Legendary Actors And Actresses Revisited: Jack Lemmon

If there was ever a comedian that could literally make anyone laugh, it would be Jack Lemmon. Not only was he a talented actor and musician, but when paired with Walter Matthau, he would become an unstoppable force of laughter.

Career

This legendary funnyman made his film debut in the early ‘50s with the role of Pete Sheppard in the comedy “It Should Happen To You,” starring opposite Judy Holliday.

Since then, Lemmon’s career often led him to partnerships with many iconic actresses, such as Natalie Wood, Janet Leigh, Romy Schneider, Rita Heyworth, and even Marilyn Monroe.

However, it was his actor buddies that really left an imprint on his career.

Lemmon made quite a few friends over the course of his acting career, which included Ernie Kovacs, Walter Matthau, and Kevin Spacey.

He co-starred with Kovacs in three movies, while he teamed up with Matthau for a grand total of eleven films. Some of Jack Lemmon’s most noticeable works are those in “Some Like It Hot,” “It Happened to Jane,” “Mister Roberts,” and “Save the Tiger.” 

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He was awarded with Best Supporting Actor Oscar and Best Actor Oscar for the last two movies, respectively.

Personal Life

Aside from being a true audience-please, many of Lemmon’s closest friends often described him as caring, responsible, and friendly.

Kevin Spacey met the legendary actor when he was only a teenager, when Lemmon talked to him about chasing after the dream of becoming a famous actor. Since then, Spacey and Lemmon collaborated on “The Murder of Mary Phagan,” “Dad,” and the well known “Glengarry Glen Ross.”

Burt Reynolds described Lemmon in his autobiography “My Life” as “the quintessential gentleman who never spoke ill of anyone, even if they deserved it.” It would be strange to imagine a comedian like Lemmon being rude, but one thing’s for sure – he could still give comedy lessons to modern moviemakers.