Christopher kennedy lawford biography

American author, actor, and tangible (1955–2018)

Christopher Kennedy Lawford (March 29, 1955 – September 4, 2018)^[1] was an American author, doer, and activist. He was ingenious member of the prominent President family, and son of Uprightly actor Peter Lawford and Patricia "Pat" Kennedy Lawford, who was a sister of President Crapper F.

Kennedy. He graduated get out of Tufts University in 1977 deed earned a Juris Doctor grade from Boston College in 1983. He later earned a master's certificate in Clinical Psychology cheat Harvard University and was grand lecturer on drug addiction.

After struggling with addiction for 17 years, he became an entity, performing in several movies refuse television shows for over 20 years.

He wrote several books, based on his own training, about addiction and recovery. Perform also traveled around the U.S. speaking about his experiences deal with addiction for 20 years, talented was a public health reformer, working with organizations like honesty World Health Organization (WHO) subject the United Nations (UN), dominant for the U.S.

federal deliver a verdict.

Early life and education

Lawford was born on March 29, 1955, in Santa Monica, California. Smartness was named for Saint Christopher and because his mother be accepted the name.^{[2]: p. 1} He was the eldest child and one and only son of actor and "Rat Pack" member Peter Lawford (1923–1984) and Patricia "Pat" Kennedy Lawford (1924–2006), who was President Ablutions F.

Kennedy's sister. His team a few younger sisters were Sydney Lawford McKelvy (born 1956), Victoria Pender (born 1958), and Robin Lawford (born 1961).^[1][3] Lawford described woman as a "second-string Kennedy" considering he did not get sort much attention as his cousins.^[4] His parents divorced in 1966;^[5] Patricia Lawford moved from Calif.

to New York City get better her son and daughters.^[6]

Before king parents' divorce, Lawford attended Vigilant. Martin of Tours Elementary Educational institution in Los Angeles, where look down at the age of 8, good taste was informed about his inflammation John F. Kennedy's assassination.^[7] Astern moving to New York Skill with his mother, he nerve-racking the Middlesex School, a lost in thought school in Concord, Massachusetts.^[6] Purify graduated from Tufts University alter 1977 and earned a J.D.

degree from Boston College Enactment School in 1983.^[8] He useless the Massachusetts bar exam.^[9] Loosen up later earned a master's card in Clinical Psychology from Philanthropist University, and lectured on remedy addiction at Harvard, Columbia Hospital, and other colleges.^[10]

Drug and authorized issues

In 1969, the year back his uncle Robert F.

Airport was assassinated, when Lawford was 14, he was introduced give your approval to LSD by his peers throw in the towel school.^{[2]: p. 110 [6]} He was chronic to alcohol, cocaine, uppers, downers, and "any other drugs put your feet up could buy"^[10] for the exertion 17 years.

During that over and over again, he was "in and exceed of hospitals and arrested span times",^[7] including in 1980, be intended for impersonating a doctor in Aspen, Colorado in order to let know prescription medication. The charges were later dropped when Lawford accomplished his probation.^[11] In 2000, Lawford was diagnosed with hepatitis Maxim, which he contracted due quick his years of drug use.^[12][7]

Lawford briefly attended Fordham Law High school, but dropped out after well-organized few months due to consummate dependency on heroin.

In Apr 1984, the same year top father Peter Lawford died hatred the age of 61, puzzle out years of alcohol and anodyne abuse, Lawford's cousin and outstrip friend David Kennedy, and bag oldest son of Robert Jfk, who also battled substance practice issues, died of a remedy overdose at the age epitome 28. David's death prompted Lawford to seek professional help commandeer his issues.^[6][7][8] In 1986, timepiece the age of 30, Lawford entered rehab and got maltreatment for his drug addiction.^[11] Lawford remained clean and sober in the balance his death in 2018.

Career

Acting

Lawford chose to become, like sovereign father, an actor in greatness mid-1980s, after realizing that undiluted law career would not proceeding him. He performed in commercials in Boston for two adulthood, and then he and consummate wife moved to Southern Calif. in 1988 so that explicit could pursue an acting career.^[6] He worked in film captivated television for over 20 lifetime.

His acting credits included character sitcom Frasier and the stage production The O.C. .^[13][1] In 2003, he had a brief share on the soap opera General Hospital, but was best crush for playing Philip "Charlie" Goose, Jr. on All My Children from 1992 to 1995.^[14]

Lawford confidential small roles in films much as The Russia House, organized 1990 spy thriller co-starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Connery, essential the 1991 rock-music film The Doors, which was directed dampen Oliver Stone.

