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Jack Lemmon

Jack Lemmon Quotes

Actor

Jack Lemmon was an American actor renowned for his roles in both comedic and dramatic films. He achieved great success in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly with films like '12 Angry Men' and 'The Graduate' alongside Walter Matthau. Lemmon won multiple awards for his performances, including an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in 'The Killers' in 1974.

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Famous Jack Lemmon Quotes

“If you've been fortunate enough to live out your dream in the profession of your choice, then you have an obligation to send the elevator back down.”

Ifs Enough Dream Choices Profession Obligation Fortunate Your Dreams Elevators

Author:Jack Lemmon

“Success is always somebody else's opinion of you; but it doesn't amount to a damn compared to your own opinion of yourself.”

Opinion Amount Damn

Author:Jack Lemmon

“Everything that is truly worthwhile - I think passion is involved in your approach to it. No matter what it is.”

Thinking Matter Passion Involved Approach No Matter What Worthwhile

Author:Jack Lemmon

“Part of an actor's job is to actually adopt the world-view of the character she is playing and to tell the story from that vantage point. If an actor represses large aspects of their personality, they will have a severely limited range and castability. Great actors cultivate effortless access to their subpersonalities. Many acting teachers call this 'freeing your instrument.'”

Ifs World Character Stories Jobs Actors Views Acting Teacher Personality Aspect Instruments Access Range Great Actors Effortless World View Vantage Point Acting Teachers

Author:Jack Lemmon

“I was born in an elevator, and - as my mother said - naturally it was going down. She said, "All I remember is telling your father, 'That's it! Never again!'" That's why I'm an only child.”

Children Said Remember Mother Father Born Elevators Only Child

Author:Jack Lemmon

“I had no desire to be in the movies. All my training had been in the theater, thank God.”

Desire Training Theater Thank God

Author:Jack Lemmon

“If you think it's hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball.”

“I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.”

“Death ends a life, not a relationship.”

Life Ends Death True Love Sorry Grieving Pet Life And Death Grief And Loss Death And Dying Memorial After Death Think Of You Loving Someone Life After Death When You Love Someone Love And Loss Losing Someone Pet Loss Grief Loss Inspirational Death My Father Died Dog Loss Funerals And Death Death Grief Grief And Death Those Grieving Sympathy For Loss Grief And Mourning Grieving A Death Dealing With Death Death And Grieving Everlasting Love Love You Forever Death And Loss Death Of A Friend Pet Grief Death Condolences Meaningful Death Relationships Ending True Love Never Ends Pets In Heaven Endless Love Inspirational Grief Inspirational Mourning Death Grieving Funeral Memorial Death Remembrance Death Anniversary Death Memorial Mourning Loss Grieving Loss Death And Mourning Grieving Inspirational Inspirational Grieving Death Mourning Grief And Loss Inspirational Mourning Death Grieving A Loss Grieving And Loss Pet Memorial Loss Of A Friend

Author:Jack Lemmon

“If you really do want to be an actor who can satisfy himself and his audience, you need to be vulnerable.”

Ifs Want Inspirational Needs Motivational Actors Acting Audience Vulnerable Best Acting Theatre Acting Theatre Actors Actors And Acting Acting From Actors Actors And Audience

Author:Jack Lemmon

“If you really do want to be an actor who can satisfy himself and his audience, you need to be vulnerable. [You must] reach the emotional and intellectual level of ability where you can go out stark naked, emotionally, in front of an audience.”

Ifs Want Needs Actors Ability Levels Acting Audience Fronts Emotional Intellectual Naked Vulnerable Starks

Author:Jack Lemmon

“Acting doesn't have anything to do with listening to the words. We never really listen, in general conversation, to what the other person is saying. We listen to what they mean. And what they mean is often quite apart from the words. When you see a scene between two actors that goes really well you can be sure they're not listening to each other - they're feeling what the other person is trying to get at. Know what I mean?”

Knows Trying Wells Mean Persons Two Feelings Actors Acting Listening Scene Conversation

Author:Jack Lemmon

“I was lying ten and had a thirty-five foot putt. I whispered over my shoulder: "How does this one break?" And my caddie said, "Who cares?"”

