Christopher Atkins

Christopher Atkins (born Christopher Atkins Bomann;[2] February 21, 1961) is an American actor, who became famous in his debut role with co-star Brooke Shields in the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon. Early life Atkins was born in Rye, New York, to Donald Bomann and Bitsy Nebauer. In high school, he was a lifeguard and sailing instructor, where he was discovered for The Blue Lagoon. Career He had no previous interest or experience in acting, but an agent he knew persuaded him to audition for The Blue Lagoon, a role he won over 2,000 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 film was a huge box office success, grossing over $58 million with a production cost of $4.5 million. He went on to star with Kristy McNichol 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 as swimming instructor Peter Richards in the hit CBS prime time soap opera Dallas in which his character has an affair with Sue Ellen Ewing. Atkins has been the cover boy of innumerable teen magazines 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. Personal life Atkins' famous curly hair was the result of perms; it is naturally very straight, and has darkened from blonde to brown over time. He married Lynne Barron, from Sydney, Australia, in 1985; the couple had two children, Grant (b. December 10, 1985) and Brittney (b. May 1, 1987), and eventually divorced. His daughter Brittney Bomann has appeared in five films. His son Grant Bomann played college baseball for UNC Charlotte from 2008 to 2009.