Kris Kristofferson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kris Kristofferson
Kristofferson in 1978
Born	Kristoffer Kristofferson (1936-06-22)June 22, 1936 Brownsville, Texas, U.S.
Died	September 28, 2024(2024-09-28) (aged 88) Hana, Hawaii, U.S.
Education	Pomona College (BA) Merton College, Oxford (BPhil)
Occupation	Singer musician songwriter actor
Years active	1959–2021
Works	Discography filmography
Spouse(s)	Frances Beer ​ ​ (m. 1961; div. 1969)​ Rita Coolidge ​ ​ (m. 1973; div. 1980)​ Lisa Meyers ​ (m. 1983)​
Children	8
Musical career
Genres	Country outlaw country country rock
Instruments	Vocals guitar harmonica
Labels	Monument Mercury Warner Bros. New West Columbia

Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American country singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a very important person in the "outlaw country" music style of the 1970s. This style was known for its rebellious sound.

He wrote many famous songs like "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night". Other artists made these songs into big hits. Kristofferson was also part of a famous country music supergroup called the Highwaymen. He was added to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004. He also received a special Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 for his whole career.

As an actor, Kristofferson was known for his roles in many movies. These include Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), and A Star Is Born (1976). For A Star Is Born, he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. He also starred in the Blade film trilogy (1998–2004).

Early Life and School

Kristoffer Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas. His mother was Mary Ann, and his father was Lars Henry Kristofferson. His father was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps and later a U.S. Air Force major general. When Kristofferson was a child, his father wanted him to have a military career.

Moving Around and High School

Because his father was in the military, Kristofferson moved often when he was young. His family eventually settled in San Mateo, California. He graduated from San Mateo High School in 1954. After high school, he went to Pomona College because he wanted to become a writer.

When he was 17, Kristofferson worked a summer job on Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean. He said it was "the hardest job I ever had."

College Years at Pomona

Kristofferson attended Pomona College. In 1958, he was featured in Sports Illustrated magazine for his skills in college rugby union, American football, and track and field. He helped restart the Claremont Colleges Rugby Club in 1958. He graduated in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature. He earned high honors, called summa cum laude.

In 1973, Kristofferson received an honorary degree from Pomona College. This was a special award for his achievements. His friends Johnny Cash and Rita Coolidge were there with him.

Studying at Oxford University

In 1958, Kristofferson won a special scholarship called a Rhodes Scholarship. This allowed him to study at the University of Oxford in England, at Merton College. While at Oxford, he earned an award for boxing and played rugby. He also started writing songs. He even recorded some music under the name Kris Carson, hoping to become a novelist.

However, his early music career was not successful. In 1960, he earned his degree in English literature. In 1961, he married his girlfriend, Frances "Fran" Mavia Beer.

Career

Military Service

Kristofferson joined the U.S. Army because his family wanted him to. He became an officer, reaching the rank of captain. He learned to fly helicopters at Fort Rucker, Alabama. He also completed Ranger School, which is tough training. In the early 1960s, he was stationed in West Germany. While there, he started a band and continued with music.

In 1965, his time in Germany ended. He was offered a job to teach at West Point. But he chose to leave the Army to focus on songwriting. His family was not happy with his decision. However, Kristofferson said he was proud of his military service. He even received the Veteran of the Year Award in 2003.

Music Career

After leaving the army in 1965, Kristofferson moved to Nashville. He worked odd jobs while trying to make it in music. He and his first wife divorced in 1968.

Kristofferson got a job sweeping floors at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville. He met June Carter there and asked her to give a tape of his songs to her husband, Johnny Cash. Cash put the tape with many others. Kristofferson also worked as a helicopter pilot for an oil company in Lafayette, Louisiana. He wrote many songs while working as a pilot, including "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and "Bobby McGee".

A few weeks after giving June Carter his tapes, Kristofferson landed his helicopter in Johnny Cash's front yard. This got Cash's attention! When Cash heard "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", he decided to record it. In 1970, Kristofferson won Songwriter of the Year for that song.

Kristofferson with Rita Coolidge at the 1972 Dripping Springs Reunion

In 1966, Dave Dudley released a successful song written by Kristofferson, called "Viet Nam Blues." In 1967, Kristofferson signed with Epic Records and released his own song, but it wasn't a hit. Over the next few years, more of his songs became popular for other artists. These included songs performed by Roy Drusky, Billy Walker, Ray Stevens, Jerry Lee Lewis, Faron Young, and Roger Miller. Kristofferson became successful as a performer after Johnny Cash introduced him at a music festival.

Kristofferson signed with Monument Records as a singer. His first album in 1970, Kristofferson, didn't sell well at first. But it became a hit the next year when it was re-released as Me & Bobby McGee. Many artists continued to record his songs. Ray Price ("For the Good Times"), Gladys Knight & the Pips ("Help Me Make It Through The Night"), and Johnny Cash ("Sunday Morning Coming Down") all had successful versions of his songs.

