Christopher Atkins
Encyclopedia
Christopher Atkins is an American
actor
, who became famous with his costarring debut role in the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon
.
and sailing instructor, where he was discovered for The Blue Lagoon
.
, a role he won over 4,000 other actors. In the film, he and co-star Brooke Shields
, played two teenage cousins who have lived alone together since they were marooned as children in a tropical paradise, eventually falling in love
. The R-rated film featured both Atkins and Shields in scant clothing, and Atkins appeared nude in several scenes, including brief full frontal nudity. The film was a huge box office success, grossing over US$58 million with a production cost of US$4.5 million.
He went on to star with Kristy MacNichol in The Pirate Movie
(1982), an update of Gilbert and Sullivan
's operetta
The Pirates of Penzance
. He hit #71 on the Billboard Hot 100
singles chart with the song "How Can I Live Without Her?", which appeared in The Pirate Movie. Atkins again appeared shirtless
in this film, which was to become a recurring theme in his acting career. Atkins commented, "What do you mean as soon as I get a job where I don't have to wear a loincloth, I will be wearing a speedo swimsuit! Will I ever have an acting job when I don't have to be shirtless?"
In A Night in Heaven
(1983), also starring Lesley Ann Warren
, Atkins played Rick Monroe, an outspoken and overconfident student working his way through college as a male stripper. For one season (1983–1984), Atkins had a recurring role on the hit CBS prime time soap opera
, Dallas
as a young man who has an affair with Sue Ellen Ewing
.
Atkins has been the cover boy of innumerable teen magazine
s and has appeared in several television commercials representing big brand names such as Coke and Adidas
, all of which capitalized on Atkins' youth and appearance. He appeared on the cover of the September 1982 Playgirl
magazine, and posed nude for a pictorial. He posed nude for the magazine again in December of the same year but was not fully exposed in either issue.
In the 1990s and 2000s, he drifted into made-for-network and cable movies, such as Fatal Charms, Project Shadowchaser III and Angel Flight Dawn. Recent projects include Caved In, Spiritual Warriors, 13th Child, The Employee of the Month, Tequila Express, Quigley and True Legends of the West. Comic roles include Mortuary Academy (1988), Shoot (1992) and he even re-united with Brooke Shields on her show Suddenly Susan
as a fellow journalist who is uninterested in her.
In 2007, he starred in the direct-to-DVD sci-fi movie 100 Million BC
. In 2009 he appeared on VH1
's Confessions of a Teen Idol
, a reality show in which former teen idols attempt to revitalize their entertainment careers.
He married Lyn Barron, from Sydney, Australia, in 1985; the couple had two children, Grant (b. December 10, 1985) and Brittney (b. May 1, 1987), before they divorced. His daughter Brittney Bomann has appeared in five films. His son Grant Bomann played collegiate baseball for UNC Charlotte
from 2008 to 2009.
He owns an outdoor sports company and has patent
ed a fishing lure
.
Atkins twice won a Golden Raspberry Award, first for Worst Actor
for his role as Rick Monroe in the 1983 film A Night in Heaven
, later winning Worst Supporting Actor
in the 1989 film Listen to Me.
He's ranked #76 on VH1
's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, who became famous with his costarring debut role in the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon (1980 film)
The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 American romance and adventure film directed by Randal Kleiser. The screenplay by Douglas Day Stewart was based on the novel The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. The film stars Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins...
.
Early life
Atkins was born in Rye, New York, to Donald Bomann and Bitsy Nebauer. In high school, he was a lifeguardLifeguard
A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...
and sailing instructor, where he was discovered for The Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon (1980 film)
The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 American romance and adventure film directed by Randal Kleiser. The screenplay by Douglas Day Stewart was based on the novel The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. The film stars Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins...
.
Career
He had no previous interest or experience in acting, but an agent he knew persuaded him to audition for The Blue LagoonThe Blue Lagoon (1980 film)
The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 American romance and adventure film directed by Randal Kleiser. The screenplay by Douglas Day Stewart was based on the novel The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. The film stars Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins...
, a role he won over 4,000 other actors. In the film, he and co-star Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
, played two teenage cousins who have lived alone together since they were marooned as children in a tropical paradise, eventually falling in love
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
. The R-rated film featured both Atkins and Shields in scant clothing, and Atkins appeared nude in several scenes, including brief full frontal nudity. The film was a huge box office success, grossing over US$58 million with a production cost of US$4.5 million.
