Celebrity Nooz: Christopher Atkins

Christopher Atkins (Actor) - The Blue Lagoon

Updated: 2/4/10

Name: Christopher Atkins

Born: February 21, 1961, Rye, New York

Claim To Fame: He is best known for his costarring debut role in the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon.

Family Life: In 1985, he married Lyn Barron; the couple had two children, Grant and Brittney before they divorced.

Info: Although he had no previous acting experience, Atkins was encouraged by an agent he knew to audition for The Blue Lagoon, a role he won over 4,000 other actors. The 1980 film, which co-starred Brooke Shields, was a huge box office success.

His next role was alongside Kristy MacNichol in The Pirate Movie (1982), an update of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta The Pirates of Penzance. In 1983, he played the outspoken and overconfident student Rick Monroe in the film In A Night in Heaven. For one season (1983-1984), he 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 graced the cover of countless teen magazines and appeared in several television commercials for big brands like Coke and Adidas. Twice in 1982 he posed nude for Playgirl magazine, but was not fully exposed in either issue.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, he shifted into made-for-network and cable movies, such as Fatal Charms, Project Shadowchaser III and Angel Flight Dawn.

Trivia: His famous curly hair was the result of perms; it has darkened from blonde to brown over time.

Daughter Brittney Bomann has appeared in five films.

Son Grant plays baseball for UNC Charlotte.

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.

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.

Ranked #76 on VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.

Was a lifeguard and sailing instructor in high school.

Hit #71 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1982 with the song How Can I Live Without Her, which appeared in the film The Pirate Movie (1982).

Where Are They Now: Atkins has had various film roles, including an appearance in the 2007 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. Atkins also owns his outdoor sports company, Rocky River Outdoor Products, and has patented his own fishing lure.

Write To Christopher Atkins:
Christopher Atkins
6934 Bevis Ave.
Van Nuys, CA 91405-3844

Official Website: http://www.christopheratkins.com/

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