Kris Kristofferson's Real Name: Kristoffer Kristofferson

Quick answer: Kris Kristofferson was born Kristoffer Kristofferson on June 22, 1936, in Brownsville, Texas. Kris is the short form of his given name, Kristoffer. A Rhodes scholar turned Nashville songwriter, he wrote "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night." He also starred in A Star Is Born (1976). He died at his home on Maui, Hawaii, on September 28, 2024, at 88 (Britannica; AP News).

Real name and early life

Britannica gives his name "in full" as Kristoffer Kristofferson. The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Kristofferson, Kris," with the variants "Kristofferson, Kristoffer, 1936-2024" and "Carson, Kris, 1936-2024." One LOC citation reads "born Kristoffer Kristofferson on June 22, 1936 in Brownsville, Tex." One LOC source gives 1937, but the other citations and Britannica give 1936.

Britannica says he was the son and grandson of military officers. At Pomona College in California he played football, boxed in the Golden Gloves, commanded his ROTC cadets, and won Atlantic Monthly short-story awards. As a Rhodes scholar at the University of Oxford, he studied the poetry of William Blake and earned a master's degree.

Career highlights

Kristofferson joined the U.S. Army in 1960, became a Ranger, and learned to fly helicopters in West Germany. He then turned down a teaching post at West Point and moved to Nashville to write songs, working day jobs. Johnny Cash took him under his wing and introduced him at the 1969 Newport Folk Festival.

"Me and Bobby McGee" was first recorded by Roger Miller in 1969 and became closely associated with Janis Joplin. Ray Price recorded "For the Good Times," and Cash's recording of "Sunday Morning Coming Down" was the Country Music Association's song of the year for 1970. Kristofferson won his first Grammy for "Help Me Make It Through the Night," named best country song of 1971. He recorded three albums with Rita Coolidge, to whom he was married from 1973 to 1979. Later, with Cash, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings, he formed the group known as the Highwaymen.

On screen he starred in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974). He won a Golden Globe for A Star Is Born (1976) opposite Barbra Streisand. Later roles included Lone Star (1996) and the Blade films. He entered the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004, and he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

Death

AP reported that Kristofferson died at home on Maui on Saturday, September 28, 2024, according to family spokeswoman Ebie McFarland.

Name notes for searchers

Kristoffer is his legal first name, and Kris is the short form he used professionally. The surname Kristofferson is his family name. Library records also note an alternate credit, Kris Carson.