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Jack Lemmon Facts
| Sign | Aquarius |
| Born |
Feb 8, 1925 Newton, MA |
| Died |
Jun 27, 2001 Los Angeles, CA |
| Age | Died at 76 |
| Total Facts | 50 |
Kevin Spacey dedicated his Oscar for American Beauty (1999) to Lemmon.
Billy Wilder directed him in 7 movies: The Apartment (1960), Avanti! (1972), Buddy Buddy (1981), The Fortune Cookie (1966), The Front Page (1974), Irma la Douce (1963) and Some Like It Hot (1959).
1947 graduate of Harvard University.
A passionate but unskilled golfer who tried for 33 years to make the cut at Pebble Beach but didn't.
An accomplished, self-taught pianist, he wrote the theme for the movie Tribute (1980) and played jazz in a Bobby Short TV special.
Appeared on an episode of "The Simpsons" (1989), in which he convinced Marge to get into the pretzel business. Shelley Levene, his character from Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), was the inspiration for another Simpsons character, the usually jobless Gil, who Marge first met while working at a real estate firm.
Appears in Mister Roberts (1955) with Henry Fonda, in which he takes over Fonda's position of Cargo Officer when Fonda is transferred off the USS Reluctant. In 12 Angry Men (1997) (TV), Lemmon plays the same juror that Fonda played in the original.
Before any take he would say, "It's magic time."
Best remembered by the public for his roles playing the "average Joe" and for his many roles opposite good friend Walter Matthau.
Born at 2:00pm-EST.
Daughter, Courtney Lemmon (b. 1966), with Felicia Farr.
Described his flamboyant, authoritarian mother as "Tallulah Bankhead on a road show." Laughed about how she used to hang out with her girlfriends at the Ritz Bar in Boston and how she tried to have her cremation ashes placed on the bar (the management refused).
Did all of his own stunts for My Fellow Americans (1996).
During his early days as a contract player with Columbia Pictures, studio head Harry Cohn wanted Lemmon to change his screen name to "Jack Lennon." Cohn feared that critics would make use of Lemmon's last name (i.e., "Jack Lemmon's performance in the film is a lemon."). Lemmon convinced Conn if he changed his name to "Lennon," everyone would think that he was related to V.I. Lenin, the founder of Soviet Communism (this was the 1950s, the time of the McCarthy "Red Scare", and years before the appearance of John Lennon and The Beatles). Referring to Vladimir Lenin, Cohn told Lemmon, "No, that's wrong. They pronounce his name 'Len-IN." "No," Lemmon replied, firmly. "It's pronounced 'LEN-in." After making a phone call to a Russian associate, who confirmed that Lenin's name was pronounced "LEN-in",' Cohn agreed to let Lemmon keep his own name.
During WW II, he served in the Naval Reserve and was the communications officer on the USS Lake Champlain.
Father-in-law of Gina Raymond and Peter McCrea.
First actor to win two "Best Actor" Award at the Cannes Film Festival. (Dean Stockwell won twice at the festival before, but he had to share both of his awards with his co-stars)
Gil on The Simpsons is based on Lemmon's character Shelley Levine from Glen Gary Glen Ross.
Graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, in 1943.
He and Walter Matthau acted together in 10 movies: Buddy Buddy (1981), The Fortune Cookie (1966), The Front Page (1974), The Grass Harp (1995), Grumpier Old Men (1995), Grumpy Old Men (1993), JFK (1991), The Odd Couple II (1998), The Odd Couple (1968) and Out to Sea (1997). Lemmon also directed Matthau in Kotch (1971).
He and The China Syndrome (1979) co-stars Michael Douglas and Jane Fonda have all won Oscars for Leading Roles. Lemmon won for Save the Tiger (1973), Fonda won for Klute (1971), and Douglas won for Wall Street (1987).
He once had a Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavor named after him: "Jack Lemmon". It was still being produced in the early 1980s but has since been discontinued and is not listed on the Baskin-Robbins website.
He studied with Uta Hagen, and considers her his prime early mentor.
He was pleasantly shocked by Golden Globe winner Ving Rhames in 1998 when Rhames called him up to the stage and actually gave him the award for Best Actor in a TV Movie, which he had just won, to express his admiration to the veteran actor.
He was voted the 33rd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
He was voted the 45th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.
His father, John Uhler Lemmon II has an uncredited role in The Notorious Landlady (1962).
His headstone reads "Jack Lemmon in".
His performance as Jerry/Daphne in Some Like It Hot (1959) is ranked #29 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
His performance as Jerry/Daphne in Some Like It Hot (1959) is ranked #65 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
His son, Chris Lemmon, appeared with him in Airport '77 (1977).
Holds the record for most Golden Globe nominations for acting, including both actors and actresses (22 total).
In Harvard, he was in Navy ROTC and graduated with a degree in "War Service Sciences."
Is a recipient of the Connor Award, an award given to someone who displays an excellence in the communicative arts, handed out by the brothers of the fraternity Phi Alpha Tau from Emerson College in Boston.
Jack Lemmon was the top male Box Office Star of 1964, as ranked by Quigley Publications' survey of movie exhibitors. He ranked #2 that year, topped only by Doris Day. In the 11 years from 1960 to 1970, Lemmon was ranked a Top 10 Box Office Star eight times (1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969 and 1970).
Lemmon admitted to having had a serious drinking problem at one time, which is one reason he looked back on his Oscar-winning role as Harry Stoner in Save the Tiger (1973) as perhaps the most gratifying, emotionally fulfilling performance of his career.
Lemmon passed away four days shy of one year after his frequent co-star, Walter Matthau.
Lemmon's dad, a bakery executive, didn't approve of his son taking up acting, but told him he should continue with it only as long as he felt passion for it, adding: "The day I don't find romance in a loaf of bread..." His dying words to Jack were: "Spread a little sunshine."
Openly admitted on "Inside the Actors Studio" (1994) that he was an alcoholic.
Owner of Jalem Productions, which co-produced many of his films as well as Cool Hand Luke (1967) starring Paul Newman.
Producer Howard Koch originally wanted Art Carney to replicate his role of Felix in The Odd Couple (1968), but Paramount production chief Robert Evans wanted Jack Lemmon, who was a superstar. Carney would later win the Academy Award as Best Actor for Harry and Tonto (1974) (1974) one year after Lemmon picked up his Best Actor Oscar for Save the Tiger (1973).
Ranked #47 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Since his middle initial was U., he had to deal with ribbing from kids who taunted him with, "Jack, u lemon".
Son, Chris Lemmon, with Cynthia Stone.
Starred opposite Henry Fonda in Mister Roberts (1955) in 1955 and opposite Henry's daughter, Jane Fonda, in The China Syndrome (1979) in 1979.
The only actor to be offered the role of George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) before Richard Burton was cast. He accepted the role but quickly changed his mind the next day without offering any explanation.
Was born February 8, 1925, in an elevator at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts.
Was considered for the role of Carl Fox in Wall Street (1987).
Was good friends with Walter Matthau.
Was president of the Harvard Hasty Pudding Club.