Christopher Lawford

Christopher Kennedy Lawford (March 29, 1955 – September 4, 2018) He was the eldest child and only son of actor and "Rat Pack" member Peter Lawford (1923–1984) and Patricia "Pat" Kennedy Lawford (1924–2006), who was President John F. Kennedy's sister. His three younger sisters were Sydney Lawford McKelvy (born 1956), Victoria Pender (born 1958), and Robin Lawford (born 1961). Lawford described himself as a "second-string Kennedy", because he did not get as much attention as his cousins. His parents divorced in 1966; Patricia Lawford moved from California to New York City with her son and daughters.

Before his parents' divorce, Lawford attended St. Martin of Tours Elementary School in Los Angeles, where at the age of 8, he was informed about his uncle John F. Kennedy's assassination. After moving to New York City with his mother, he attended the Middlesex School, a prep school in Concord, Massachusetts. He failed the Massachusetts bar exam. He later earned a master's certificate in Clinical Psychology from Harvard University, and lectured on drug addiction at Harvard, Columbia University, and other colleges.

Drug and legal issues In 1969, the year after his uncle Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, when Lawford was 14, he was introduced to LSD by his peers at school. Lawford remained clean and sober until his death in 2018.

Career Acting

Lawford chose to become an actor (as his father had been) in the mid-1980s, after realizing that a law career would not suit him. He performed in commercials in Boston for two years, and then he and his wife moved to Southern California in 1988 so that he could pursue an acting career.

Lawford had small roles in films such as The Russia House, a 1990 spy thriller co-starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Connery, and the 1991 rock-music film The Doors, which was directed by Oliver Stone. Lawford played Navy officer William Ecker in the 2000 film Thirteen Days, a drama about the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. He also had a small role in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, co-starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, who directed Lawford in a 1990 episode of the HBO anthology series Tales from the Crypt ("The Switch") and was married to Lawford's cousin Maria Shriver at the time.

Writing Lawford wrote several books "that described his efforts to recover from drug addiction". In 2009, he wrote Moments of Clarity, a compilation of first-person recollections by famous addicts, including Ed Begley Jr., Alec Baldwin, Buzz Aldrin, Richard Dreyfuss, Martin Sheen, Judy Collins, and musician and federal prisoner Dejuan Verrett. The book was dedicated to Lawford's cousin David Kennedy, and another cousin, Patrick J. Kennedy, wrote the introduction. Lawford told interviewer Connie Martinson that although writing Moments of Clarity was "difficult" and he did not want to do it, the book was "meant to happen".

In 2013, Lawford published Recover to Live: Kick Any Habit, Manage Any Addiction, in which he interviewed 100 addiction specialists and described treatments for alcohol and drug dependence, gambling, sex and porn, eating disorders, smoking, and hoarding. In 2014, he published What Addicts Know: 10 Lessons From Recovery To Benefit Everyone; Dr. Drew Pinsky wrote the foreword. Lawford's final book about addiction and recovery was 2016's When Your Partner Has an Addiction, "a how-to manual for people who want to stay with their addicted partners", which he co-authored with psychotherapist Beverly Engel.

Lawford also wrote a book about dealing with hepatitis C, called Healing Hepatitis C, which he co-wrote with Diana Sylvestre in 2009.

Activism Lawford traveled around the U.S. speaking about his experiences with addiction for 20 years. He was a public health campaigner, and worked with the World Health Organization (WHO), the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, and was a public advocacy consultant to Caron Treatment Centers, an organization that ran treatment programs. He married and divorced three times.

Death On September 4, 2018, after experiencing a medical emergency while at a yoga studio, Lawford died of a heart attack in Vancouver, British Columbia. At the time, he had been living with his girlfriend in Vancouver where he was working toward opening a recovery center. Patrick J. Kennedy told the Associated Press that Lawford had been doing "hot yoga, which he did often, but the strain of it 'must have been too much for him at that point'". Lawford's cousins Maria Shriver, Patrick J. Kennedy, and Kerry Kennedy took to Twitter after his death, honoring Lawford's work in addiction recovery.

Filmography Film

Year Title Role Notes 1988 The Suicide Club Boyfriend Mr. North Michael Patrick Ennis III Spellbinder Phil 1990 Impulse Steve The Russia House Larry 1991 Run Martins The Doors New York Journalist 1993 Jack the Bear Vince Buccini 1994 Blankman Mayor Marvin Harris 1995 Drunks Rich 1997 Kiss Me, Guido Dakota TV movie, Executive Producer Fool's Paradise Sen. Brill 1998 Dead Broke Joshua Not Even the Trees Robert Dark Tides Ask for Becky Whiteworth 1999 The Confession D.A. Elliott Cunningham The Waiting Game L.A. Director Credited as Chris Lawford The Sex Monster Dave Pembroke 2000 R2PC: Road to Park City Christoper Lawford Chump Change Studio Executive #1 The 6th Day Police Lieutenant Thirteen Days Commander William Ecker 2001 Fourplay Davis Red Zone Exit Wounds The Vice President 2002 Hitters Cassidey 2003 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Brewster's Aide Credited as Chris Lawford 2005 The World's Fastest Indian Jim Moffet Credited as Chris Lawford 2007 Slipstream Lars 2008 Eavesdrop Claude (final film role)

Television

Year Title Role Notes 1990 The Magical World of Disney Episode: "Exile" Tales from the Crypt Manager Episode: "The Switch" Midnight Caller Richard Clark 2 episodes 1991 Silk Stalkings Chick Westfall Episode: "S.O.B" 1992–1996 All My Children Charlie Brent 129 episodes 1996 The Abduction Dan Solano TV movie 1998 Witness to the Mob Prosecutor John Gleeson TV movie 1999 Chicago Hope Episode: "Upstairs, Downstairs" Mary, Mother of Jesus Reuben TV movie 2001 100 Centre Street Rich Episode: "Joe Must Go" Walking Shadow Jimmy Christopholous TV movie 2002 Counterstrike Vice President Chet Ridgeway TV movie 2003 General Hospital Senator Jordan 3 episodes Frasier Bill Episode: "Daphne Does Dinner" 2005 The O.C. Ross Episode: "The Father Knows Best"