Peter Lawford

Diagnoses

Vocation

Lifestyle

Family

British-American star of some 57 movies and several television series, also prominent for being brother-in-law to the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and part of legend Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack" that flourished in the '60s. Lawford was the only son of Lt. Gen. Sir Sidney and Lady May Lawford. His mother, a social-climber, was married at the time of her affair to General Lawford which produced Peter. General Sidney and May, his biological parents, each divorced their respective spouses and married. Peter's upbringing by a showy but reportedly frigid mother, alternately warm and cold to him, and his much older dad, was unconventional. His dad, after retirement, took to globe trotting and Peter wound up in Hollywood. At 15, he landed his first role in "Lord Jeff." In 1942 he signed a contract with MGM and his first leading role was in 1945 in "Son of Lassie." His films include "Random Harvest," "The White Cliffs of Dover," "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "Ocean's 11." His TV roles include "The Thin Man" and "Dear Phoebe" series. Between 1954 and 1960, he didn't work and after then, played character roles in "The Longest Day" and "Advise and Consent," along with TV guest shots. In 1960, Lawford became a U.S. citizen and was for some years a member of Frank Sinatra's "clan" along with Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop. His friendship with Sinatra crashed in 1961 when Lawford's brother-in-law, John F. Kennedy, who was expected to stay with Sinatra on a trip to Palm Springs opted to not do so because of Sinatra's alleged mob ties. Lawford believed he was unfairly blamed for what Sinatra saw as a snub. Alcohol and drug use hampered his career in his later years. He married Patricia Kennedy 4/24/1954, the daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy, and sister to John, Robert and Ted Kennedy. The marriage ended in divorce in 1966. Their children are Christopher Kennedy, born 3/29/1955; Sydney Maleria, born 8/25/1956; Victoria Francis, born 11/4/1958; and Robin Elizabeth, born 7/2/1961. He married three more times; to Mary Rowan in 1971, daughter of "Laugh-In" comedian Dan Rowan, lasting eight months; to Deborah Gould in 1975, which lasted two months; and to Patricia Seaton in 1984, the year that he died. Lawford had been in poor health after a tumor was removed from his pancreas in 1972. He was admitted to the hospital 12/16/1984 with liver disease and failing kidneys, having entered the Betty Ford Center earlier that year for alcohol and drug abuse. He died 12/24/1984 at 8:50 AM according to his biographer (Spada) of cardiac arrest, Los Angeles, CA. Link to Wikipedia biography