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Peter Lawford Filmography
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Peter Sydney Lawford (September 7, 1923 - December 24, 1984) was a Hollywood actor and member of
Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack," more noted for his off-screen activities than for his acting.
Born in London, England, the son of actor Sidney Lawford and his (eventual) wife, Mary Aylen, née Somerville, he spent his early childhood in France, and began acting as a child. He was the victim of sexual abuse several times in childhood. Also as a child he severely injured his arm when he put the arm through a door's glass pane. Doctors were able to save the arm, but the injury bothered him for many years. The arm injury kept him from being drafted into the armed forces for the Second World War. Prior to the war, Lawford had a gained a contract position with the MGM studios.
Lawford became an American citizen in 1960, in time to vote for his brother-in-law John F. Kennedy. Lawford, along with the other members of the Rat Pack helped to campaign for Kennedy and the Democratic party.
He married four times. He married his first wife, Patricia Kennedy, sister to President John F. Kennedy, in 1954. They had four children, including actor Christopher Lawford. They divorced in 1966. He married his scond wife, Mary Rowan, daughter of Dan Rowan, in 1971. They divorced in 1975. He married his third wife, Deborah Gould in 1976. They divorced in 1977. His fourth wife, whom he married in 1984, was Patricia Seaton.
He and his brother-in-law Robert F. Kennedy are reported to have visited
Marilyn Monroe on the day she died, although this is not known for sure.
After the death of John F. Kennedy, Lawford and Patricia divorced. Since that time, the Kennedy family had distanced itself from Lawford as his antics proved to be an embarassment.
Lawford was close to
Frank Sinatra for a number of years. However Sinatra had threatened him with bodily harm when he learned that Lawford had lunch with
Ava Gardner. Lawford's friends managed to convince Sinatra that nothing was going on between Gardner and Lawford. But Sinatra refused to speak with Lawford for a number of years. The two were later reconciled, but Sinatra later permanently broke off the friendship. Sinatra's feelings were such that once when he learned that Peter Lawford was in the audience he was about to perform in front of that he refused to come out until Lawford and his wife were removed from the audience.
Later in life, Lawford had fallen into drug and alcohol abuse. Such abuse, plus strained relationships with others, and financial difficulties caused a great deal of strain on his already fragile health. Lawford was reduced to doing television guest shots on such shows as Fantasy Island, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Profiles In Courage, The Wild Wild West, I Spy, The Name Of The Game, The Jeffersons, The Virginian and Hawaii Five O. He also had a recurring role on The Doris Day Show. Lawford died in Los Angeles in 1984 of liver and kidney disease. He was cremated on Christmas Day of 1984, and was then originally buried in L.A. at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. His original burial location was near that of
Marilyn Monroe. Because of a dispute between the family and the cemetery his remains were removed and then scattered in the Pacific.
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