The son of Rat Packer Peter Lawford and Patricia Kennedy, John F Kennedy's elder sister, hazel-eyed, brown-haired Christopher Lawford took a most circuitous route before realizing acting was his true calling. He obtained a law degree form Boston College and then, while lecturing in psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School, earned $100 for his first modeling gig, which led him to TV commercials and eventually theater. The Lawford name helped him get his foot in the Hollywood door, and he debuted in James Bruce's feature "The Suicide Club" (1987), followed by Danny Huston's "Mr. North" (1988). His greatest exposure came as Charlie Brent in the ABC daytime serial "All My Children", a role he played for a little more than three years. Lawford worked his way up the cast list in features like Oliver Stone's "The Doors" (1991) and Mike Binder's "Blankman" (1994) before executive producing and co-starring as a gay theater director in Tony Vitale's critically-acclaimed "Kiss Me, Guido" (1997). Among his TV credits, Lawford acted for fellow Kennedy clansman turned director Arnold Schwarzenegger (married to cousin Maria Shriver) in "The Switch", a 1990 episode of HBO's "Tales From the Crypt".
- Also Credited As:
Chris Lawford, Christopher Kennedy Lawford, Christopher Lawford
- Born:
March 29, 1955 in Los Angeles, California, USA
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Job Titles:
Actor, Producer, Model, Record producer, Studio executive
Family
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Father: Peter Lawford. born on September 7, 1923; died on December 24, 1984 of cardiac arrest
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Mother: Patricia Lawford. married Peter Lawford in 1954; divorced in 1966; sister of US President John F Kennedy, US Attorney General Robert F Kennedy and Massachusetts Senator Edward M Kennedy
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Sister: Robin Elizabeth Lawford. born on July 2, 1961
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Sister: Sydney Lawford. born on August 25, 1956; mother, Patricia Lawford
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Sister: Victoria Frances Lawford. TV coordinator for Very Special Artists; born on November 4, 1958
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Son: David Christopher Kennedy Lawford. born c. 1987
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Son: Matthew Peter Lawford. born c. 1995; named after paternal grandfather
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Son: Savannah Rose Lawford. born on February 13, 1990; named for his maternal grandmother
Education
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Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, clinical psychology, MA
Milestones
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1988 Made feature debut as Anne Lange s boyfriend in James Bruce s The Suicide Club
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1990 Directed by cousin Maria Shriver s husband Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Switch , an episode of HBO s Tales From the Crypt
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1990 TV-movie debut in the NBC teenage, adventure drama Exile
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1991 Played a New York journalist in Oliver Stone s The Doors
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1992 Assumed role of Charlie Brent, former cosmetics model and ex-boyfriend of Erica Kane, on the ABC daytime serial All My Children in July; remained a little over three years
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1994 Portrayed Vince Buccini in Jack the Bear
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1996 Starred alongside Victoria Principal and Robert Hays in the Lifetime movie The Abduction
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1997 Executive produced and co-starred in Kiss Me, Guido
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2000 Cast as an Air Force pilot in the based-on-fact Thirteen Days , about the Cuban Missile Crisis; uncles John and Robert are lead characters in drama
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2001 Portrayed actor William Haines (mostly in voiceovers) in the documentary Out of the Closet, Off the Screen: The Life of William Haines