Oscar-winning actor Jack Lemmon died last Thursday (June 28) at the age of 76.
The legendary comic star was best known for his exquisite timing opposite contemporary foils Walter Matthau and Tony Curtis. Lemmon was a two-time Oscar winner and nominated for six more passed away early on Thursday, with his wife and two of his children at his bedside, after suffering medical complications related to cancer.
The son of the president of a doughnut factory had a tough time becoming the star he'd become, beginning at the Dramatics club at Harvard. After playing piano in a beer hall he moved on to radio, off Broadway and finally to TV. After brief Broadway exposure he got his break in a series of Judy Holiday vehicles before scoring an early Best Supporting Oscar as Ensign Pulver (he had been an ensign himself) in Mister Roberts. He won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in Save the Tiger in 1973 but his other nominations reflected the man's versatility as a serious dramatic actor as well as his range of comedy personas.
In 1971 he directed his first feature, Kotch, a comedy starring Walter Matthau. In 1985 he returned to Broadway in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's Long Days Journey into Night.
Besides his Oscars Lemmon was the winner of three BAFTAs and was nominated for another four. He picked up Best Actor awards at Cannes, Venice, and Berlin twice each, an incredible five Golden Globes and was nominated an astonishing 15 additional times. He collected at least a half dozen Life Time Achievement awards including that of the Screen Actors Guild and The American Film Institute's in 1988.
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Oscar-winning actor Jack Lemmon died last Thursday (June 28) at the age of 76.