Soon thereafter he heeded his stage calling, and started working his way into showbiz through radio and TV programs. In the mid ’50 he received his first Best Supporting Actor Oscar thanks to his role in “Mister Roberts”, a movie cast and directed by John Ford.
Jack Lemmon’s fame as a brilliant actor, with a cheerful, universally appealing personality was ensured by his artistic partnership with filmmaker Billy Wilder, who cast him in several starring roles. Many will remember his part in the love triangle of the 1959 movie “Some Like It Hot“- that has since become a popular stage musical – starring a “sexy” Lemmon and the hilarious Tony Curtis trying to circumvent each other’s effort to seduce a sultry blond…Marilyn Monroe. How could anyone ever forget the on screen chemistry and romance of the Jack Lemmon- Shirley MacLaine duo in ” Irma la Douce“?!
With Walter Matthau as his friend and side-kick both on and off screen, Lemmon was part of the funniest comedic duo of Hollywood’s golden era: just think about their 1968 masterpiece performance in the “The Odd Couple” and its sequel, “The Odd Couple II”, made thirty years later.
In 1971 Lemmon directed and cast his friend Matthau in the movie “ Kotch “Vedovo, aitante, bisognoso d’affetto, offresi… anche babysitter“ John Avildsen unveiled Lemmon’s “serious” side by casting him as the protagonist of the alcoholism themed drama “Save The Tiger“; this role earned him a second Oscar two years later, for “Best Actor”.
In 1985 he starred opposite our very own Mastroianni in ” Maccheroni”, under the keen direction of Ettore Scola.
The actor actor died of cancer in 2001 at age 76. He now rests in the Los Angeles Village Memorial Park Cemetery, right next to his life-long friend Walter Matthau, in a grave that, true to his wit, bears the inscription: “Jack Lemmon – in”.
Still can’t pick a movie? Check out his extensive. filmography .
