Kris Kristofferson gained fame at the age of Christ, in 1969. In the very year that was imprinted in history as the “Summer of Love.” Apparently, the stars came together in such a way that a graduate teacher of English literature with an Oxford diploma and a former ranger lieutenant in one person had to leave a mark on himself in art, but not in one, but in two at once – in music and cinema.
Kristofferson chooses the country as the area of application of his musical aspirations, on the way to becoming a performer of the songs he composed himself, a former officer and bachelor of Philosophy worked as a bartender and a builder, a railwayman and a helicopter pilot in an oil company. The place where he was looking for his fortune was the legendary Nashville, visiting there from Louisiana almost every week. His songs have already been recorded by very famous artists, such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Roger Miller. And his persistence eventually opened the doors of Johnny Cash’s house to him, where, seeking a meeting with his idol, he even flew in a helicopter like a movie.
Appreciating Chris’s talent, Cash invites him to go with him to the Newport festival in 1969. And soon Kristofferson signs a ten-year contract with Monument Records, almost not trusting his luck, he tells label owner Fred Foster, “I can’t sing, I sound like a frog!”. But the voice of this “frog” from the first release under the simple name “Kristofferson” brought him all-American fame, and some of his songs subsequently became platinum.
In the same 1969, Chris begins his film career, joining the filming of Denis Hopper’s metaphysical western drama The Last Movie, in company with Peter Fonda, Samuel Fuller, Holly Phillips and other artists. It is significant that in this film, filmed in the Peruvian wilderness, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 1971, Kris Kristofferson played the role of a Minstrel.
15. Bring Me Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
Most often in the 1970s, Kris Kristofferson starred in the films of Sam Peckinpah – in 1974 in one of the cameo roles of a biker in “Bring Me Head Of Alfredo Garcia”, but was also the voice of the narrator.
14. Blume In Love (1973)
Divorce lawyer Steven Bloom (George Segal) broke up with his wife, she went to musician Elmo (Kris Kristofferson), but he realized that he still loves his ex and wants her back: here is the plot of the movie Blume In Love. And the “collar” decided to get involved with the “hippie”. It’s nice to look at the young Kristofferson.
Watch the movie Blume In Love online (360p)
13. The Millenium (1989)
After the popular film in the USSR with the participation of Kristofferson, which will be discussed later, even films that were not very successful at the American box office began to regularly hit the domestic screens of the perestroika era. So in February of the last Soviet 1991, a sci-fi drama about time travel, The Millenium, was released on the screens of the entire Union, where Kristofferson appeared as investigator Bill Smith investigating the mysterious disappearance of passengers of a crashed plane.
Watch the movie Millenium online (HD)
12. Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
In the movie “Big Top Pee-wee”, Kris Kristofferson plays farmer Mace Montana, whose farm suddenly turns into a circus. Paul Rubens, who played Pee-Wee Herman, specially wrote the role for Kristofferson. Phantasmagoria from Grease director Randal Klizer, another adventure of the eccentric character Pee-Wee, created by Rubens in the late 70s.
11. The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1976)
The film is based on the original novel by Yukio Mishima. A sailor meets a recently widowed woman who has a son, they have a relationship, but the boy decides to lime his stepfather. The story largely repeats the plot moves of “Alice doesn’t live here anymore,” but it is told somewhat differently. There are certain childish perversions here, and Chris and actress Sarah Miles are present in rather explicit scenes.
10. A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries (1998)
The film is a story about an American immigrant family living in Paris in the 1960s and 1970s before their return and adaptation to life in New England. The head of the family, former military Bill Willis, is played by Kris Kristofferson, and the narration in the film is conducted on behalf of his daughter.
