Jack Lemmon
The most successful tragi-comedian of his age
Jack Lemmon was born John Uhler Lemmon III on February 8, 1925, in an elevator at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts. The only child of Mildred Burgess and John Uhler Lemmon Jr., a vice-president of sales for the Doughnut Corporation of America, he was raised Catholic. His parents had a difficult marriage and separated when he was 18 but never divorced. As a child, Lemmon was often ill, undergoing three ear operations before age ten and spending two years in hospital by age twelve.
He knew he wanted to act from age eight, he later said, and began performing in school plays. He attended John Ward Elementary School, Rivers Country Day School, and Phillips Andover Academy, where he excelled in track. At Harvard College, he lived in Eliot House and served as president of the Hasty Pudding Club and vice president of the Dramatic and Delphic Clubs, though he was an unexceptional student outside drama and music. While on academic probation, he broke Harvard rules to act onstage under pseudonyms like Timothy Orange. During World War II, he was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy through the V-12 program, serving as a communications officer on an aircraft carrier before returning to Harvard. After graduating in 1947 with a degree in war service sciences, he studied acting under Uta Hagen at HB Studio in New York City. A pianist who learned by ear at age fourteen, he worked unpaid as a waiter and master of ceremonies at the Old Knick bar, also playing piano there.
Lemmon began his professional career on radio and Broadway. His film debut was a bit part as a plasterer in *The Lady Takes a Sailor* (1949), but he had already appeared in about 400 television shows from 1948 to 1953. His first Broadway appearance, in a 1953 revival of *Room Service*, closed after two weeks, but talent scout Max Arnow spotted him and brought him to Columbia Pictures. Studio head Harry Cohn wanted to change Lemmon’s name, but he refused. His first leading role was in the comedy *It Should Happen to You* (1954) opposite Judy Holliday; Bosley Crowther of *The New York Times* praised his “warm and appealing personality.” Lemmon later credited Holliday with steering him toward film, as he had initially been snobbish about movies versus stage. He negotiated a seven-year Columbia contract with unusual flexibility, eventually staying ten years.
Lemmon won his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for *Mister Roberts* (1955), playing Ensign Pulver alongside James Cagney, Henry Fonda, and William Powell. He won a second Oscar for Best Actor for *Save the Tiger* (1973). He received additional Oscar nominations for *Some Like It Hot* (1959), *The Apartment* (1960), *Days of Wine and Roses* (1962), *The China Syndrome* (1979), *Tribute* (1980), and *Missing* (1982). Other notable films include *Irma la Douce* (1963), *The Great Race* (1965), and *Glengarry Glen Ross* (1992). Through his production company, Jalem Productions, he produced *Cool Hand Luke* (1967) and directed and produced *Kotch* (1971), neither of which he appeared in.
On television, Lemmon won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for *Tuesdays with Morrie* (1999). He was Emmy-nominated for *The Entertainer* (1975), *The Murder of Mary Phagan* (1988), *12 Angry Men* (1997), and *Inherit the Wind* (1999). On stage, he made his Broadway debut in *Room Service* (1953) and later received Tony Award nominations for Best Actor in a Play for *Tribute* (1978) and *Long Day’s Journey into Night* (1986).
Lemmon’s ten-film partnership with Walter Matthau, beginning with *The Fortune Cookie* (1966) and including *The Odd Couple* (1968), *The Front Page* (1974), and *Grumpy Old Men* (1993), was called by *The New York Times* “one of Hollywood’s most successful pairings.” He received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1988, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1991, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 1996. *The Guardian* described him as “the most successful tragi-comedian of his age.” He died on June 27, 2001.
- born
- February 8, 1925, in Newton, Massachusetts
- died
- June 27, 2001
- field
- Actor
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Comedy-drama films, collaboration with Walter Matthau, roles in Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, and Save the Tiger
Lore & Background
Lemmon was born on February 8, 1925, in an elevator at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts. He was the only child of Mildred Burgess (née LaRue) and John Uhler Lemmon Jr., who rose to vice-president of sales of the Doughnut Corporation of America. John Uhler Lemmon Jr. was of Irish heritage, and Jack Lemmon was raised Catholic. His parents had a difficult marriage, and separated permanently when Lemmon was 18, but never divorced. Often unwell as a child, Lemmon had three significant operations on his ears before he turned 10. He had spent two years in hospital by the time he turned 12. During his acceptance of his lifetime achievement award, he stated that he knew he wanted to be an actor from the age of eight. He began to act in school productions. Lemmon attended John Ward Elementary School, Rivers Country Day School (Class of 1939) and Phillips Andover Academy (Class of 1943), where he pursued track sports with success. He entered Harvard College (Class of 1947), where he lived in Eliot House. At Harvard, he was president of the Hasty Pudding Club and vice president of Dramatic and Delphic Clubs. Except for drama and music, however, he was an unexceptional student. Forbidden to act onstage due to academic probation, Lemmon broke Harvard rules to appear in roles using pseudonyms such as Timothy Orange. A member of the V-12 Navy College Training Program, Lemmon was commissioned by the United States Navy, serving briefly with the rank of ensign as a communications officer on the aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain during World War II before returning to Harvard after completing his military service. After graduation with a bachelor's degree in war service sciences in 1947, he studied acting under coach Uta Hagen at HB Studio in New York City. He was also a pianist, who became devoted to the instrument at age 14 and learned to play by ear. For about a year in New York City, he worked unpaid as a waiter and master of ceremonies at the Old Knick bar on Second Avenue. He also played the piano at the venue.
Reader's Guide
Lemmon's film debut was a bit part as a plasterer in the film The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949), but he had already appeared in television shows, which numbered about 400 from 1948 to 1953. He made his Broadway debut in the play Room Service (1953). His first role as a leading man was in the comedy It Should Happen to You (1954). He received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Mister Roberts (1955) and the Academy Award for Best Actor for Save the Tiger (1973). He was Oscar-nominated for Some Like It Hot (1959), The Apartment (1960), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), The China Syndrome (1979), Tribute (1980), and Missing (1982). He is also known for his roles in Irma la Douce (1963), The Great Race (1965), and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). He produced two films in which he did not appear, Cool Hand Luke (1967) and Kotch (1971), the latter of which he also directed, both through his production company, Jalem Productions. For his work on television, Lemmon received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Tuesdays with Morrie (1999). He was Emmy-nominated for The Entertainer (1975), The Murder of Mary Phagan (1988), 12 Angry Men (1997), and Inherit the Wind (1999). On stage, he received two Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nominations for his roles in the Bernard Slade play Tribute (1978) and in the Eugene O'Neill revival Long Day's Journey into Night (1986). Lemmon had a long-running collaboration with actor and friend Walter Matthau, which The New York Times called 'one of Hollywood's most successful pairings', that spanned ten films between 1966 and 1998 including The Fortune Cookie (1966), The Odd Couple (1968), The Front Page (1974) and Grumpy Old Men (1993).
Did You Know?
- Lemmon was born in an elevator at Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
- He was raised Catholic, according to the source.
- His film debut was a bit part as a plasterer in The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949).
- He produced Cool Hand Luke (1967) through Jalem Productions, though he did not appear in it.
More in Writers & Journalists
Elsewhere in the Historical Figures universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record