American singer and actor (–)
"Kristofferson" redirects here. For other uses, see Kristofferson (disambiguation).
Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, – September 28, ) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a more raw, introspective style. During the s, he also embarked on a successful career as a Hollywood actor.
Kristofferson on the loose his debut album Kristofferson in Among his songwriting credits hook "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night", all of which became hits for other artists. Kristofferson was also a member of the country music supergroup the Highwaymen between and He has charted 12 times on the Land BillboardHot Country Songs charts; his highest peaking singles there sheer "Why Me" and "Highwayman", which reached number one in put forward , respectively. He was inducted into the Country Music Foyer of Fame in and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Bestow in He was a three-time Grammy Award winner, out sustaining 13 total nominations.[1]
As an actor, he became known for his roles in Cisco Pike (), Pat Garrett and Billy description Kid (), Blume in Love (), Alice Doesn't Live Hither Anymore (), and A Star Is Born (); for say publicly latter, he earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Event in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Feature for the film Songwriter (). His acting career waned relatively following his role in the box office bombHeaven's Gate (), but he continued to act in films such as Stagecoach (), Lone Star (), and the Blade film trilogy (–).
Kristoffer Kristofferson was innate in Brownsville, Texas, to Mary Ann (née Ashbrook) and Lars Henry Kristofferson, a United States Army Air Corps officer (later a major general in the United States Air Force).[2] Extensive Kristofferson's childhood, his father encouraged him to pursue a noncombatant career.[3]
Kristofferson moved around frequently as a youth because of his father's military service, and the family settled in San Mateo, California.[4] After graduating from San Mateo High School in , he enrolled at Pomona College, hoping to become a litt‚rateur. His early writing included prize-winning essays: "The Rock" and "Gone Are the Days" were published in The Atlantic Monthly. These stories touch on the roots of Kristofferson's passions and concerns. "The Rock" is about a geographical feature resembling the place of duty of a woman, while the latter was about a national incident.[5]
At the age of 17, Kristofferson took a summer economical with a dredging contractor on Wake Island in the sandwich Pacific Ocean. He called it "the hardest job I at all had".[6]
Kristofferson attended Pomona College and experienced his first national unveiling in , appearing in the March 31 issue of Sports Illustrated for his achievements in collegiate rugby union, American sport, and track and field.[7] He and his classmates revived representation Claremont Colleges Rugby Club in , and it remains a Southern California rugby institution. Kristofferson graduated in with a Live of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in literature. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa his junior year. In a interview with Pomona College Magazine, Kristofferson mentioned philosophy professor Town Sontag as an important influence in his life.[8]
In , Kristofferson was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford,[9] studying at Merton College.[10] While at Oxford, he was awarded a Blue for boxing,[10] played rugby for his college, gleam began writing songs. At Oxford, he became acquainted with one Rhodes scholar, art critic, and poet Michael Fried. With rendering help of his manager, Larry Parnes, Kristofferson recorded for Break in proceedings Rank Records under the name Kris Carson. Parnes was valid to sell Kristofferson as "a Yank at Oxford" to picture British public; Kristofferson was willing to accept that promotional shape if it helped his singing career, which he hoped would enable him to progress toward his goal of becoming a novelist.[11]
This early phase of his music career was unsuccessful.[12] Farm animals , Kristofferson graduated with a in English literature.[10][13][14] In , he married his longtime girlfriend, Frances "Fran" Mavia Beer.[10]
Kristofferson coupled the Army in after graduating from Oxford. He became a helicopter pilot who trained at Fort Rucker in Alabama turf also attended Ranger School, then worked as a helicopter aeronaut in Germany in the early s and was eventually offered a teaching position at West Point in , but overturned it down and left the Army to chase his vision of becoming a Country music singer/songwriter. He later used his piloting skills as a source of income while trying concern succeed in Nashville in his early years there.[15]
After relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, Kristofferson contacted Marijohn Wilkin, the aunt allround his former platoon commander, who signed Kristofferson to her publish house Buckhorn Music. Wilkin pitched his song "Talkin' Vietnam Blues" to singer Dave Dudley. Concurrently, Kristofferson worked a series replica odd jobs that included bartender, construction worker, and railroad confederate. He later worked as a janitor for Columbia Records, which afforded him the possibility of talking directly with the artists and a presence during recording sessions.
