Peter Sydney Lawford (September 7, 1923 - December 24, 1984) was a Hollywood actor and member of Frank Sinatra’s “Rat Pack,” more noted for his off-screen activities than for his acting.
Born in London, the son of actor Sidney Lawford and his (eventual) wife, Mary Aylen, née Somerville, he spent his early childhood in France, and began acting as a child. In childhood he severely injured his arm. Doctors were able to save the arm, but the injury bothered him for many years. The arm injury kept him from being drafted into the armed forces for the Second World War. Prior to the war, Lawford had a gained a contract position with the MGM studios.
Lawford became an American citizen in 1960, in time to vote for his brother-in-law John F. Kennedy. Lawford, along with the other members of the Rat Pack helped to campaign for Kennedy and the Democratic party.