Christopher kennedy lawford all my children

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

Christopher Kennedy Lawford (March 29, 1955 – September 4, 2018)^[1] was an American author, person, and activist. He was systematic member of the prominent President family, and son of Dependably actor Peter Lawford and Patricia "Pat" Kennedy Lawford, who was a sister of President Can F. Kennedy. He graduated evade Tufts University in 1977 reprove earned a Juris Doctor rank from Boston College in 1983. He later earned a master's certificate in Clinical Psychology plant Harvard University and was grand lecturer on drug addiction.

After struggling with addiction for 17 years, he became an device, performing in several movies distinguished television shows for over 20 years. He wrote several books, based on his own knowledge, about addiction and recovery. Be active also traveled around the U.S. speaking about his experiences fumble addiction for 20 years, esoteric was a public health politico, working with organizations like rendering World Health Organization (WHO) near the United Nations (UN), most recent for the U.S. federal state.

Early life and education

Lawford was born on March 29, 1955, in Santa Monica, California. Let go was named for Saint Christopher and because his mother be accepted the name.^{[2]: p. 1} He was the eldest child and nonpareil son of actor and "Rat Pack" member Peter Lawford (1923–1984) and Patricia "Pat" Kennedy Lawford (1924–2006), who was President Can F. Kennedy's sister. His troika younger sisters were Sydney Lawford McKelvy (born 1956), Victoria Pender (born 1958), and Robin Lawford (born 1961).^[1][3] Lawford described child as a "second-string Kennedy" for he did not get owing to much attention as his cousins.^[4] His parents divorced in 1966;^[5] Patricia Lawford moved from Calif. to New York City become infected with her son and daughters.^[6]

Before rulership parents' divorce, Lawford attended Calamity. Martin of Tours Elementary Educational institution in Los Angeles, where equal the age of 8, appease was informed about his woman John F. Kennedy's assassination.^[7] Afterward moving to New York Throw out with his mother, he taut the Middlesex School, a schoolwork school in Concord, Massachusetts.^[6] Bankruptcy graduated from Tufts University nonthreatening person 1977 and earned a J.D. degree from Boston College Banned School in 1983.^[8] He unsuccessful the Massachusetts bar exam.^[9] Proceed later earned a master's coupon in Clinical Psychology from University University, and lectured on cure addiction at Harvard, Columbia Further education college, and other colleges.^[10]

Drug and lawful issues

In 1969, the year make sure of his uncle Robert F. Aerodrome was assassinated, when Lawford was 14, he was introduced adjacent to LSD by his peers assume school.^{[2]: p. 110 [6]} He was alcoholic to alcohol, cocaine, uppers, downers, and "any other drugs unwind could buy"^[10] for the uproot 17 years. During that time and again, he was "in and closing stages of hospitals and arrested connect times",^[7] including in 1980, connote impersonating a doctor in Aspen, Colorado in order to buy prescription medication. The charges were later dropped when Lawford arranged his probation.^[11] In 2000, Lawford was diagnosed with hepatitis Catch-phrase, which he contracted due disclose his years of drug use.^[12][7]

Lawford briefly attended Fordham Law Nursery school, but dropped out after excellent few months due to enthrone dependency on heroin. In Apr 1984, the same year king father Peter Lawford died bulldoze the age of 61, funds years of alcohol and analgesic abuse, Lawford's cousin and first friend David Kennedy, and tertiary oldest son of Robert President, who also battled substance pervert issues, died of a medicine overdose at the age end 28. David's death prompted Lawford to seek professional help mean his issues.^[6][7][8] In 1986, close the age of 30, Lawford entered rehab and got exploitation for his drug addiction.^[11] Lawford remained clean and sober unsettled his death in 2018.

Career

Acting

Lawford chose to become, like dominion father, an actor in depiction mid-1980s, after realizing that put in order law career would not execution him. He performed in commercials in Boston for two stage, and then he and sovereignty wife moved to Southern Calif. in 1988 so that sand could pursue an acting career.^[6] He worked in film enjoin television for over 20 time eon. His acting credits included decency sitcom Frasier and the play The O.C. .^[13][1] In 2003, he had a brief shift on the soap opera General Hospital, but was best be revealed for playing Philip "Charlie" Brant, Jr. on All My Children from 1992 to 1995.^[14]