He went on to star with Kristy MacNichol in The Pirate Movie
The Pirate Movie
The Pirate Movie is a 1982 musical and comedy film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Christopher Atkins and Kristy McNichol. The film is loosely based on Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera The Pirates of Penzance. The original music score is composed by Mike Brady and Peter Sullivan...
(1982), an update of Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
. He hit #71 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart with the song "How Can I Live Without Her?", which appeared in The Pirate Movie. Atkins again appeared shirtless
Barechested
Barechested most commonly refers to a male wearing no clothes above the waist, exposing much or all of the torso. It is also known as "stripped to the waist" or "being shirtless"...
in this film, which was to become a recurring theme in his acting career. Atkins commented, "What do you mean as soon as I get a job where I don't have to wear a loincloth, I will be wearing a speedo swimsuit! Will I ever have an acting job when I don't have to be shirtless?"
In A Night in Heaven
A Night in Heaven
A Night in Heaven is a 1983 romance film directed by John G. Avildsen, starring Christopher Atkins as a college student and Lesley Ann Warren as his professor. The screenplay is written by Joan Tewkesbury. Film critics widely panned the movie....
(1983), also starring Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren is an American actress and singer. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Emmy Awards and five times for Golden Globe, winning one....
, Atkins played Rick Monroe, an outspoken and overconfident student working his way through college as a male stripper. For one season (1983–1984), Atkins had a recurring role on the hit CBS prime time soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
as a young man who has an affair with Sue Ellen Ewing
Sue Ellen Ewing
Sue Ellen Ewing is a character on the popular American television series Dallas, played by Linda Gray from 1978 to 1989. Sue Ellen was the long-suffering two-time wife of the nefarious J. R. Ewing....
.
Atkins has been the cover boy of innumerable teen magazine
Teen magazine
Teen magazines are magazines aimed at female teenage readers. They usually consist of gossip, news, fashion tips and interviews and may include posters, stickers, small samples of cosmetics or other products and inserts. Magazines targeting teenage boys are not often called teen...
s and has appeared in several television commercials representing big brand names such as Coke and Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
, all of which capitalized on Atkins' youth and appearance. He appeared on the cover of the September 1982 Playgirl
Playgirl
Playgirl is a print quarterly adult magazine published in the United States that is marketed mainly to heterosexual women, but has also gained a considerable gay following...
magazine, and posed nude for a pictorial. He posed nude for the magazine again in December of the same year but was not fully exposed in either issue.
In the 1990s and 2000s, he drifted into made-for-network and cable movies, such as Fatal Charms, Project Shadowchaser III and Angel Flight Dawn. Recent projects include Caved In, Spiritual Warriors, 13th Child, The Employee of the Month, Tequila Express, Quigley and True Legends of the West. Comic roles include Mortuary Academy (1988), Shoot (1992) and he even re-united with Brooke Shields on her show Suddenly Susan
Suddenly Susan
Suddenly Susan is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The show takes place at The Gate, a fictitious magazine which is based in San Francisco. Among the magazine's employees is Susan Keane , who always has been cared for by someone else...
as a fellow journalist who is uninterested in her.
In 2007, he starred in the direct-to-DVD sci-fi movie 100 Million BC
100 Million BC
100 Million BC is a 2008 direct-to-DVD action film by The Asylum.-Plot:The film centers on a group of Navy SEALs, led by American Dr. Frank Reno , who once worked on the Philadelphia Experiment. The film begins in 2008, when Reno has purportedly perfected time travel technology...
. In 2009 he appeared on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Confessions of a Teen Idol
Confessions of a Teen Idol
Confessions of a Teen Idol is an American reality series that began airing on VH1 on January 4, 2009 and concluded on February 22, 2009. It ran for eight episodes. The series was hosted and produced by former teen idols Scott Baio and Jason Hervey...
, a reality show in which former teen idols attempt to revitalize their entertainment careers.
Personal life
Atkins' famous curly hair was the result of perms; it has darkened from blonde to brown over time.He married Lyn Barron, from Sydney, Australia, in 1985; the couple had two children, Grant (b. December 10, 1985) and Brittney (b. May 1, 1987), before they divorced. His daughter Brittney Bomann has appeared in five films. His son Grant Bomann played collegiate baseball for UNC Charlotte
Charlotte 49ers
The Charlotte 49ers represent the NCAA Division I sports teams of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Charlotte joined the Atlantic 10 in 2005. The 49ers field 16 teams, 8 men and 8 women....
from 2008 to 2009.