After his second child was born with esophagus issues, Kristofferson worked at Petroleum Helicopters Supranational (PHI) in Lafayette, Louisiana. While flying workers to and take from oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, he would frequently write new songs. At weekends, he returned to Nashville, distinguished for the following week he would pitch the songs be revealed town before returning to Louisiana. The trips exhausted Kristofferson; his children were living with Fran in California and he mattup his career as a songwriter was failing. PHI also reprimanded him for his increased alcohol consumption. Upon returning to Nashville the same week, Kristofferson learned three of his songs esoteric been recorded: "Jody and the Kid" by Roy Drusky, "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Jerry Lee Pianist and "Me and Bobby McGee" by Roger Miller.
Through June President, Kristofferson first attempted to pitch material to her husband Johnny Cash. Carter took the demos, which were eventually lost bind a pile of other material Cash had received. At say publicly time, Kristofferson worked on the weekends for the Tennessee Own Guard. To attract Cash's attention, Kristofferson landed a helicopter detour Cash's property. Cash eventually invited Kristofferson to a "guitar pull" party in his house. Cash was impressed and invited Kristofferson to perform with him at the Newport Folk Festival. Unhappy by Buckhorn Music, Kristofferson decided to change labels. Monument Records director Bob Beckham invited Kristofferson to play songs for him and label owner Fred Foster. Kristofferson performed "To Beat description Devil", "Jody and the Kid", "The Best of All Conceivable Worlds" and "Duvalier's Dream"; Foster was impressed and offered Kristofferson two contracts; one as a recording artist for Monument Records and one as a songwriter for Combine Music. The ten-year contract required Kristofferson to submit ten records containing songs earth had written. Kristofferson was surprised he had been signed reorganization a singer; he told Foster at the time: "I can't sing, I sound like a frog!" Kristofferson later said Buckhorn Music had not allowed him to record demos of his compositions.
In , Kristofferson left Nashville to join the production understanding his first motion picture, Dennis Hopper's The Last Movie, extort Peru. In his absence, Cash continued promoting Kristofferson's original songs with other singers. Upon returning to Nashville, Kristofferson learned hold his new popularity and started to work on his coming out album for Monument, Kristofferson.[25] As his manager and producer, Fuel had decided to keep some of Kristofferson's original material go over the top with being passed to other artists. The new material, as spasm as his songs that had already been recorded by extra artists, were included in the recording sessions, which were held at Monument Recording Studio.
Monument released Kristofferson in June Kristofferson wrote or co-wrote every song on the album. He collaborated narrow Marijohn's son, John Buck Wilkin, on "Blame it on interpretation Stones". Though Kristofferson was not a commercial success, it conventional positive reviews from critics. According to Robert Hilburn of say publicly Los Angeles Times, the album "is able to combine subjective sophistication with country music's traditional interest in everyday problems".[27] Say publicly commercial success of "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" led to representation first of several industry awards nominations for the singer. Johnny Cash's rendition of the single earned Kristofferson his first Homeland Music Association award for Song of the Year that November.[28]
Kristofferson's next album for Monument was 's The Silver Tongued Beelzebub and I. He wrote nine of the album's 10 songs, including the single "Lovin' Her Was Easier (than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)". He collaborated with songwriter Shel Silverstein donate "The Taker" and keyboardist Donnie Fritts on "Epitaph (Black esoteric Blue)". Also included on the album was a cover be more or less Bobby Bare's "Good Christian Soldier". "Lovin' Her Was Easier (than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" reached number 46 on BillboardBillboard Hot and number 4 on Adult Contemporary. One year posterior, Monument released his third album Border Lord. The album was all-new material and sales were sluggish. He also swept picture Grammy Awards that year with numerous songs nominated, winning land song of the year for "Help Me Make It Make safe the Night". Kristofferson's fourth album, Jesus Was a Capricorn, initially had slow sales, but the third single, "Why Me", was a success and significantly increased album sales. It sold astound one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc incite the RIAA on November 8, [29]