In 1971, Janis Joplin, who had dated Kristofferson, had a number one hit with "Me and Bobby McGee." More hits followed from other artists. Kristofferson released his second album, The Silver Tongued Devil and I, in 1971. This success made him a well-known recording artist. He also started acting in movies and performed at the Isle of Wight Festival. In 1971, he won a Grammy Award for Country Song of the Year for "Help Me Make It Through the Night." His 1972 album, Jesus Was a Capricorn, also became very popular, selling over a million copies.

Film Career

For several years, Kristofferson focused on acting. He appeared in movies like Cisco Pike (1972) and Blume in Love (1973). He also worked with director Sam Peckinpah on three films: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), and Convoy (1978). He continued acting in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and the romantic movie A Star Is Born (1976) with Barbra Streisand. For this role, he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.

His next film was Heaven's Gate (1980). This movie was very expensive and didn't do well at the time. However, it later became recognized as an important film. In 1981, he starred with Jane Fonda in Rollover. In 1986, he was in The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James with Johnny Cash. He also appeared in Trouble In Mind (1985) and the TV series Amerika (1987).

In 1996, he had a supporting role in Lone Star. In 1998, Kristofferson played Blade's mentor, Abraham Whistler, in the movie Blade. He played this role again in Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004). He also appeared with Mel Gibson in Payback (1999) and in the 2001 version of Planet of the Apes. He co-starred in Dolphin Tale (2011) and its sequel Dolphin Tale 2 (2014). In 2012, Kristofferson was in Joyful Noise with his friend Dolly Parton.

Mid-Career Highlights

After his music success in the early 1970s, Kristofferson met singer Rita Coolidge. They married in 1973 and released an album together called Full Moon. This album was also a success. However, his solo music career slowed down after that. Other artists continued to have hits with his songs, like Willie Nelson, whose 1979 album (Willie Nelson) Sings Kristofferson became very popular.

In 1979, Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge appeared on The Muppet Show. They sang songs with the Muppets. They divorced in 1980.

Later Years and Achievements

In 1982, Kristofferson joined Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Brenda Lee on a successful album called The Winning Hand. He married Lisa Meyers in 1983 and focused on movies for a while. Nelson and Kristofferson both appeared in the 1984 movie Songwriter. Kristofferson was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for the music in the film.

Nelson and Kristofferson then formed a supergroup called the Highwaymen with Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash. Their first album, Highwayman, was a big success. The song "Highwayman" won an award for Single of the Year in 1985. In 1985, Kristofferson released Repossessed, an album with political themes. It included the song "They Killed Him," which honored heroes like Martin Luther King Jr., Jesus, and Mahatma Gandhi.

Kristofferson at the 2006 South by Southwest Festival

Even though Highwayman 2 was successful in 1990, Kristofferson's solo music career became less active in the early 1990s. However, he continued to record with the Highwaymen. His acting career got a boost with the 1996 film Lone Star. He then appeared in many more movies, including the Blade films, Planet of the Apes, and Payback.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame added Kristofferson in 1985, and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame did so in 1977. In 1999, he released The Austin Sessions, where he re-recorded some of his favorite songs with other artists. Soon after, he had heart surgery.

In 2003, a live album called Broken Freedom Song was released. In 2004, he was added to the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2006, he received the Johnny Mercer Award and released his first album of new songs in 11 years, This Old Road. In 2007, Kristofferson won CMT's Johnny Cash Visionary Award.

Kristofferson speaking at the 2014 PEN New England Song Lyrics Award ceremony

In 2009, Kristofferson released a new album called Closer to the Bone. He said he liked how personal the new album felt. Also in 2009, he was honored as a BMI Icon for his songwriting. He had won 48 BMI Country and Pop Awards throughout his career.

In 2010, old demo recordings from when Kristofferson worked as a janitor were released. These included the original recording of "Me and Bobby McGee." In 2013, he released another new album called Feeling Mortal. A live album followed in 2014. Kristofferson also voiced a character in the video game Fallout: New Vegas in 2010.

In 2016, his album The Cedar Creek Sessions was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2017, he covered a song by Brandi Carlile. In 2018, he performed a song by Joni Mitchell to celebrate her 75th birthday.

Kristofferson in 2018

In June 2019, it was announced that Kristofferson would perform with Barbra Streisand in London. In January 2021, Kristofferson announced he was retiring from performing. His last concert was on February 5, 2020.

Personal Life and Passing

In 1961, Kristofferson married Frances "Fran" Mavia Beer. They divorced in 1969. He then briefly dated singer Janis Joplin. His second marriage was to singer Rita Coolidge in 1973, and they divorced in 1980. Kristofferson married Lisa Meyers in 1983.

Kristofferson and Lisa Meyers had homes in Malibu, California, and Hana, Hawaii. Kristofferson had eight children from his three marriages.

Kristofferson passed away at his home in Maui on September 28, 2024, at the age of 88.

Awards and Nominations

Grammy Awards

Kristofferson won three Grammy Awards from thirteen nominations. He received a special Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

Music Albums

Studio albums

Movies and TV Shows

See Also

In Spanish: Kris Kristofferson para niños