Lucie Arnaz hasn’t lived up to her father’s fame, but she has had a few notable achievements on her own, which have made her well known in Hollywood. Since 1980 she has been married to actor, playwright, and director Laurence Luckinbill. He is most notable for creating and starring in the one-man show which is based upon the lives of United States President Theodore Roosevelt, then author Ernest Hemmingway, and American defense attorney Clarence Darrow.
Photo credit: David Bravo
Posted by Laurence Luckinbill on Friday, 22 June 2012
The Untold Truth
Born Laurence George Luckinbill on the 21st November 1934, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, USA, he is the son of Laurence Benedict Luckinbill and his wife, Agness (nee Nulph). He has a sister, Lynne Wachowski, mother of Lana and Lily Wachowski, previously known as Laurence and Andrew Paul Wachowski, the famous directors, most notable for working on “The Matrix” film trilogy. Raised as a Roman Catholic, after high school Laurence enrolled at Fort Smith Junior College, which he attended from 1951 to 1952 before enrolling at the University of Arkansas, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1956.
Four years later he obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree in playwrighting from the Catholic University of America, but his education didn’t end there, as he attended New York University in 1980, and also studied acting at HB Studio in New York City.
Before marrying Lucie Arnaz, Laurence was married to Robin Strasser, also an actress, from 1966 until 1979 and has two children with her, Nicholas and Benjamin.
Not a year passed after his divorce, and Laurence was already remarried; his second wife is Lucie Arnaz, and the two celebrated their wedding on the 22nd June 1980. Since then, they have welcomed three children, Simon, Joe, and Katharine Luckinbill.
Career Beginnings
Laurence started his career on-stage; in 1959 he was the Old Shepherd in the play “Oedipus Rex” in an off-Broadway production at the Carnegie Playhouse. Just two years later, Laurence made his Broadway debut in the play “A Man for All Seasons”, after which he continued with stage roles, appearing in such plays as “Beekman Place” (1964), then “Tartuffe” playing Damis, and in “Chapter Two” as George Schneider. He remained faithful to Broadway until the late ‘90s, making his last appearance as Herr Schultz in the play “Cabaret”.
As his career on stage developed, he also started appearing on screen, making his debut as Ed Lane in the procedural crime-drama “N.Y.P.D” in 1968. The following year he was Steve Prescott in the soap opera “Where the Heart Is”, being in the original cast. In 1970 he made his film debut as Hank in the Golden Globe Award-nominated film “The Boys in the Band”. From 1972 to 1973 he starred in the short-lived crime-drama series “The Delphi Bureau”, while four years later, he had the lead role in the action-drama series “The Money” (1976).
Rise to Prominence
Before the ‘70s ended, Laurence starred in the romantic-drama film “The Promise”, next to Kathleen Quinlan, Stephen Collins and Beatrice Straight, and then started the new decade next to his wife in the romantic comedy film “The Mating Season”. Laurence enjoyed fame throughout the ‘80s, especially with the one-man drama show “Lyndon Johnson” in 1987, also narrating the TV mini-series “Space”. In 1988 he co-starred in the romantic comedy film “Cocktail”, with Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Shue, while in 1989 he secured his most prominent role on film, as Sybok, the half brother of Spock in the film “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier”, starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley.
Laurence continued as an actor until the late ‘90s – his last appearance was as Joseph Rauh in the television movie “Dash and Lilly”, while in 1993 he received a Primetime Emmy Award as an executive producer of the documentary “Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie”. The success of his one-man show “Lyndon Johnson” launched an avalanche of one-man shows; he portrayed Clarence Darrow in 1995, then Teddy Roosevelt in 2002, and Ernest Hemingway in 2005, while in 2011 he was Abraham Lincoln. Since then, Laurence has avoided the media, last appearing at the 2011 Annual American Theatre Wing Gala.
Laurence Luckinbill Net Worth, Height, Weight, and Appearance
Laurence is an award-winning actor, playwright, and producer, and his wealth increased significantly during his active years. According to sources, it has been estimated that Laurence Luckinbill’s net worth is around $4 million, as of mid-2020.
Laurence Luckinbill stands at 6ft1ins (1.8m) tall, while he weighs approximately 175lbs ~ 80kgs. He has brown eyes, while his hair is gray.
Laurence Luckinbill’s Wife, Lucie Arnaz
Lucie Desiree Arnaz was born on the 17th July 1951, in Los Angeles, California USA; the daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, she has a brother, Desi Arnaz Jr.
She went to St. Vincent Ferrer School and later attended the Roman Catholic Immaculate Heart High School. She has had a respected career, and has done all to preserve the legacy of her mother, working on shows such as “The Lucy Show” (1962-1963), “The Lucie Arnaz Show” (1985), and others. Some of her most notable appearances are as Elizabeth Short in the film “Who Is the Black Dahlia?” (1975), and as Molly Bell in the film “The Jazz Singer” (1980). She is still an actress – her most recent appearance was in the TV sitcom “Will & Grace” (2020).
Before Laurence, Lucie was married to Phil Vandervort from 1971 until 1977; they didn’t have children.