British-born Rat Pack member was most well-known for his film roles as WWII heroes.  His puppy-dog eyes and thick eyebrows made him a ladies’ man, and his lust for life made him a celebrity, but he threw it all away for drugs and alcohol.

Peter Lawford was born to un-wed parents. This caused a scandal that drove the family to the United States, where they traveled constantly. Because of his family’s travels, Peter was never formally educated, and his lack of education was a sore subject. It contributed to his low self-esteem later on as a member of the Kennedy family (his brother-in-law was JFK), and throughout his adult life.

Injuring his arm in a childhood accident kept Peter from entering World War II, the greatest thing that could happen to his acting career. Hollywood was infatuated with heroic Englishmen, and as war movies were being churned out by the dozens, Peter Lawford was just what America was looking for.

Once he signed with MGM, his mother insisted that studio head Louis B. Mayer pay her a salary as Peter’s personal assistant. Mayer declined, so Mrs. Lawford responded by claiming her son to be homosexual and that he needed to be “supervised”. When Peter learned of his mother’s actions their relationship was never the same. Read more