Peter Lawford (Actor)

"Peter Lawford's tenure at MGM is one of the best examples of how an MGM contract could both elevate and sabotage a performer's career. Peter's association with the studio put him in some of the best, most expensive, most popular films produced in the United States in the 1940s. With few exceptions, however, his roles were secondary and demanded little more of him than that he look handsome and act charming.

"Peter was undeniably talented, and he showed promise when forced to stretch himself. But MGM had so many extraordinarily gifted performers that someone with relatively modest abilities, like Peter, was expendable. 'Most of the time I spent sunbathing in my backyard,' he said. 'Every now and then the postman would throw a new script through the front door which I'd be obliged to do whether I wanted to or not.'" --James Spada ("Peter Lawford: The Man Who Kept the Secrets" 1991)