Peter Sydney Lawford (September 7, 1923 – December 24, 1984) was a British-born Hollywood actor, member of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack," and brother-in-law to President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting. In his earlier professional years (late 1930s through the 1950s) he had a strong presence in popular culture and starred in a number of highly acclaimed films.
Born in London, England, on September 7, 1923, the son of English World War I hero Sir Sydney Turing Barlow Lawford and the former May Somerville Bunny, he spent his early childhood in France and began acting at a young age. Lawford's mother was said to have dressed him as a girl in private up until age eleven. Lady Lawford and Sir Sydney were not married when Peter was conceived. Young Peter lived all over the world with his parents. Because of his family's travels, Peter was never formally educated. His lack of education was allegedly a sore subject for the actor, which contributed to his feelings of inadequacy later on as a member of the Kennedy family, and throughout his adult life. In America, Sir Sydney and Lady Lawford were treated as royalty among the well-to-do in their new neighborhood of Palm Beach, Florida, and were always invited to events and social occasions; they had, however, lost whatever source of money they had had when war was declared in England in 1939.
As a child Lawford severely injured his arm, in his words, "attempting to run through a glass door.". Doctors were able to save the arm, but the injury continued to bother him throughout his life, and the arm was slightly deformed. The injury was considered damaging enough to keep him from entering World War II, but this turn of fate was probably the greatest boon to his career. At that time, Hollywood was infatuated with heroic Englishmen, and as war movies were being churned out by the dozens and American actors volunteered or were drafted for the war, Lawford put his talents to work "stateside".
Prior to the war Lawford had gained a contract position with the MGM studios. Once he signed with MGM, his mother, Lady May, insisted that studio head Louis B. Mayer pay her a salary as Peter's personal assistant. Mayer declined. Lady Lawford responded by claiming her son to be "homosexual" and that he needed to be "supervised". When Peter learned of his mother's actions their relationship was never the same.
Lawford's first movie role was at age seven in the film Poor Old Bill. Eight years later, he made his Hollywood debut in a minor part in Lord Jeff. His first major movie role was A Yank At Eton (1942). He played a snobbish bully opposite Mickey Rooney. The picture was a smash hit, and Lawford's performance was widely praised. Also that year, Lawford appeared in Mrs. Miniver. He won even greater acclaim for his performance in The White Cliffs Of Dover (1944), in which he played a young soldier in World War II. MGM gave him another important role in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). Lawford also made Son Of Lassie (1945) and won a Modern Screen Magazine readers' poll as the most popular actor in Hollywood. His fan mail jumped to thousands of letters a week. Lawford had become a major star.
Lawford's busiest year as an actor was 1946, when two of his films opened within days of each other: Cluny Brown (1946) and Two Sisters From Boston (1946). With heartthrobs such as Clark Gable and stalwarts like James Stewart off to war, Lawford was recognized as the romantic lead
Lawford had a reputation as a ladies' man and was reported to have had many affairs with famous ladies of film, song, and politics including Ava Gardner, June Allyson, Lana Turner, Janet Leigh, Rita Hayworth, Dorothy Dandridge, Anne Baxter, Judy Holliday, Gina Lollobrigida, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Kim Novak, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Lee Remick, Nancy Reagan, and Elizabeth Taylor It has been said that in another time and place Lawford and Dandridge would have been married, but in the racially-intolerant 1950s this was not an option, and would have meant an end to both of their careers [citation needed]. Lawford introduced Marilyn Monroe as she stepped out to sing her infamous Happy Birthday, Mr. President at Madison Square Garden in May of 1962. He and brother-in-law Robert F. Kennedy are rumoured to have visited Monroe on the day she died (August 5, 1962), and Lawford is said to have been the last person to see the troubled actress alive, although neither fact has ever been confirmed. The Kennedy family distanced itself from Lawford as his antics proved increasingly embarrassing. Patricia Kennedy Lawford divorced him in 1966 because of his alcoholism and infidelity.
Lawford was very close to Frank Sinatra for a number of years, appearing in several Rat Pack movies and stage acts. Sinatra, however, threatened him with bodily harm when he learned that Lawford had lunch with Ava Gardner, Sinatra's primary love interest at the time. 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 ultimately broke off the friendship after Lawford refused to act as a go-between for Sinatra and President Kennedy after their association had become controversial (Sinatra's alleged mob ties, even if based more on rumor than fact, made White House image guardians unhappy). The end of the Lawford-Sinatra relationship came when the President made plans to stay at crooner Bing Crosby's house instead of Sinatra's during a visit to Los Angeles. Sinatra was especially incensed because Crosby was a Republican. Sinatra's feelings were such that once, when he learned Lawford was in the audience he was about to perform for, he refused to come out until Lawford and his wife were removed from the premises. Lawford and Sinatra never spoke again, though Lawford maintained a good friendship with Rat-Pack-pal Sammy Davis, Jr.. The two starred together in the 1968 film Salt and Pepper and its 1970 sequel One More Time.