9. Trouble In Mind (1985)
Former policeman Hawk, after serving time in prison, returning to freedom, gets into trouble, meeting a wrong girl. Neo-noir, where Rain City is a kind of Gotham, and even Coop (Keith Carradine) looks like the Joker. “Trouble in Mind” by Alan Rudolph is also interesting for its soundtrack: atmospheric music by Mark Aisham and gloomy jazz by Marianne Faithfull, who performed the title standard of the 1920s, as well as El Gavilan (Hawk), a song specially written for the film by Chris himself.
8. Lone Star (1996)
In Texas, the remains of Sheriff Charlie Wade are found, this Wade once made enough enemies for himself, being himself a dirty policeman and generally a criminal and unpleasant character. The Lone Star movie is interesting because here Chris tried on the role of a purely negative character with a sinister gleam in his eyes, on account of extortion and murder.
7. Heaven’s Gate (1980)
Michael Cimino’s epic western suffered a similar fate as the film “Once Upon a Time in America”. The five-hour tape was cut for rental purposes, and what happened was ruined by critics and ignored by the public. The film centers on the conflict between European immigrant farmers and wealthy cattle owners in Wyoming in the 1890s, known as the “Johnson County War.” Lawyer James Averill (Kris Kristofferson) is trying to protect immigrants from the arbitrariness of capitalists who send mercenaries to intimidate them. Along the way, the love line unfolds. Maybe there’s too much dancing in the movie for a western.
6. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1975)
The romantic dramedy “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” is one of Martin Scorsese’s first notable films, where Kristofferson composed a wonderful duet with Helen Burstyn, who was awarded the Oscar for her role. Someone will find the plot too prosaic, and Chris plays too positive a character.
5. A Star is Born (1976)
In the romantic musical “A Star is Born” (1976), Kristofferson convincingly performed the role of a fading country star in a duet with Barbra Streisand, earning a Golden Globe Award. His John Norman, having once become popular, because of the loss of interest in life, is now engaged only in self-destruction with the help of alcohol and drugs. But his new girlfriend Esther is determined to fulfill her musical dream. The soundtrack to the film became multi-platinum, Evergreen was chosen as the best song. In the other world a movie about the sufferings of successful people went unnoticed, but in the USA it collected an unthinkable $ 80 million at that time.
4. Blade (1998-2004)
In the Marvel vampire trilogy, Chris plays Abraham Whistler, the mentor and armorer of comrade Blade (Wesley Snipes). Whistler’s family was killed by these creatures of darkness, and dedicated to the extermination of vampires, he teaches Blade everything, so that he turns into a killing machine whose sole purpose is to wipe vampires off the face of the earth. Chris’s character is distinguished by black humor and paternal feelings for Blade. Chris’s participation in the vampire saga is good because the younger generation has learned about him.
3. Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (1973)
In Sam Peckinpah’s revisionist western, Kristofferson played the role of Billy the Kid, and the role of another hero of the story was played by the inimitable James Coburn (remember at least his role as the Irish dynamiter in Sergio Leone’s great spaghetti western “For a Handful of Dynamite or One Day Revolution”). By the way, other partners on the set of this tape were also from a number of legends – Bob Dylan (who also wrote songs for the film), Jason Robards, Emilio Fernandez, Harry Dean Stanton and others.
2. Cisco Pike (1972)
In general, in the seventies, Chris turned out to be extremely in demand as a film actor, starring in a number of outstanding films. This is Bill Norton’s drama “Cisco Pike”, where he starred as a former singer who became a hostage of his craving for a forbidden potion. And his partners in the film were such wonderful masters as Gene Hackman and Karen Black.
1. Convoy (1978)
In 1978, Chris starred in the comedy thriller “Convoy”, which reached the Soviet screens in the mid-eighties. It was after this film, where Kristofferson played the main role of a long-haul truck driver nicknamed the Rubber Duckling, that he gained fantastic popularity among Soviet viewers.
In general, the track record of a wonderful singer (who continued to perform on stage until the early 2020s) and actor Kris Kristofferson includes more than 120 works in movies and twenty studio albums, three Grammy Awards, several Academy of Country Music awards. Such legends live forever.
