Christopher Kennedy Lawford, an anti-drugs advocate, author and actor, will speak Thursday in Grand Forks at the invitation of the Community Foundation's Women's Fund.
Lawford, the oldest child of actor Peter Lawford and Patricia Kennedy, has straddled the world of Hollywood and government service.
He'll speak at a luncheon that starts 11:45 a.m. Thursday at the Alerus Center. Tickets are $25 each. Contact the foundation at (701) 746-0668 or www.GoFoundation.org .
In Hollywood, Lawford has worked as an actor, lawyer, producer and executive, with parts in the soap opera "General Hospital" and the movie "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines."
In his youth, he battled drug and alcohol addiction. He has been in recovery for 25 years, using his experience to help others. In 2009, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, his cousin-in-law, appointed him to the California Public Health Advisory Committee.
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In 2011, he was named Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Lawford has written several books, including New York Times best-sellers, "Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots" and "Redemption and Moments of Clarity."
He has a bachelor's degree from Tufts University, a law degree from Boston College, and a master's certification in clinical psychology from Harvard Medical School, where he was also a lecturer in psychiatry.
