Jack Lemmon was a successful dramatic and comic actor mainly in the 1950's and 1960's and was unusal in being able to do both styles well. He studied at Harvard and and served in the navy before taking up an acting career on the Broadway stage and then on television. His first film break came with the George Cukor film opposite Judy Holiliday in It Should Happen to You. It was Mister Roberts that lifted him to more of a star status. Bell Book and Candle was a commercial success for him. This was followed up by perhaps his most memorable film, Some Like It Hot. This is one of the best comic films ever made. Theb Billy Wilder directed film The Apartment let mix comedy with drama. With Days Of Wine And Roses he shows more of his dramatic ability. He returned to comedy in How To Murder Your Wife and most notably in The Odd Couple, thr first of 11 films he made with Walter Matthau. Of his skills was his ability to work with male leads and also female leads. In the late 1970's and early 1080's he had several Oscar nominations and a win moving away from the comedy roles. His later work like Glengarry Glen Ross took him into more darker films that challenged the American dream. He went back to comedy with Grumpy Old Men along side Walter Matthau.
