In a 2004 interview with Pomona College Magazine, Kristofferson mentioned philosophy professor Frederick Sontag as an important influence in his life. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa his junior year. Kristofferson graduated in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in literature. He and his classmates revived the Claremont Colleges Rugby Club in 1958, and it remains a Southern California rugby institution. Kristofferson attended Pomona College and experienced his first national exposure in 1958, appearing in Sports Illustrated 's ' Faces in the Crowd' on March 31 for his achievements in collegiate rugby union, American football, and track and field. He called it 'the hardest job I ever had'. Īt the age of 17, Kristofferson took a summer job with a dredging contractor on Wake Island in the western Pacific Ocean. 'The Rock' is about a geographical feature resembling the form of a woman, while the latter was about a racial incident. These early stories reveal the roots of Kristofferson's passions and concerns. His early writing included prize-winning essays, and 'The Rock' and 'Gone Are the Days' were published in The Atlantic Monthly. An aspiring writer, Kristofferson immediately enrolled in Pomona College. He graduated from San Mateo High School in 1954. Kristofferson moved around frequently as a youth because of his father's military service, and they settled in San Mateo, California. While Kristofferson was a child, his father pushed him toward a military career. Kristofferson's paternal grandfather was an officer in the Swedish Army. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Sweden, while his mother had English, Scots-Irish, German, Swiss-German, and Dutch ancestry. Kristoffer Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas, to Mary Ann ( née Ashbrook) and Lars Henry Kristofferson, a U.S. In 2004, Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1985, Kristofferson joined fellow country artists Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash in the country music supergroup The Highwaymen, which was a key creative force in the outlaw country music movement that eschewed the traditional Nashville country music machine in favor of independent songwriting and producing.Īs an actor, Kristofferson is known for his roles in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973), Blume in Love (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), A Star Is Born (1976) (which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor), Convoy (1978), Heaven's Gate (1980), Lone Star (1996), Stagecoach (1986), and the Blade film trilogy (1998–2004). Among his songwriting credits are ' Me and Bobby McGee', ' For the Good Times', ' Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down', and ' Help Me Make It Through the Night', all of which were hits for other artists. Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is an American retired country singer, songwriter, and actor.

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