The tragi-comic appeal of Jack Lemmon, one of Hollywood’s most underrated stars

The self-effacing star is back on TV screens over Christmas in Billy Wilder’s Some Like it Hot. Geoffrey Macnab investigates the secret to his popularity and why he isn’t treated as seriously as many other actors of his generation

Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon in Some Like it Hot (Rex)

It was the 12th or 13th take of a scene in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) and Jack Lemmon was getting irritated with his co-star Al Pacino. Pacino liked to riff away and experiment with alternative approaches. Lemmon was word-perfect and precise. The actors were both giving superb performances, but their techniques were radically different.  

As Pacino started over on the scene yet again, the film’s director James Foley heard Lemmon mutter under his breath: “F***ing method.”  

Lemmon, Foley tells The Independent, was humble and hard working. He had none of the airs and graces you might expect from an actor of his achievements. If Lemmon had been asked to audition for his part, Foley is sure he would have done so.