A former US Army captain who turned to songwriting and helped rejuvenate the country-and-western scene in the late 1960s and early 70s with songs like "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and "Me and Bobby McGee", Kris Kristofferson made his film acting debut with a bit part as a singer in Dennis Hopper's "The Last Movie" (1971). He had his first significant role in 1972's "Cisco Pike" and gained stature as an actor for his work in movies like Paul Mazursky's "Blume in Love" (1973), "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (1974), "The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea" and "A Star is Born" (both 1976) as well as "Semi-Tough" (1978) and three films directed by Sam Peckinpah