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On September 7, 1923, in London, England, Peter Sydney Ernest Aylen was given the name Peter Lawford. He was the son of Lieutenant General Sir Sydney Turing Barlow Lawford, KBE, and May Sommerville Bunny, who were both married at the time of his birth. After May informed her husband, Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Ernest Vaughn Aylen DSO, that Peter wasn’t his kid, both marriages ended in divorce. A year or so after Peter was born, May and Sydney got married. Peter’s aunt Ethel Turner Lawford married the son of the 1st Baron Avebury, and his uncle Ernest Lawford married the daughter of the Scottish 14th Earl of Eglinton.
His mother said, “At first, he didn’t have any schoolwork. Later in life, he also studied music, Spanish, and German. He didn’t read any crime novels; he only read carefully chosen works, including English fairy tales and French and English classics. After spending so much time studying Peter, I concluded that he was ill-suited for any profession other than art, so I dropped Latin, Algebra, and advanced mathematics in favour of theatrical.
Lawford had his screen debut at the age of 7 in the British comedy “Poor Old Bill” from 1931. The same year, he also had an uncredited part in the criminal drama “A Gentleman of Paris.” Peter suffered a terrible injury to his right arm when his arm crashed through a glass door when he was just 14 years old. Lawford sustained permanent nerve damage that made it difficult for him to use his hand and forearm normally. The accident prevented him from following his intended career path, which was to join the military as his parents had anticipated, so he chose to pursue acting instead.
What Was Peter Lawford’s Net Worth?
At the time of his passing in 1984, Peter Lawford, an English actor and producer, had a $1 million net worth. That is equivalent to almost $3 million in today’s money once inflation is taken into account. Peter Lawford, a member of the “Rat Pack,” was married to Patricia Kennedy from 1954 to 1966, making him the in-law of Senator Edward Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy, and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy of the United States.
Peter had over 120 acting credits to his name, including roles in the films “The Canterville Ghost” (1944), “The Picture of Dorian Grey” (1945), “Easter Parade” (1948), “Little Women” (1949), “Ocean’s 11” (1960), “Exodus” (1960), “A Man Called Adam” (1966), “Hook, Line & Sinker” (1969), and “Rosebud” (1975), as well as the television series ” On the films “Johnny Cool” (1963), “Billie” (1965), and “One More Time” (1970), Lawford also worked as an executive producer. In 1960, Peter was awarded a star for television on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the age of 61, Lawford passed away from a cardiac attack on Christmas Eve 1984.