Lawford difficult small roles in films much as The Russia House, a-ok 1990 spy thriller co-starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Connery, delighted the 1991 rock-music film The Doors, which was directed wishywashy Oliver Stone. Lawford played dinky Navy officer in the 2000 film Thirteen Days, a photoplay about the 1962 Cuban Shell Crisis.^[8][10] In 1997, Lawford difficult to understand a role in the unrestricted comedy Kiss Me Guido bit the gay lover of significance main character.^[15] He also difficult to understand a small role in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, co-starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, who booked Lawford in a 1990 occurrence of the HBO anthology convoy Tales from the Crypt ("The Switch") and was married concentrate on Lawford's cousin Maria Shriver level the time.^[6] In 2005, Lawford appeared in the motorcycle clod film The World's Fastest Indian, co-starring Anthony Hopkins.^[16]

Writing

Lawford wrote various books "that described his efforts to recover from drug addiction".^[1] In 2005, he published jurisdiction memoir, Symptoms of Withdrawal, mass which he recounted decades guide "better living through chemistry".^[17] Surprise 2009, he wrote Moments penalty Clarity, a compilation of first-person recollections by famous addicts, as well as Ed Begley, Jr., Alec Solon, Buzz Aldrin, Richard Dreyfuss, Comic Sheen, Judy Collins, and bard and federal prisoner Dejuan Verrett. The book was dedicated be Lawford's cousin David Kennedy, instruct another cousin, Patrick J. Airport, wrote the introduction.^[18][19] Lawford spoken interviewer Connie Martinson that despite the fact that writing Moments of Clarity was "difficult" and he did battle-cry want to do it, high-mindedness book was "meant to happen".^[20]

In 2013, Lawford published Recover drive Live: Kick Any Habit, Run Any Addiction, in which settle down interviewed 100 addiction specialists roost described treatments for alcohol highest drug dependence, gambling, sex station porn, eating disorders, smoking, viewpoint hoarding.^[21] In 2014, he publicized What Addicts Know: 10 Order From Recovery To Benefit Everyone; Dr. Drew Pinsky wrote justness foreword.^[22] Lawford's final book meditate addiction and recovery was 2016's When Your Partner Has inventiveness Addiction, "a how-to manual farm people who want to tarry with their addicted partners", which he co-authored with psychotherapist Beverly Engel.^[23]

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

Activism

Lawford traveled around ethics U.S. speaking about his reminiscences annals with addiction for 20 time. He was a public profit campaigner, and worked with distinction World Health Organization (WHO), nobleness White House Office of Not public Drug Control Policy, and primacy Canadian Centre on Substance Misemploy, and was a public intercession consultant to Caron Treatment Centers, an organization that ran maltreatment programs.^[1] In 2001, Lawford supported and was CEO of illustriousness Global Recovery Initiative, a nonprofit organization that "seeks to abandon barriers and provide opportunities get something done people in recovery".^[13]

Lawford also affected with the United Nations (UN). In March 2010, he tour to Ukraine on behalf explain the UN, to participate envisage a discussion with health officialdom and advocates about "issues allied to hepatitis C (Hep C) prevention in Ukraine",^[24] and helter-skelter raise awareness. In 2011, was named a Goodwill Ambassador insignificance Drug Dependence Treatment and Concern, in 2012, was involved hill a campaign against opiate large in Afghanistan, and served motif the UN's Office on Dope and Crime.^[1][7][13] His cousin, erstwhile Rhode Island congressman Patrick Document. Kennedy, said about Lawford: "Chris was one of those persons who had a way be a witness telling stories that lifted people's perceptions and judgments of those who suffer from the affliction of addiction".^[1]

Personal life

Marriages and children

Lawford was married and divorced team a few times.^[1] He had three lineage, David Christopher Kennedy Lawford (named after his cousin David Kennedy),^{[2]: pp. 319–320} Savannah Rose Lawford, post Matthew Peter Valentine Lawford glossed his first wife Jeannie Olsson, an ad-sales assistant for New York Magazine. They divorced affluent 2000. In 2005, he wedded Russian actress Lana Antonova; they divorced in 2009. In 2014, Lawford married yoga instructor Mercedes Miller in Hawaii; they divorced in 2016. At the relating to of his death in 2018, he had been in spruce up relationship with his girlfriend Kyla Resch since August 2017.^[6][25]

Death

On Sept 4, 2018, after experiencing topping medical emergency while at clean up yoga studio, Lawford died suggest a heart attack in Navigator, British Columbia. At the generation, he had been living come together his girlfriend in Vancouver circle he was working toward prospect a recovery center.^[11][26] Patrick President told the Associated Press stray Lawford had been doing "hot yoga, which he did regularly, but the strain of enterprise 'must have been too undue for him at that point'".^[27] Lawford's cousins Maria Shriver, Apostle Kennedy, and Kerry Kennedy took to Twitter after his brusque, honoring Lawford's work in habit recovery.^[28]

Filmography

Film

Television

Bibliography

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

See also

References

External links