All My Children

Background:

A Hollywood actor who has played numerous secondary film roles, Christopher Lawford is known to many for his bond with the Kennedy family. His mother, the late Patricia Kennedy Lawford, was sister to President John F. Kennedy, and he is the cousin-in-law of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who married his cousin Maria Shriver (daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver).

On the small screen, Lawford is perhaps best recalled for his role as Charlie Brent, opposite Susan Lucci, in the well-liked soap opera “All My Children” (1992-1997). Later, he joined the cast of 1963’s serial “General Hospital,” playing
Senator Jordan for 2002-2003 season. His movie credits include James Bruce’s The Suicide Club (1988), Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991), Jack the Bear (1993), Mike Binder’s Blankman (1994), Thirteen Days (2000), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) and Roger Donaldson’s The World’s Fastest Indian (2005, with Anthony Hopkins). He executive produced and co-starred in the comedy film 1997).

As for his personal life, the author of “Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption,” an autobiography, Lawford, became friends with Judy Garland’s son Joey Luft after the two spent the summer near the Kennedy compound. They became sociable because they have the same birthday and celebrated them together that year. In a more private note, he married Jeannie Olson from 1984 to 2000, and is the father of three.


Kennedy’s Nephew

Childhood and Family:

The first child of Peter Lawford, a British actor, and Patricia Kennedy, John F Kennedy’s elder sister (died of complications of pneumonia at age 82), Christopher Kennedy Lawford was born on March 26, 1955 in Santa Monica, California. His parents separated after 11 years marriage when Christopher was 10 years old.

Christopher attended Tufts and Georgetown Universities, and went to Boston College Law School, earning his degree in 1983. While living in Boston area, Christopher, who was once sent to a clinic due to drug problem, set up a clinic to treat opiate dependency.

On November 1984, Christopher was married to Jeannie Olson, but they divorced in 2000. They shared three children, David, Savannah and Matthew.


Slipstream

Career:

Christopher Lawford had a most tortuous route before recognizing acting was his true calling. He received a law degree from Boston College, and then, while serving as a lecturer in psychiatry for Harvard Medical School, collected a hundred dollars for his first modeling assignment. His modeling career led to television commercials and finally theater.

Helped with the name Lawford, Christopher landed his first film role in 1988 in the James Bruce-helmed drama/thriller The Suicide Club, appearing as the boyfriend of Anne Lange. He followed it up with appearances in a series of projects like Mr. North (1988), Spellbinder (1988), Impulse (1990), The Russia House (1990), Run (1991) and Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991). In the meantime, he also had TV works, making his TV movie debut in the NBC teenage, adventure drama Exile (1990), and guest starred in a few series, including in a 1990 episode of HBO’s “Tales from the Crypt,” which was directed by his cousin-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Lawford, however, did not come to prominence until he was cast as Charlie Brent in the popular ABC daytime serial “All My Children.” He played an ex-cosmetic model and Erica Kane’s former lover from 1992 to 1997.

In addition to his series’ commitment, Lawford also pursued other projects. Among his works were portraying Vince Buccini in Jack the Bear (1993), sharing the screen with Damon Wayans, Robin Givens and David Alan Grier in Mike Binder’s Blankman (1994) and starring opposite Robert Hays and Victoria Principal in the Lifetime movie The Abduction (1996). In 1997, he executive produced and co-starred in Kiss Me, Guido, a comedy written and directed by Tony Vitale.

1998-2000 saw secondary roles in movies such as Ask for Becky Whiteworth, Not Even the Trees, Witness to the Mob (TV), Dead Broke, The Waiting Game, The Sex Monster, Mary, Mother of Jesus (TV), R2PC: Road to Park City and The 6th Day. In 2000’s Thirteen Days, a based-on-fact movie about the Cuban Missile Crisis, he played the minor role of an Air Force pilot named William B. Ecker. The next year, he played actor William Haines (mostly in voiceovers) in the documentary Out of the Closet, Off the Screen: The Life of William Haines.

Despite his hectic film schedule, Lawford resurfaced on series TV to costar as Senator Jordan in the long-running series “General Hospital,” a role he played for a year from 2002 until 2003. He continued to make guest spot on an episode of “Frasier” (2003) and support Rob Estes and Joe Lando in the television movie Counterstrike (2003) for director Jerry London. The same year, Lawford rejoined Arnold Schwarzenegger for the sequel Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

After a short break, Lawford took on a bit part in director Roger Donaldson’s The World’s Fastest Indian, starring Anthony Hopkins, and supporting role in the crime film Dead Broke, as well as had an episodic role in “The O.C” (all 2005). He is set to reunite with Hopkins in the upcoming film Slipstream (2007), where Hopkins also serves as a director and writer, in addition to acting. Also in 2007, Lawford will star in a comedy pilot written by Mark Reisman. It follows the story of a member of the Kennedy family runs for political office in California.


Awards:
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