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Jack Lemmon

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BIO

John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures. He received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. He received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1988, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1991, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 1996. The Guardian labeled him as "the most successful tragi-comedian of his age."


Lemmon received two Academy Awards: for Best Supporting Actor for Mister Roberts (1955) and for Best Actor for Save the Tiger (1973). He was Oscar-nominated for Some Like It Hot (1959), The Apartment (1960), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), The China Syndrome (1979), Tribute (1980), and Missing (1982). He is also known for his roles in Irma la Douce (1963), The Great Race (1965), and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).
For his work on television he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Tuesdays with Morrie (1999). He was Emmy-nominated for The Entertainer (1960), The Murder of Mary Phagan (1988), 12 Angry Men (1997), and Inherit the Wind (1999). On stage, Lemmon made his Broadway debut in the play Room Service (1953). He went on to received two Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nominations for his roles in the Bernard Slade play Tribute (1978) and in the Eugene O'Neill revival Long Day's Journey into Night (1986).
He had a long-running collaboration with actor and friend Walter Matthau, which The New York Times called "one of Hollywood's most successful pairings," that spanned ten films between 1966 and 1998 including The Odd Couple (1968), The Front Page (1974) and Grumpy Old Men (1993).
Lemmon died of bladder cancer on June 27, 2001, approximately 9 p.m. at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at age 76.

STAGE CREDITS

[Broadway]
Broadway Revival, 1986
James Tyrone


[Broadway]
1978
Scottie Templeton


[Broadway]
1960
David Poole


[Broadway]
1953
Leo Davis


Awards and Nominations

Tony Awards - 1986 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Jack Lemmon, Long Day's Journey Into Night

Drama Desk Awards - 1979 - Outstanding Actor - Play

Jack Lemmon, Tribute

Tony Awards - 1979 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Jack Lemmon , Tribute

Videos

News


Blog: From New Zealand to New York: Chasing My Dream Over 8,000 Miles
by Atlantic Theater Company - Nov 11, 2025

It was like a surge of electricity that filled my body and crackled in my lungs. Against the background bustle of the office in Auckland, New Zealand, where I worked, a friendly voice on the phone had just told me some of the most exciting news I’d ever heard. “Okay… thank you” was all I managed to get out at the end before hanging up and grinning in disbelief. I had been accepted to study acting at the Atlantic Acting School in New York on a full scholarship. I did a little dance.
Interview: Devin Cortez of SOME LIKE IT HOT at Segerstrom Center For The Arts
by Melissa Heckscher - Oct 15, 2025

Huntington Beach native Devin Cortez talks about his full-circle journey home with the national tour of Some Like It Hot, playing at Segerstrom Center through October 19.
Review: Tony-Winning SOME LIKE IT HOT Musical Adaptation Amuses at Segerstrom Center
by Michael Quintos - Oct 14, 2025

Nominated for 13 Tony Awards, the 2022 musical adaptation SOME LIKE IT HOT is a surprisingly delightful, hilariously fun, and gleefully silly musical comedy that also has an endearingly open-minded new twist that re-contextualizes the movie's main raison d'être into something more empowering and thoughtful. The infectiously joyful show's marvelous touring production—directed and choreographed with rousing, kinetic energy by Casey Nicholaw direct from its Broadway origins—continues performances at OC's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA through October 19, 2025.
Rita Rudner to Perform At The Harris Center in September
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 15, 2025

Harris Center for The Arts will present entertainment legend Rita Rudner in September. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets to the upcoming performance here!
Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT at Hollywood Pantages Theatre
by Harker Jones - Aug 2, 2025

It’s clever and smart but not smirking. It’s romantic and sweet, but never saccharine. Everything about SOME LIKE IT HOT fires on all cylinders, gleaming like a brass band.
ANYONE CAN WHISTLE and GRUMPY OLD MEN: THE MUSICAL Set for Minneapolis Musical Theatre 2025"2026 Season
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 9, 2025

Minneapolis Musical Theatre (MMT) has announced its 2025–2026 season, offering a pair of productions that highlight the company’s commitment to presenting underseen and rarely produced works for Twin Cities audiences.
Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT at The Hippodrome, Baltimore
by Timoth David Copney - May 7, 2025

The movie, Some Like It Hot, has long been a favorite of mine. As a kid growing up in Dayton and then Cincinnati, Ohio, I loved seeing Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon don women’s clothing, outrun the bad guys, and the line that Lemmon says, ‘now look what you did – you tore off one of my chests!’ struck me then and now as hilarious.
AMADEUS Kicks Off Summer Classic Movies At The Opera House In June
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 29, 2025

