Jack Lemmon was considered one of the most diversely talented actors in the history of Hollywood. After getting his start on television in 1949, Lemmon amassed exactly 100 big and small screen credits between then and 2000. Equally lauded for his comedic and dramatic performances during that span, Lemmon earned two Oscar Awards and six Golden Globes over his illustrious 50-year career.
Lemmon's first Oscar victory came in 1956 for his comedic role in Mister Roberts. His second Academy Award win came following his dramatic turn in the 1973 film Save the Tiger. For a better picture of his filmography, here are his best movies.
Missing (1982) 94%
Lemmon earned the final Oscar nod of his legendary career for his work opposite Sissy Spacek in the political-thriller Missing. Despite being set in Chile, the Costa-Gavras film was shot entirely on location in Mexico.
The story follows American journalist Charles Horman (John Shea), who ventures to Valparaiso, Chile to meet a friend and his wife. When the trio is caught in an American-backed coup d'etat, Charles suddenly goes missing. Lemmon plays Ed Horman, Charles' father who sets out to find his son in South America along with his wife Beth Horman (Spacek).
Glengarry Glen Ross (1990) 95%
Lemmon headlines an A-list ensemble in Glengarry Glen Ross, the cinematic adaptation of David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play.
The film follows a staff of cutthroat real estate agents salivating over the prospect of new a potential client list, aka "leads." Prizes are awarded for the highest seller, prompting several of the employees to hatch a scheme to steal the leads and divide the prize money equally among them. Lemmon plays Shelley "The Machine" Levene, the elder statesman of the bunch who imparts wisdom on his coworkers.
Hamlet (1996) 95%
In Kenneth Branagh's four-hour screen adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Lemmon portrays Marcellus alongside a massive ensemble cast that includes Julie Christie, Sir Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet, and many more.
Nominated for four Oscars, the film tracks the titular Prince of Denmark (Branagh) and his paranoid delusions in the wake of his Kingly father's death. As he returns home for the funeral and his mother's marriage to uncle Claudius, Hamlet is continuously wracked by supernatural visions and fits of madness.
Short Cuts (1993) 95%
Robert Altman's multi-narrative tale of several suburban Los Angelinos in Short Cuts earned the director one of five career Academy Award nominations. Lemmon plays Paul Finnigan, the estranged father of son Howard (Bruce Davison) and daughter-in-law Ann (Andy MacDowell).
Based on the writings of Raymond Carver, the film charts the quotidian routine of ordinary California citizens. When Paul's grandson is hit by a car, he visits the hospital and reminisces about the time Howard also got struck by a vehicle as a boy.
Some Like It Hot (1959) 95%
In addition to its Rotten Tomatoes score, Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot also boasts a 98 Metascore and ranks #134 on IMDB's Top 250 Movies with an 8.2/10 rating.
The classic comedy follows Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Lemmon), two musicians who find their lives in grave danger after witnessing a murder. To evade danger, the two men disguise themselves as women named Josephine and Daphne, join an all-female traveling band and meet seductive siren Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe).
The Fortune Cookie (1966) 96%
Seven years after scoring a major success with Some Like it Hot, Lemmon rejoined director Billy Wilder for the farcical romp The Fortune Cookie. The film also marks the first collaboration between Lemmon and his longtime screen partner Walter Matthau.
When CBS cameraman Harry Hinkle (Lemmon) is knocked unconscious while filming a football game in Cleveland, his litigious brother-in-law Willie Gingrich (Matthau) begins a lawsuit while Harry is still out cold. When he comes to, Harry denounces the scam until learning his ex-wife is due to pay a visit out of concern for his serious injury.
Cowboy (1958) 100%
Based on a true story, Lemmon plays Chicago hotelier Frank Harris in Delmer Daves' 1958 western Cowboy. When Frank is tasked with transporting cattle to Mexico with hardened trail rider Tom Reece (Glenn Ford), the soft-centered northerner learns he isn't quite cut out for cowboy life.
In addition to Daves earning a DGA nomination, Cowboy was nominated for Best Film Editing at the 1959 Academy Awards.
It Should Happen To You (1954) 100%
Lemmon made his big-screen debut in George Cukor's 1954 film It Should Happen To You, a romantic farce about a young woman's life radically altering overnight.
Judy Holliday stars as Gladys Glover, a young model desperate to make a name for herself in the big city. When an advertising mistake plasters Glover's name on ten billboards spread throughout the city, her popularity increases overnight. Lemmon plays Pete Sheppard, a documentary filmmaker who meets Gladys and instantly falls in love but must vie with playboy Evan Adams III (Peter Lawford) for her affections.
Days Of Wine And Roses (1962) 100%
Lemmon gives one of the most dramatic performances of his career as a deeply troubled alcoholic in Days of Wine and Roses, for which he earned an Oscar nomination.
Joe Clay is a high-function drunk who works as a hotshot PR agent. Upon marrying Kristen Arnesen (Lee Remick), he slowly but surely foists his alcoholic addictions on her. As time goes on, their marriage struggles to function with their crippling dependence on booze. The more they try to quit, the harder it is to remain clean and sober.
The Odd Couple (1968) 100%
Based on the classic Neil Simon play, The Odd Couple is largely hailed as one of the all-time greatest comedies ever made. The film stars Lemmon and Walter Matthau as a pair of bachelors who, upon living together in NYC, get on each other's nerves to no end.
Oscar Madison (Matthau) and Felix Unger (Lemmon) couldn't have different personalities. Oscar is messy, carefree and fun-loving, while Felix is a rigid and uptight hypochondriac. When the two live together in Oscar's swanky bachelor pad, the two men resemble a bickering married couple.