Christopher Boyd Lemmon (born June 22, 1954) is an American actor and author.

Early life and education

Lemmon was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Cynthia Stone and actor Jack Lemmon. Lemmon attended the Verde Valley School in Sedona, Arizona. With a talent for music, he was encouraged by his father to study piano. Lemmon considered playing piano professionally after having graduated from the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

, with degrees in classical piano and composition, and in theater.

Career

He appeared as an actor in numerous stage productions, including the west-coast tour of ''

Barefoot in the Park ''Barefoot in the Park'' is a romantic comedy by Neil Simon. The play premiered on Broadway in 1963, starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. It was made into a film in 1967, which starred Redford and Jane Fonda. Productions ''Barefoot ...

'', directed by

Jerry Paris William Gerald Paris (July 25, 1925 – March 31, 1986) was an American actor and director best known for playing Jerry Helper, the dentist and next-door neighbor of Rob and Laura Petrie, on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', and for directing the majo ...

, the original West coast production of ''Shay'' by

Anne Commire Anne Commire (11 August 1939 – 23 February 2012) was an American playwright and editor who frequently wrote about women's issues and struggles. Her first play, ''Shay'', about a young pregnant high school dropout, was noted by ''The New York Tim ...

, and A. R. Gurney's ''

Love Letters A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...

'' with Stephanie Zimbalist. He portrayed Richard Phillips in two situation comedies, '' Duet'' (1987) and '' Open House'' (1989), and also co-starred as Martin "Bru" Brubaker in the television series '' Thunder in Paradise'', which featured American professional wrestler Hulk Hogan. Lemmon is also a screenwriter and producer. Algonquin Books published Lemmon's tribute to his father, titled '' A Twist of Lemmon'' (2006), which was re-released in 2008 as a paperback by Applause Theatre and Cinema Books. He appeared in three films with his father: ''

Airport '77 ''Airport '77'' is a 1977 American air disaster film, and the third installment of the ''Airport'' film series. The film stars a number of veteran actors including Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Olivia de Havilland, and Brenda Vac ...

'' (1977),''

That's Life! ''That's Life!'' was a satirical TV consumer affairs programme on the BBC, at its height regularly reaching audiences of fifteen to twenty million, and receiving 10–15,000 letters a week. The series broadcast on BBC1 for twenty-one years, ...

'' (1986), and '' Dad'' (1989). Lemmon was to star in the film ''Publicity Stunt'', a comedy which he co-wrote, which was to be shot in Connecticut and directed by

Joel Zwick Joel Zwick (born January 11, 1942) is an American film director, television director, and theater director.Mann, Iris (June 1, 2016)"'Hillary and Monica': An Unlikely Meeting" ''Jewish Journal''. He worked on the television series '' Perfect Stra ...

. He and Zwick had a terrible falling out, which resulted in a series of lawsuits that spanned nearly a decade. It was finally settled when Zwick agreed to pay $1.7 million for damages and gained property of the highly controversial script. The script has never made it to light. Lemmon adapted his tribute to his father, '' A Twist of Lemmon'' to the stage in 2015. The show, which Lemmon has performed all around the United States, follows the relationship between Lemmon and his father as seen through his father's eyes.

Lung transplant

On December 19, 2018, after an article in ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'', Lemmon confirmed on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

that he'd had a double lung transplant due to

idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), or (formerly) fibrosing alveolitis, is a rare, progressive illness of the respiratory system, characterized by the thickening and stiffening of lung tissue, associated with the formation of scar tissue. It is ...

and is recovering well.

Personal life

Lemmon has been married to actress Gina Raymond since 1988. The couple reside in Connecticut and have three children.

Filmography

Film

*''

'' (1977) *'' Just Tell Me You Love Me'' (1980) *'' The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood'' (1980) *'' Seems Like Old Times'' (1980) *'' Just Before Dawn'' (1981) *'' Uncommon Valor'' (1983) *'' Swing Shift'' (1984) *''

Cannonball Run II ''Cannonball Run II'' is a 1984 action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds and an all-star cast, released by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest. Like the original '' Cannonball Run'', it is set around an illegal cross-country race. This was the l ...

'' (1984) *''Yellow Pages'' (1985) *'' ''That's Life!'''' (1986) *'' Weekend Warriors'' (1986) *'' Dad'' (1989) *'' Corporate Affairs'' (1990) *''Lena's Holiday'' (1991) *'' Firehead'' (1991) *'' Thunder in Paradise'' (1993) *''Thunder in Paradise II'' (1994) *''Thunder in Paradise III'' (1995) *'' Wishmaster'' (1997) *'' Best of the Best 4: Without Warning'' (1998) *'' Land of the Free'' (1999) *''

Just the Ticket ''Just the Ticket'' is a 1998 film directed by Richard Wenk. It stars Andy García and Andie MacDowell. Garcia was also the producer. The film was originally titled ''A Piece of Cake''. Plot Gary Starke (Garcia), desperate to get his girlfrien ...

'' (1999)

Television

*'' Brothers and Sisters'' (1979) *''Mirror, Mirror'' (1979) *''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The seri ...

'' (1981) *''

Too Close for Comfort ''Too Close for Comfort'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from November 11, 1980, to May 5, 1983, and in first-run syndication from April 7, 1984, to February 7, 1987. Its name was changed to ''The Ted Knight Show'' w ...

'' (1981) *'' 9 to 5'' (1983) *''

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

'' (1982) *'' The Outlaws'' (1984) *'' Duet'' (1987–89) *'' Open House'' (1989) *'' Knots Landing'' (1990) *'' The Match Game'' (1990) *''The Joint Is Jumpin (1993) *'' Thunder in Paradise'' (1994) (22 episodes) *''Basic Values: Sex, Shock & Censorship in the 90's'' (1993) *'' The Pretender'' (1998) *''Magic Time: A Tribute to Jack Lemmon'' (2002) *'' The Hollywood Greats'' ( Jack Lemmon) (2006) *'' 50 Films to See Before You Die'' (2006)

References

External links

Official Site of Chris Lemmon and Gina Raymond
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lemmon, Chris 1954 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors California Institute of the Arts alumni Living people Male actors from Los Angeles Lemmon family