He owns an outdoor sports company and has patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ed a fishing lure
Fishing lure
A fishing lure is an object attached to the end of a fishing line which is designed to resemble and move like the prey of a fish. The purpose of the lure is to use movement, vibration, and colour to catch the fish's attention so it bites the hook...
.
Recognition
Atkins was nominated for a Golden Globe Awards for New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture - Male for The Blue Lagoon as well as Best Young Actor for the Young Artist Awards.Atkins twice won a Golden Raspberry Award, first for Worst Actor
Razzie Award for Worst Actor
The Razzie Award for Worst Actor is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actor of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated....
for his role as Rick Monroe in the 1983 film A Night in Heaven
A Night in Heaven
A Night in Heaven is a 1983 romance film directed by John G. Avildsen, starring Christopher Atkins as a college student and Lesley Ann Warren as his professor. The screenplay is written by Joan Tewkesbury. Film critics widely panned the movie....
, later winning Worst Supporting Actor
Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor
The Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst supporting actor of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated. Brooke Shields is the...
in the 1989 film Listen to Me.
He's ranked #76 on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.
Filmography
- The Blue LagoonThe Blue Lagoon (1980 film)The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 American romance and adventure film directed by Randal Kleiser. The screenplay by Douglas Day Stewart was based on the novel The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. The film stars Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins...
(1980) as Richard Lestrange - Child Bride of Short CreekChild Bride of Short CreekChild Bride of Short Creek is a dramatization of the lives of the people of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, United States, collectively known as "Short Creek," a community made up of members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a Mormon separatist group...
(1981) (TV) as Isaac King - Swan LakeSwan LakeSwan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
(1982) (voice) as Prince Siegfried - The Pirate MovieThe Pirate MovieThe Pirate Movie is a 1982 musical and comedy film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Christopher Atkins and Kristy McNichol. The film is loosely based on Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera The Pirates of Penzance. The original music score is composed by Mike Brady and Peter Sullivan...
(1982) as Frederic - A Night in HeavenA Night in HeavenA Night in Heaven is a 1983 romance film directed by John G. Avildsen, starring Christopher Atkins as a college student and Lesley Ann Warren as his professor. The screenplay is written by Joan Tewkesbury. Film critics widely panned the movie....
(1983) as Rick Monroe (also known as Ricky The Rocket) - DallasDallas (TV series)Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
(1978) TV Series as Peter Richards (1983–1984) - Secret Weapons (1985) as Allan Collier
- El Ataque de los pajaros, also known as Evil Birds (1987) as Peter
- Mortuary Academy (1988) as Max Grimm
- Listen to Me (1989) as Bruce Arlington
- Shakma (1990) as Sam
- Fatal Charm (1990) as Adam
- King's Ransom (1991) as Spence
- Extralarge: Miami Killer (1991) as Blake
- Wet and Wild Summer! (1992) as Bobby McCain
- Dracula Rising (1993) as Vlad
- Die WatchingDie WatchingDie Watching is an American television movie, starring former teen idol Christopher Atkins as pornographic film director Michael Terrence, who moonlights as a voyeuristic murderer...
(1993) as Michael Terrence - Dispara! (1993) as Spence
- Trigger Fast (1994) as Dusty Fog
- Signal One, also known as Bullet Down Under (1994) as Martin Bullet
- Guns of Honor (1994) as Dusty Fog
- Bandit Goes Country (1994) as Johnny Bruce
- Smoke n Lightnin (1995) as Lightnin'
- Project Shadowchaser IIIProject Shadowchaser IIIProject Shadowchaser III, also known as Shadowchaser III, Project Shadowchaser 3000 and Edge Of Darkness, is a 1995 science fiction film by director John Eyres...
(1995) as Snake - Red Shoe Diaries 13: Four on the Floor (1996) (segment "Four on the Floor")
- It's My PartyIt's My Party (film)It's My Party is a 1996 American drama film written and directed by Randal Kleiser, it was one of the first feature films to address the topic of AIDS patients dying with dignity....
(1996) as Jack Allen - Dead Man's IslandDead Man's IslandDead Man's Island is a television film made in 1996 starring William Shatner and Barbara Eden. In it, a journalist is called to a mysterious island by her old friend who fears that someone is trying to kill him. It shares similarities with Agatha Christie's famous novel And Then There Were None....
(1996) as Roger Prescott - Angel Flight Down (1996) as Jack Bahr
- Mutual Needs (1997) as Andrew
- Shoot (1998) as Spence
- The Little Unicorn (1998) as PC Sid Edwards
- Breaking the SilenceBreaking the Silence (film)Breaking the Silence is a 2000 Chinese film directed by Sun Zhou. It was China's submission to the 73rd Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee....
