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In Memoriam · 1925 – 2001
Jack Lemmon

Person · Actor

Jack Lemmon

A legendary actor known for his comic-dramatic brilliance and everyman charm, Jack Lemmon navigates the highs and lows of Hollywood, earning critical acclaim and a legacy as one of cinema’s most versatile and enduring stars.

Born
1925
Died
2001
From
Newton, Massachusetts, USA·Los Angeles, California, USA
Height
1.75 m (5'9")
  • Also:
  • Producer
  • Director
106
Credits on file
8
Decades active
39
Awards

In short · Acted for eight decades — 106 credits, 23 Golden Globe Award wins.

Recent & in release

  1. Award win

    Golden Globe Award — Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film

  2. Award win

    Primetime Emmy Award — Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie

  3. Award win

    Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie

  4. Award win

    Honorary Golden Bear — Honorary Golden Bear

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Biography

Jack Lemmon was born in Newton, Massachusetts, to Mildred Lankford Noel and John Uhler Lemmon, Jr., who was president of a doughnut company. His ancestry included Irish (from his paternal grandmother) and English. He attended Ward Elementary near his Newton, MA home. At age 9, he was sent to Rivers Country Day School, then located in nearby Brookline. After RCDS, he went to high school at Phillips Andover Academy. Jack was a member of the Harvard class of 1947, where he was in Navy ROTC and the Dramatic Club. After serving as a Navy ensign, he worked in a beer hall (playing piano), on radio, off Broadway, TV, and Broadway. His movie debut was with Judy Holliday in *It Should Happen to You* (1954). He won Best Supporting Actor as Ensign Pulver in *Mister Roberts* (1955). He received nominations in comedy (*Some Like It Hot* (1959), *The Apartment* (1960)) and drama (*Days of Wine and Roses* (1962), *The China Syndrome* (1979), *Tribute* (1980), and *Missing* (1982)). He won the Best Actor Oscar for *Save the Tiger* (1973) and the Cannes Best Actor award for *Syndrome* and *Missing*. He made his debut as a director with *Kotch* (1971) and in 1985 on Broadway in *Long Day's Journey into Night*. In 1988, he received the Life Achievement Award of the American Film Institute.

Family & relationships

Parents
John Uhler Lemmon II
Children

Filmography · 94 of 94

Streaming

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Director

1 credit

Actor

74 credits

Editor

3 credits

Other crew

16 credits

Awards & Nominations

23 wins · 16 nominations

Golden Globe Award

  • Won2000Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
  • Won1973Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
  • Won1961Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
  • Won1960Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy

Bafta Award

  • Won1979Best Actor in a Leading Role
  • Won1960Best Actor in a Leading Role
  • Won1959Best Actor in a Leading Role

Primetime Emmy Award

  • Won2000Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
  • Won1972Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series

Cannes Film Festival Award

  • Won1982Best Actor
  • Won1979Best Actor

Screen Actors Guild Award

  • Won2000Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie

Honorary Golden Bear

  • Won1996Honorary Golden Bear

Golden Globe Cecil B Demille Award

  • Won1991Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award

Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award

  • Won1990Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award

Tony Award

  • Nom1986Best Actor in a Play
  • Nom1979Best Actor in a Play

Academy Award

  • Nom1983Best Actor
  • Nom1981Best Actor
  • Nom1980Best Actor
  • Nom1974Best Actor
  • Nom1963Best Actor
  • Nom1961Best Actor
  • Nom1960Best Actor
  • Nom1956Best Supporting Actor
More awards & festivals (14) — regional academies & film-festival prizes

Academy Awards

  • Nom1982Oscar — Actor in a Leading Role
  • Nom1980Oscar — Actor in a Leading Role
  • Nom1979Oscar — Actor in a Leading Role
  • Won1973Oscar — Actor in a Leading Role
  • Nom1962Oscar — Actor in a Leading Role
  • Nom1960Oscar — Actor in a Leading Role
  • Nom1959Oscar — Actor in a Leading Role
  • Won1955Oscar — Actor in a Supporting Role

Kennedy Center Honors

  • Won1996Kennedy Center Honors

Volpi Cup For Best Actor

  • Won1992Volpi Cup for Best Actor

Golden Globe Awards

  • Won1991Golden Globe — Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award

Afi Life Achievement Award

  • Won1988AFI Life Achievement Award

Silver Bear For Best Actor

  • Won1981Silver Bear for Best Actor

Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame

  • Won1960star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Originals

Streaming originals this person worked on.

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Additional credits12Show

Non-headline appearances — talk-show, awards-show, panel, and archive-footage credits, kept separate from the main filmography.

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