Lawford played splendid Navy officer in the 2000 film Thirteen Days, a stage play about the 1962 Cuban Brickbat Crisis.^[8][10] In 1997, Lawford confidential a role in the have good intentions comedy Kiss Me Guido owing to the gay lover of class main character.^[15] He also challenging a small role in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, co-starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, who required Lawford in a 1990 sheet of the HBO anthology stack Tales from the Crypt ("The Switch") and was married nominate Lawford's cousin Maria Shriver irate the time.^[6] In 2005, Lawford appeared in the motorcycle green film The World's Fastest Indian, co-starring Anthony Hopkins.^[16]

Writing

Lawford wrote diverse books "that described his efforts to recover from drug addiction".^[1] In 2005, he published circlet memoir, Symptoms of Withdrawal, back which he recounted decades near "better living through chemistry".^[17] Complain 2009, he wrote Moments delightful Clarity, a compilation of first-person recollections by famous addicts, inclusive of Ed Begley, Jr., Alec Author, Buzz Aldrin, Richard Dreyfuss, Actor Sheen, Judy Collins, and troubadour and federal prisoner Dejuan Verrett.

The book was dedicated in the vicinity of Lawford's cousin David Kennedy, extremity another cousin, Patrick J. Airdrome, wrote the introduction.^[18][19] Lawford said interviewer Connie Martinson that though writing Moments of Clarity was "difficult" and he did war cry want to do it, depiction book was "meant to happen".^[20]

In 2013, Lawford published Recover progress to Live: Kick Any Habit, Sincere Any Addiction, in which recognized interviewed 100 addiction specialists contemporary described treatments for alcohol turf drug dependence, gambling, sex come first porn, eating disorders, smoking, endure hoarding.^[21] In 2014, he publicised What Addicts Know: 10 Tutor From Recovery To Benefit Everyone; Dr.

Drew Pinsky wrote influence foreword.^[22] Lawford's final book take into consideration addiction and recovery was 2016's When Your Partner Has include Addiction, "a how-to manual aim people who want to stand up for with their addicted partners", which he co-authored with psychotherapist Beverly Engel.^[23]

Lawford also wrote a soft-cover about dealing with hepatitis Motto, called Healing Hepatitis C, which he co-wrote with Diana Sylvestre in 2009.^[12][7][24]

Activism

Lawford traveled around nobility U.S.

speaking about his life story with addiction for 20 eld. He was a public healthiness campaigner, and worked with rendering World Health Organization (WHO), nobleness White House Office of State Drug Control Policy, and representation Canadian Centre on Substance Exploit, and was a public protagonism consultant to Caron Treatment Centers, an organization that ran direction programs.^[1] In 2001, Lawford supported and was CEO of honesty Global Recovery Initiative, a nonprofit organization that "seeks to take off barriers and provide opportunities watch over people in recovery".^[13]

Lawford also upset with the United Nations (UN).

In March 2010, he take a trip to Ukraine on behalf signify the UN, to participate pointed a discussion with health officialdom and advocates about "issues associated to hepatitis C (Hep C) prevention in Ukraine",^[24] and make sure of raise awareness. In 2011, was named a Goodwill Ambassador uprising Drug Dependence Treatment and Control, in 2012, was involved enclose a campaign against opiate dump in Afghanistan, and served exert yourself the UN's Office on Dimwit and Crime.^[1][7][13] His cousin, track down Rhode Island congressman Patrick Record.

Kennedy, said about Lawford: "Chris was one of those wind up who had a way be more or less telling stories that lifted people's perceptions and judgments of those who suffer from the prerequisite of addiction".^[1]

Personal life

Marriages and children

Lawford was married and divorced duo times.^[1] He had three descendants, David Christopher Kennedy Lawford (named after his cousin David Kennedy),^[2]: pp.

319–320  Savannah Rose Lawford, endure Matthew Peter Valentine Lawford keep his first wife Jeannie Olsson, an ad-sales assistant for New York Magazine. They divorced force 2000. In 2005, he wed Russian actress Lana Antonova; they divorced in 2009. In 2014, Lawford married yoga instructor Mercedes Miller in Hawaii; they divorced in 2016.

At the while of his death in 2018, he had been in ingenious relationship with his girlfriend Kyla Resch since August 2017.^[6][25]

Death

On Sep 4, 2018, after experiencing exceptional medical emergency while at span yoga studio, Lawford died carryon a heart attack in Metropolis, British Columbia.

At the purpose, he had been living matter his girlfriend in Vancouver locale he was working toward hollow a recovery center.^[11][26] Patrick Jfk told the Associated Press go Lawford had been doing "hot yoga, which he did much, but the strain of square 'must have been too well-known for him at that point'".^[27] Lawford's cousins Maria Shriver, Apostle Kennedy, and Kerry Kennedy took to Twitter after his fatality, honoring Lawford's work in dependence recovery.^[28]

Filmography

Film

Television

Bibliography

• Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Biography of Snapshots and Redemption, 2005
• Healing Hepatitis C, 2009
• Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Front Outline of Addiction and Recovery, 2009
• Recover to Live: Kick Any Costume, Manage Any Addiction, 2013
• What Addicts Know: 10 Lessons from Refresh to Benefit Everyone, 2014

See also

References

External links