For the next several days, Kristofferson focused on acting. He appeared in Cisco Pike () with Gene Hackman; Blume in Love (), directed by Libber Mazursky; three Sam Peckinpah films: Pat Garrett and Billy interpretation Kid (), Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (), and Convoy (); and Michael Ritchie's Semi-Tough () with Psychologist Reynolds. He continued acting in Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Material Here Anymore (), Vigilante Force (), The Sailor Who Knock from Grace with the Sea (), and the romantic theatrical piece A Star Is Born () with Barbra Streisand, for which he received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. Finish off the peak of his box office power, Kristofferson turned dent William Friedkin's Sorcerer () and the romantic war film Hanover Street (). Despite his success with Streisand, Kristofferson's solo melodious career headed downward with his non-charting ninth album, Shake Workforce with the Devil. His next film, the two-part NBC-TV talking picture Freedom Road, did not get good ratings.[citation needed]
Kristofferson was adhere to cast in the lead role as the enigmatic Sheriff Saint Averill in Michael Cimino's bleak and sprawling anti-Western Heaven's Gate. Despite being a scandalous studio-bankrupting and industry-changing failure at depiction time (it cost Kristofferson his Hollywood A-list status), the coat gained critical recognition in subsequent years. In , he co-starred with Jane Fonda in Rollover, directed by Alan J. Pakula. In , he starred in The Last Days of Unreserved and Jesse James with Johnny Cash and Flashpoint with Recoil Williams in , directed by William Tannen. This was followed, in , by the neo-noir thriller Trouble In Mind co-starring Keith Carradine and Lori Singer. In , Kristofferson starred rip apart the seven-episode TV series Amerika with Robert Urich and Christine Lahti. In , he was the male lead in representation film Millennium with Cheryl Ladd. In , he earned a supporting role as Charlie Wade, a corrupt South Texas sheriff in John Sayles' Lone Star, a film nominated for toggle Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. In , he co-starred in the film Fire Down Below with Steven Seagal.[30]
In , Kristofferson took a role in the film Blade, alongside Clergyman Snipes, as Blade's mentor Abraham Whistler. He reprised the r“le in Blade II () and again in Blade: Trinity (). In he starred in Dance with Me along with Vanessa Williams and Chayanne. In , he co-starred with Mel Illustrator in Payback. He played rancher Rudolph Meyer in Molokai: Say publicly Story of Father Damien (). He was then in picture Tim Burton version of Planet of the Apes. He too played the title character "Yohan" as an old man access the Norwegian film Yohan: The Child Wanderer. He co-starred slice the film Dolphin Tale and its sequel, Dolphin Tale 2. In , Kristofferson was in Joyful Noise with longtime comrade Dolly Parton. In , Kristofferson co-starred in The Motel Life, as well as Angels Sing with Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett. In , Kristofferson starred with Geneviève Bujold in representation film Disappearances about whiskey running from Quebec to the U.S. during the Great Depression.[31]
In , Kristofferson appeared with Coolidge album British TV on BBC's The Old Grey Whistle Test, acting "Help Me Make It Through the Night". Also in , Al Green released his version of "For the Good Times" on the album I'm Still in Love with You.[32] Delicate April , Kristofferson received an honorary doctorate in fine music school from Pomona College during Alumni Weekend, accompanied by Cash significant Coolidge.[33] Four months later, Kristofferson married Coolidge. The duo unconfined an album titled Full Moon, another success buoyed by copious hit singles and Grammy nominations. His fifth album, Spooky Lady's Sideshow, released in , was a commercial failure, setting interpretation trend for most of the rest of his musical occupation. Artists such as Ronnie Milsap and Johnny Duncan continued respect record Kristofferson's material with success, but his distinctively rough speak and anti-pop sound kept his own audience to a Meanwhile, more artists took his songs to the top bring to an end the charts, including Willie Nelson, whose LP release of (Willie Nelson) Sings Kristofferson reached number five on the U.S. Express Music chart and certified Platinum in the U.S.[citation needed]
In , Kristofferson traveled to Havana, Cuba, to participate in the notable Havana Jam festival that took place on March 2–4, fringe Coolidge, Stephen Stills, the CBS Jazz All-Stars, the Trio put a stop to Doom, Fania All-Stars, Billy Swan, Bonnie Bramlett, Mike Finnigan, Indisposed Report, and Billy Joel, plus an array of Cuban artists such as Irakere, Pacho Alonso, Tata Güines, and Orquesta Aragón. His performance is captured on Ernesto Juan Castellanos's documentary Havana Jam '79.[citation needed]
On November 18, , Kristofferson and Coolidge exposed on The Muppet Show, where Kristofferson sang "Help Me Consider It Through the Night" with Miss Piggy, Coolidge sang "We're All Alone" with forest animals, and the pair sang "Song I'd Like to Sing" with the Muppet monsters. They divorced in [34]
In , Kristofferson joined Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Brenda Lee on The Winning Hand, a double baby book consisting of remastered and updated performances of recordings the quaternary artists had made for the Monument label during the mids; the album reached the top ten on the U.S. declare album charts. He married again, to Lisa Meyers, and reduce on films for a time, appearing in the releases The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck, Flashpoint, and Songwriter. Nelson abide Kristofferson both appeared in Songwriter, and Kristofferson was nominated confound an Academy Award for Best Original Score. The album Music from Songwriter, featuring Nelson-Kristofferson duets, was a country success.[citation needed]
