Peter Lawford Biography

24 June 2009

Peter Lawford's role in American celebrity history is a bit different from others like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin - all members of the same entertainment troupe, The Rat Pack. Lawford was a British-born actor whose rise to fame in America was rumored to be more for his marriage to Patricia Kennedy, John F. Kennedy's sister, and less for his actual talent. Nonetheless, Lawford was a key element in the Rat Pack during its inception, playing off the mega-fame of Sinatra, Martin and Davis, Jr.

Peter Sidney Lawford was born September 7, 1923 in London, England. His father was a knighted vet of the First World War and actor. A young Peter wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, and at the age of 8, he got his chance in the film Poor Old Bill. As the years passed, Lawford grew from an awkward young boy to a suave and debonair young man. In Britain, his fame would skyrocket and during the ‘40s, MGM managed his career very well.

Lawford's acting experience is something of legend in the business circle. He was the first actor to kiss the hard-to-keep Elizabeth Taylor. But as tragedy to the triumph, Lawford was also the last person to ever see screen idol Marilyn Monroe alive.

Lawford had good roles in movies like Mrs. Miniver and Little Women in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s. He was known more for his heavy drinking than his acting talents, however Lawford played the role of playboy ladies man to a T. In 1954, Lawford's philandering nature went the way of the dodo when he married Patricia Kennedy. The couple spent a few happy years together, where Peter was out of the limelight.

He reemerged in the 1960 film Ocean's Eleven, after joining Sinatra brainchild The Rat Pack a year previous. In 1962, Lawford arranged that famous JFK birthday party where Monroe sang to him.

Despite a seemingly normal marriage and four children, Lawford and Kennedy divorced in 1966. It would later be revealed that Lawford couldn't settle down after all. He admitted to having multiple affairs while wed. Lawford would marry three more times in total. His marriage to Mary Rowan in 1971 didn't even last until 1972, and his marriage to Deborah Gould didn't even make it that long. He then dated Patricia Seaton for 9 years before marrying her in 1984.

Peter Lawford died the same year he was married, 1984, as a result of cardiac arrest brought on by kidney and liver failure. His years of alcoholism had taken their toll. Once an affluent member of the Rat Pack, Lawford and Frank Sinatra had a disagreement over Sinatra's involvement in the mafia in the early 1960s, after which the two men never spoke again. This prompted Lawford to drink even more heavily. In 1972, Lawford had a pancreatic tumor removed, but by that time, the damage to his body had been done.

Tags: frank sinatra, rat pack, dean martin, sinatra,
Posted In: Biographies, Entertainment History,

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