(1998) as Jeff - Deadly Delusions (1999) as Sam Gitlin
- Stageghost (2000) as Matthew Bronson
- Dark RealmDark RealmDark Realm is an anthology series hosted by Eric Roberts. The series aired in syndication in the United States for a total of 13 episodes, from May to December 2001.-Episodes:...
(2000) (TV Series) - Civility (2000) as John Cade
- Title to MurderTitle to MurderTitle to Murder is a 2001 independent film directed by Stephen Furst, starring Maureen McCormick and Christopher Atkins. It had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.-Plot summary:...
(2001) as Paul Shaughnessy - Tequila ExpressTequila ExpressThe Tequila Express is a Mexican regional train service that operates from Guadalajara, Jalisco, to the Tequila Herradura distillery at the San José del Refugio Hacienda in the municipality of Amatitán, Jalisco. Amatitán is approximately northwest of Guadalajara and southeast of the town of...
(2002) as David Manning - The Stoneman (2002) as Kip Hollings
- Mending FencesMending FencesMending Fences is a television movie that premiered on Hallmark Channel July 19, 2009. The film stars Laura Leighton and Angie Dickinson.-Plot summary:...
(2002) as Tom - The Employee of the Month (2002) as Bill
- The Color of WaterThe Color of WaterThe Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother is the autobiography of James McBride; it is also a tribute to his mother. The chapters alternate between James McBride's descriptions of his early life and first-person accounts of his mother Ruth's life, mostly taking place before her...
(2002) as Clay - 13th Child13th Child13th Child is a 2002 direct-to-video horror film, based on the Jersey Devil. The screenplay was written by Michael Maryk and Cliff Robertson, who also stars in the film. The story is based on the book "The Jersey Devil" by James F. McCloy and Ray Miller Jr...
(2002) as Ron - Quigley (2003) as Woodward
- True Legends of the West (2003) as Theodore Sutherland
- The LibrariansThe Librarians (film)The Librarians is an action thriller film released in 2003. The film stars William Forsythe, Burt Reynolds, Erika Eleniak, and Christopher Atkins....
(a.k.a. Strike Force) (2004) as Ringo - Caved In: Prehistoric TerrorCaved In: Prehistoric TerrorCaved In: Prehistoric Terror is a 2006 "Sci-Fi Original" motion picture, created by the Sci-Fi channel. It follows a party of tourists who become trapped underground by a cave-in, and who are then killed one by one by giant prehistoric rhinoceros beetles....
(2005) (TV) as John Palmer - Spiritual Warriors (2005) as King of Sparta
- 100 Million BC100 Million BC100 Million BC is a 2008 direct-to-DVD action film by The Asylum.-Plot:The film centers on a group of Navy SEALs, led by American Dr. Frank Reno , who once worked on the Philadelphia Experiment. The film begins in 2008, when Reno has purportedly perfected time travel technology...
(2007) as Erik Reno - HiddenCaché (film)Caché is a 2005 Austrian-French film written and directed by Michael Haneke. It stars Daniel Auteuil as Georges and Juliette Binoche as his wife Anne.-Plot:...
(2008) as Walter - Forget Me NotForget Me Not (2009 film)Forget Me Not is a 2009 American supernatural horror film. The film stars Cody Linley, Carly Schroeder, Chloe Bridges, Jillian Murray, and Micah Alberti. It is also written and directed by Tyler Oliver, and is a limited release.-Plot:...
(2008) as Mr. Channing - Confessions of a Teen IdolConfessions of a Teen IdolConfessions of a Teen Idol is an American reality series that began airing on VH1 on January 4, 2009 and concluded on February 22, 2009. It ran for eight episodes. The series was hosted and produced by former teen idols Scott Baio and Jason Hervey...
(2009) - Exodus Fall (2009) as Wayne Minor
- Gathering of Heroes: Legend of the Seven SwordsGathering of Heroes: Legend of the Seven SwordsGathering of Heroes: Legend of the Seven Swords is an upcoming film starring Christopher Atkins, Debra Marshall and Kirk Montgomery. The film has taken over one year to write, Directors Mark Steven Grove and Jon Firestone and their crew have been working on this project since late 2007, filming for...
(2009) as Garrik Grayraven - The Hard Ride (2009) as George Custer
- Prism (2009) as Detective Shane Dover
- The Earth Empires:Ottoman Invasion (2010) as jannisery Commander Murat of the Dark