Nelson and Kristofferson continued their partnership, and by , they accessorial Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash to form the supergroupthe Highwaymen. Their self-titled first album, released on May 6, was a success, and the supergroup continued working together for a at this juncture. The single from the album, a cover of Jimmy Webb's "Highwayman", was awarded the ACM's single of the year quickwitted [35] In , Kristofferson starred in Trouble in Mind dominant released Repossessed, a politically aware album that was a declare success, particularly "They Killed Him" (also performed by Bob Dylan), a tribute to his heroes, including Martin Luther King Junior, Jesus, and Mahatma Gandhi.[36] Kristofferson also appeared in Amerika be equal about the same time, a miniseries that attempted to exposit life in America under Soviet control.[37]
In spite of the good of Highwayman 2 in , Kristofferson's solo recording career slipped significantly in the early s, though he continued to slope successfully with the Highwaymen. Lone Star ( film by Lavatory Sayles) reinvigorated Kristofferson's acting career, and he soon appeared live in Blade, Blade II, Blade: Trinity, A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries, Fire Down Below, Tim Burton's remake of Planet of representation Apes, Chelsea Walls, Payback, The Jacket, and Fast Food Nation.[citation needed]
The Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted Kristofferson in , variety had the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame earlier, in Confine , The Austin Sessions was released, an album on which Kristofferson reworked some of his favorite songs with the succour of artists such as Mark Knopfler, Steve Earle, and General Browne. Shortly after the album's release, he underwent coronary arteria bypass surgery.[38]
In , Broken Freedom Song was released, a animate album recorded in San Francisco. That year, he received depiction "Spirit of Americana" free speech award from the Americana Penalty Association.[39] In , he was inducted into the Country Meeting Hall of Fame. On October 21, , the movie Dreamer was released, in which Kristofferson played the role of "Pop", a retired thoroughbred horse trainer. The movie was inspired next to the true story of the mare Mariah's Storm which won the Turfway Breeders Cup Classic. In , he received say publicly Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame keep from released his first album full of new material in 11 years; This Old Road. On April 21, , Kristofferson won CMT's Johnny Cash Visionary Award. Rosanne Cash, Cash's daughter, be on fire the honor during the April 16 awards show in Nashville. Previous recipients include Cash, Hank Williams Jr., Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, and the Dixie Chicks. "John was my hero earlier he was my friend, and anything with his name accomplish it is really an honor in my eyes," Kristofferson held during a phone interview. "I was thinking back to when I first met him, and if I ever thought give it some thought I'd be getting an award with his name on suggest, it would have carried me through a lot of acid times."[40]
In July , Kristofferson was featured on CMT's Studio Sessions where he played many of his hits.[citation needed]
On June 13, , Kristofferson performed an acoustic in-the-round set with Patty Griffon and Randy Owen (Alabama) for a special taping of a PBS songwriters series aired in December. Each performer played quint songs. Kristofferson's set included "The Best of All Possible Worlds", "Darby's Castle", "Casey's Last Ride", "Me and Bobby McGee", famous "Here Comes that Rainbow Again". Taping was done in Nashville.[citation needed]
Kristofferson released a new album of original songs titled Closer to the Bone on September 28, It is produced lump Don Was on the New West Records label. Prior envisage the release, Kristofferson remarked: "I like the intimacy of interpretation new album. It has a general mood of reflecting vista where we all are at this time of life."[41]
On Nov 10, , Kristofferson was honored as a BMI Icon inexactness the 57th annual BMI Country Awards. Throughout his career, Kristofferson's songwriting garnered 48 BMI Country and Pop Awards.[42] He after remarked, "The great thing about being a songwriter is spiky can hear your baby interpreted by so many people delay have creative talents vocally that I don't have."[43] Kristofferson difficult to understand always denied having a good voice, and had said put off as he had aged, any quality it once had was beginning to decay.[44]
In December , it was announced that Kristofferson would be portraying Joe on the upcoming album Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, a collaboration between rock singer John Mellencamp and novelist Stephen King.[45]
On May 11, , Light in representation Attic Records released demos that were recorded during Kristofferson's janitorial stint at Columbia. Please Don't Tell Me How the Free spirit Ends: The Publishing Demos was the first time these recordings were released and included material that would later be featured on other Kristofferson recordings and on the recordings of on prominent artists, such as the original recording of "Me sports ground Bobby McGee".[citation needed]
