What current actor is most similar to him?

I really don't think there will be any other actor quite like Jack Lemmon at any age to remake any of his films (god forbid please!). I guess you could say Kevin Spacey envisions himself as like Jack; seeing as Jack gave him some very valuable acting guidance.


Marilyn Monroe: I don't want to be rich. I just want to be wonderful.

I think Paul Rudd is sort of similar to Jack Lemmon, at least in the younger years (The Apartment, Some Like it Hot). He's the perpetual nice guy who has some depth and also can do comedy, but seems like a bit of an everyman, too. Rudd is a little "prettier" than Lemmon, but he comes to mind as the closest right now.

Perhaps Jeff Daniels (Fly Away Home, Away We Go, Purple Rose of Cairo) - he doesn't have the same kind of persona, but I bet he could play Lemmon's parts well and has a similar look.

I was thinking about it and Jim Carrey possesses a lot of Lemmon's qualities if he isn't slumming it. Like I could see Jack Lemmon in The Truman Show or Liar Liar and I could Jim Carrey in How To Murder Your Wife and The Apartment or a much older Jim Carrey in Glengarry Glen Ross.

And this is all hypothetical, I'm not literally equating them.

Brian Peppers is my Homeboy

Jack Lemmon had very soft features. He came across as a very sweet, naïve and kind sort of guy. I don’t know if that’s a layman’s attempt at characterology, but he really did seem very likeable.

Now, I know there’s the kind of actor that disappears in a role, but there’s also the classical style of actor that reveals himself in every role. Jack Lemmon was an actor of the latter category. He probably could have very easily played a menacing kind of guy, but underneath it all, you’d still get a lot of Jack.

An actor like William H. Macy possesses similar qualities. He’d be perfect in a role made for Jack Lemmon.

I always thought Kevin Spacey was like the modern-day Jack Lemmon. Not only does he vaguely look like Lemmon, but his ability to do both comedy and drama is similar to Lemmon.

Robbin Williams.

Jack Lemmon in his later years: I'm thinking, likable, unimposing, everyman. World-weary and slightly cynical: Robin Williams pops into mind, as does Steve Martin.


Yeah, they're dead, they're--all messed up.