Personal Life
Actor Kevin Spacey recalled that Lemmon is remembered as always making time for other people. When already regarded as a legend, he met the teenage Spacey backstage after a theater performance and spoke to him about pursuing an acting career. Spacey would later work with Lemmon in Dad (1989), the critically acclaimed film Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) and on stage in a revival of Long Day's Journey Into Night. Lemmon's performance also inspired Gil Gunderson, a character on The Simpsons that is modeled on Lemmon's.
In his autobiography, "My Life", Burt Reynolds recalls Lemmon as the quintessential gentleman who never spoke ill of anybody, even if they deserved it. This niceness actually backfired for Reynolds: prior to accepting the lead in W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975), directed by John G. Avildsen, Reynolds asked Lemmon, who Avildsen had directed in Save the Tiger (1973) for advice about Avildsen as a director. Lemmon told Reynolds that Avildsen was "okay", whereby Reynolds accepted the role. Much later, after the film was released and his experiences during its production proved unhappy, Reynolds complained to Lemmon and described Avildsen as an "asshole", whereby Lemmon replied, "I guess you could say that".
Lemmon was married twice. His son Chris Lemmon (b. 1954), was his first child by his first wife, actress Cynthia Stone (b. February 26, 1926, Peoria, Illinois, d. December 26, 1988). His second wife was the actress Felicia Farr, with whom he had a daughter, Courtney (b.1966).
Lemmon admitted that he was an alcoholic in the late 1960s. (Source: Los Angeles Times Obituary.)
Felicia Farr had another daughter from a previous relationship (her marriage to Lee Farr) called Denise, who would become Lemmon's stepdaughter.
Lemmon was Roman Catholic.
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