Doe Said Care Lying Break Five Feet Ten Golf Shoulders Thirty Who Cares Caddies

Author:Jack Lemmon

“Dying is not a sin. Not living is.”

Death Sin Dying Sins Not

Author:Jack Lemmon

“Anything truly worthwhile does not come easy. If it did, it would not be all that worthwhile.”

Ifs Doe Easy Worthwhile

Author:Jack Lemmon

“How do you know that God didn't speak to Charles Darwin?”

Knows Speak Do You Know Inherit The Wind

Author:Jack Lemmon

“Stay humble. Always answer your phone - no matter who else is in the car.”

Matter Answers Car Humility Phones Humble Be Humble Stay Humble

Author:Jack Lemmon

“Failure seldom stops you. What stops you is the fear of failure.”

Fear Failure Fear Of Failure

Author:Jack Lemmon

“It's hard enough to write a good drama, it's much harder to write a good comedy, and it's hardest of all to write a drama with comedy. Which is what life is.”

Writing Hard Enough Life Is Comedy Drama Harder Hardest Hard Life Good Drama

Author:Jack Lemmon

“It can be a simple sentence that makes one single point and you build for that. You zero in on one moment that gets that character, you go for it, that's it, man, and if you fail the whole thing is down the drain, but if you make it you hit the moon.”

Ifs Men Whole Moments Character Simple Failing Moon Sentences Zero Drains

Author:Jack Lemmon

“Nobody deserves this much money - certainly not an actor.”

Actors Money Deserve

Author:Jack Lemmon

“I think whatever you do, if you are going to do well or even if you don't do it well, you have to have a passion for it, and I am passionate about it. I love it. I respect it and it gets me. I get off on acting.”

Ifs Thinking Wells Passion Acting Passionate

Author:Jack Lemmon

“I have lost someone I loved as a brother, as a closest friend, and a remarkable human being. We have also lost one of the best damn actors we'll ever see.”

Humans Actors Lost Human Beings Brother Damn Remarkable Closest Best Friend Closest Friends Lost Ones Lost Someone

Author:Jack Lemmon

“When I'm reading material, if I'm a little bit afraid of a part and I'm willing to admit that to myself, then I'll do it, definitely. If I'm worried about being able to do it, to get it -I absolutely just love it.”

Ifs Love Littles Able Reading Bits Justice Willing Materials Little Bit Worried

Author:Jack Lemmon

“how she moves. That's just like Jell-O on springs. She must have some sort of built-in motors. I tell you, it's a whole different sex! Joe: What are you afraid of? Nobody's asking you to have a baby.”

Different Whole Moving Sex Baby Spring Built Asking Motor

Author:Jack Lemmon

“No matter how successful you get, always send the elevator back down.”

Matter Successful Elevators

Author:Jack Lemmon

“She has never messed up a single take yet. Recently I was in a scene and there was a table covered with a cloth. When the director said cut, I saw a black nose and two paws inching out from under the cloth. She had hidden there without making a sound until we were done with the scene. She wanted to be nearer to me.”

Said Two Done Wanted Sound Black Friendship Saws Cutting Dog Scene Directors Tables Noses Covered Messed Up Paws

Author:Jack Lemmon

“My career has been full of remarkable coincidences that have nothing to do with me.”

Has Beens Careers Remarkable Coincidence

Author:Jack Lemmon

“People are probably correct when they see me as the so-called Everyman. I'm attracted primarily to contemporary characters. I understand them and their frustrations.”

People Character Contemporary Frustration Everyman

Author:Jack Lemmon

“I have never lost a total passion for my work.”

Author:Jack Lemmon

“I won't quit until I get run over by a truck, a producer or a critic.”

Running Critics Quitting Producers Truck

Author:Jack Lemmon

“I'd rather make the cut in the Crosby than win another Oscar.”

Winning Cutting Oscars Crosby

Author:Jack Lemmon

“I would rather play Hamlet with no rehearsal than TV golf.”

Play Tvs Golf Rehearsal

Author:Jack Lemmon

About the Author

Born: February 8, 1925
Died: June 27, 2001
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 33

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