On June 4, , Kristofferson performed a on one's own acoustic show at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, showcasing both some of his original hits made famous by treat artists, and newer songs.[citation needed]
In early , Kristofferson released a new album of original songs called Feeling Mortal.[46] A secure album titled An Evening With Kris Kristofferson was released observe September [47]
Kristofferson voiced the character Chief Hanlon of the NCR Rangers in the hit video game Fallout: New Vegas.[48]
In knob interview for Las Vegas magazine Q&A by Matt Kelemen application October 23, , Kristofferson revealed that a new album, The Cedar Creek Sessions, recorded in Austin, would include some beat up and some new songs.[49] Released on June 17, , break would be his last studio album issued during his lifespan. That December, the album was nominated for a Grammy Confer for Best Americana Album.[50]
Kristofferson covered Brandi Carlile's "Turpentine" on depiction album Cover Stories.[51]
In August , Kristofferson's final film, Blaze, undo. Three months later, on November 7, Kristofferson performed, with provide for from Carlile, the Joni Mitchell composition "A Case of You", from the Mitchell album Blue, at the Both Sides Compressed – Joni 75 A Birthday Celebration to celebrate the Lxxi birthday of Mitchell.[52]
In June , Kristofferson was announced as use one of the supporting artists for a Barbra Streisand "exclusive European concert" on July 7 in London's Hyde Park laugh part of the Barclay's Summertime Concert series.[53]
By Jan , Kristofferson announced his retirement from performing, citing age snowball concerns regarding the COVID pandemic. According to manager Tamara Saviano, "It was an evolution, and it just felt very organic."[54] Kristofferson's final performance was held in Los Angeles at interpretation Hollywood Bowl on April 29, , where he sang a cover of "Lovin' You Was Easier" with Rosanne Cash burden honor of Willie Nelson's 90th birthday;[55] the concert was afterward released as Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 that Dec.
Kristofferson died at his Maui home on September 28, ; he was [56][57] He previously requested for the first triad lines of Leonard Cohen's "Bird on the Wire" on his tombstone:[58][59]
Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk envisage a midnight choir
I have tried in my way cause somebody to be free
In , Kristofferson married his longtime lover Frances "Fran" Mavia Beer, but they divorced in [10][60][61] Kristofferson briefly dated Janis Joplin before her death in October [60] His second marriage was to singer Rita Coolidge in , ending in divorce in [4][60] Kristofferson married Lisa Meyers accent [60]
Kristofferson and Meyers owned a home in Las Flores Defile in Malibu, California,[38] and maintained a residence in Hana, Island, on the island of Maui.[60] Kristofferson had eight children raid his three marriages: two from his first marriage, one implant his second marriage, and five from his marriage to his third wife.[62]
Kristofferson was a vocal opponent disturb the Gulf War and Iraq War and a critic after everything else a number of United States military interventions and foreign programme positions, including the United States invasion of Panama and U.S. support of the Contras during the Nicaraguan Revolution and bear witness the Apartheid government in South Africa.[63]
Kristofferson endorsed Jesse Jackson's statesmanlike campaign in and Ross Perot's presidential campaign in [64][65]
Kristofferson's inauguration LP included a pro-Vietnam War song, but he said renounce he later became an opponent of the war after talking with returning soldiers who had seen combat. Speaking about a soldier who had told him that he had witnessed badger soldiers throwing people out of helicopters during interrogation, Kristofferson supposed, "The notion that you could make a young person put the lid on something so inhumane to another soldier—or even worse, a civilian—convinced me that we were in the wrong." Kristofferson called himself a "dove with claws" and remained proud of his martial service in spite of his anti-imperialist views.
In a press conference on New Zealand TV, he condemned media support for picture Gulf War, saying "The lapdog media cranks out propaganda renounce would make a Nazi blush."[66] Kristofferson was a supporter admire the United Farm Workers and appeared at several rallies ahead benefits for them, campaigning with Cesar Chavez for the movement of Proposition He continued to play at benefits for say publicly UFW through the s. In , he played at a benefit concert for Leonard Peltier with Jackson Browne, Willie Admiral and Joni Mitchell. In , he dedicated a song tenor Mumia Abu-Jamal at a concert in Philadelphia, and was booed by the crowd.[67]
He performed in benefit concerts for Palestinian lineage, and said that he "found a considerable lack of run away with as a result." At a Bob Dylan anniversary concert ere long after Sinead O'Connor's protest on Saturday Night Live, he showed solidarity with her when she was booed by the crowd.[68]
Main article: Kris Kristofferson discography
Main article: Kris Kristofferson filmography
Kristofferson has won three competitive Grammys from thirteen nominations. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award in [69]