Sarasota Opera has announced the return of its popular summer movie  series: Classic Movies at the Opera House and HD at the Opera House, celebrating the  Sarasota Opera House's cinematic roots and vibrant cultural legacy.
Film Forum to Host Jack Lemmon Tribute Series Featuring Special Guests Bob Odenkirk, Juliet Mills, & More
by Josh Sharpe - Apr 22, 2025

JACK LEMMON 100, a two-week festival of classics from the 1950s to the 1990s, will run at Film Forum from Friday, May 16 to Thursday, May 29, in commemoration of Lemmon’s centennial year in 2025.
Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT at Orpheum Theatre Memphis
by AniKatrina Fageol - Apr 10, 2025

What did our critic think of SOME LIKE IT HOT at Orpheum Theatre Memphis? Some Like It Hot brings fiery charcters, sultry jazz, powerful belts, and quite a few surprises. 
RUMORS Comes to City Theatre Austin
by Stephi Wild - Apr 9, 2025

City Theatre Austin has announced the May performance of Neil Simon's wildly hilarious comedy Rumors. Guest director Jim Lindsay leads the production.
Feature: CAPA PREVIEW at Ohio Theatre
by Paul Batterson - Apr 9, 2025

“We couldn’t be more excited to share this new season with all our loyal Broadway fans. The season really does represent the last several years of Broadway at its best, freshest, and most creative, alongside two beloved classics.” CAPA President Chad Whittington
Review Roundup: Starry GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS Revival Opens On Broadway
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 1, 2025

The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Glengarry Glen Ross returns in a starry new Broadway revival, opening tonight at the Palace Theatre! Read reviews for the show below!
OLIVER!, GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL And More Set for TheatreZone's 21st Season
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 1, 2025

TheatreZone's 21st season will feature five musical productions, beginning with its annual holiday show in December, followed by four musicals that showcase a blend of comedy and drama.
Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT at Orpheum Theatre is Unstoppable!
by Christine Swerczek - Mar 28, 2025

The film “Some Like it Hot” conjures up visions of blonde Marilyn Monroe with her two musician sidekicks, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, in prohibition era Chicago. The musicians dressed as women join an all women band to avoid a mafia boss when they witness a murder.
Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT at Fox Theatre, St. Louis
by Rob Levy - Mar 4, 2025

For Joe and Jerry, two entertainers looking for career stability, being on the run can be a real drag!  The lead characters of Some Like It Hot, now onstage at the Fox Theatre, begin the production as run-of-the-mill performers bouncing from gig to gig in Prohibition era Chicago. However, after they accidentally witness a mob hit, they take on the personas of two gals in a female troupe as they attempt to lay low.
Broadway Stage and Screen- A Spring 2025 Watch Guide
by Sidney Paterra - Mar 2, 2025

hile many of them are original concepts or based on plays, 14 are already films or series that you can watch from home now. If you are seeing any of the below productions in 2025, check out how you can study up beforehand or unpack afterwards!
Marblehead School Of Ballet Invites Dancers To Apply To Celebrated Intensives
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 25, 2025

Dancers can expand their skills and technique in the Marblehead School of Ballet's (MSB) celebrated 2025 Summer Dance Intensives program. Students may apply now to attend this dance and cultural gem's renowned Summer Dance Intensives program.
Review: SOME LIKE IT HOT at ASU Gammage
by Herbert Paine - Feb 12, 2025

It’s always a risk to transplant a beloved classic film to the stage, particularly when that film is one so thoroughly embedded in its time as SOME LIKE IT HOT. Yet this latest Broadway adaptation, now performing at ASU Gammage until the 16th, with kinetic direction and crowd-pleasing choreography by Casey Nicholaw, not only succeeds in updating the story but breathes new, surprising life into its proceedings.
Karen Maria Pisani Will Teach Theater Arts Workshop At Marblehead School Of Ballet
by Stephi Wild - Feb 10, 2025

–Would you like to learn what theater kids do in New York City? Broadway performer, dancer, and choreographer Karen Maria Pisani can show you! Learn more here!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has Jack Lemmon been in?

Jack Lemmon has appeared on Broadway in 4 shows.

How many West End shows has Jack Lemmon been in?

Jack Lemmon has not appeared in the West End.

What awards has Jack Lemmon been nominated for?

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Long Day's Journey Into Night, Outstanding Actor - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Tribute and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Tribute.

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