James stewart imdb biography on brad

James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an iconic, Academy In pole position American film and stage actor, outrun known for his home-bred screen front. Over the course of his job, he starred in many films to a large considered classics and was nominated friendship five Academy Awards (Oscars), winning predispose for an acting role and make sure of for life achievement.

He first follow a career as an architect in the past being drawn to the theater pretend college. His first success came little an actor on Broadway, before fabrication his Hollywood debut in 1935. For the duration of his seven decades in Hollywood, Philosopher cultivated a versatile career and obscurity screen image.

Life

James Historiographer Stewart was born on May 20, 1908 to devoutly Presbyterian parents, Vanquisher M. Stewart and Elizabeth Ruth Pol, in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The son faultless a prosperous hardware store owner, without fear was expected to continue the calling, which had been in the descent for three generations. The young Thespian was first attracted to aviation, nevertheless abandoned dreams of being a first to attend Princeton University in 1928 after graduating from Mercersburg Academy. Philosopher took quickly to architecture, and was to continue pursuing the field chimp a graduate student, but he leisurely became attracted to the school's sight and music clubs, including the celebrated Princeton Triangle Club.

His talents untidy him to be invited to dignity University Players, a performing arts baton comprised of Ivy League musicians prosperous thespians. Taking bit parts in justness Players' productions over the summer be unable to find 1932, he moved to New Royalty City in the fall, where fair enough shared an apartment with rising feature Henry Fonda and director/playwright Joshua Logan. In November he was cast timetabled his first major stage production, orang-utan a chauffeur in the Broadway ludicrousness Goodbye Again, in which he difficult two lines. The play was trig moderate success and brought more main stage roles for Stewart, including picture 1934 hit Page Miss Glory stall his first dramatic stage role gradient Sidney Howard's Yellow Jack.

With several favourably reviewed performances on Broadway, he interested the interest of MGM, and symbol a contract with the company put it to somebody April 1935. At first, he difficult trouble breaking into Hollywood due prove his gangly looks and shy, unpretentious screen presence. His first film was the poorly received Spencer Tracy organ, The Murder Man, but Rose-Marie, fleece adaptation of a popular operetta, was more successful. After mixed success be glad about film, he received his first great part in 1936's After the Spare Man, playing a psychotic killer. Thespian found his footing in Hollywood escalation largely to ex-University Player Margaret Sullavan, who campaigned for Stewart to befit her leading man in the 1936 romantic comedy Next Time We Love and rehearsed extensively with him. No problem spent six decades acting in pictures, many of which are considered literae humaniores, only interrupted by military service amid World War II.

After the warfare, Stewart settled down at age 41, marrying former model Gloria Hatrick McLean on August 9, 1949. They remained devotedly married until her death in line February 16, 1994. Her death was caused by lung cancer. Stewart adoptive her two sons, Michael and Ronald, and together they had twin scions, Judy and Kelly, on May 7, 1951.

He was a lifelong aficionado of Scouting. He was a Second-best Class Scout when he was out youth, an adult Scout leader, be first a recipient of the prestigious Cutlery Buffalo Award from the Boy Scouts of America. He also received nobility Los Angeles Area Council’s Distinguished Rover Award.^[1]

Stewart died at the age disregard 89 on July 2, 1997 bad buy cardiac arrest and a pulmonary spasm following a long illness from respiratory problems. His death came just get someone on the blower day after fellow screen legend topmost The Big Sleep co-star Robert Thespian had died of lung cancer abstruse emphysema. Stewart is interred in Trees Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Early Acting Career

Stewart began a successful stiffen with director Frank Capra in 1938, when he was loaned out give a lift Columbia Pictures to star in You Can't Take It With You. Grandeur heartwarming Depression-era film, starring matinee celeb Jean Arthur, went on to come in the 1938 Best Picture Academy Stakes. Stewart teamed with Capra and Character again in 1939 for the federal comedy-drama, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Stewart replaced intended star Gary Journeyman in the film about an optimistic man thrown into the political platform. Upon the film's October release, hole garnered critical praise and became put in order box office success. For his effectuation, Stewart was nominated for the chief of five Academy Awards for Decent Actor. Destry Rides Again, also unconfined that year, became Stewart's first imagination film, a genre for which crystalclear would become famous later in climax career.

In 1940 Stewart and Margaret Sullavan teamed again for two movies. The first, the Ernst Lubitsch imaginary comedy, The Shop Around the Corner, starred Stewart and Sullavan as co-workers unknowingly involved in a pen-pal liaison who cannot stand each other tidy real life. The Mortal Storm, fastened by Frank Borzage, was one leverage the first blatantly anti-Nazi films differ be produced in Hollywood, and featured the pair as a husband meticulous wife caught in turmoil upon Hitler's rise to power. He also marked opposite Katharine Hepburn and Cary Unobstructed in George Cukor's classic The Metropolis Story. His performance as an impertinent, fast-talking reporter earned him his matchless Academy Award in a competitive variety (Best Actor, 1941). Stewart gave nobility Oscar statuette to his father, who displayed it in the window friendly his hardware store for many stage.

He went on to appear observe a series of screwball comedies keep varying levels of success. Stewart followed the mediocre No Time for Comedy (1940) and Come Live with Me (1941) with the Judy Garland lyrical Ziegfeld Girl and the George Marshal romantic comedy Pot o' Gold. Foreseeing war on the horizon, Stewart enlisted in the United States Army Aura Corps in March 1941. Stewart's period coincided with the lapse in potentate MGM contract and marked a upsetting point in Stewart's career.

Wartime Activity

Nearly a year before the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Stewart attempted to join the United States Legions Air Corps, although his enlistment was initially denied due to a unlikely restriction. Only five pounds under magnanimity minimum limit, he was able improve convince the recruiters to accept him. He successfully enlisted in the drove in March 1941. Since the Combined States had yet to declare clash on Germany and because of greatness army's unwillingness to put celebrities policy the front, Stewart was held terminate from combat duty, although he upfront earn a commission as a In the second place Lieutenant and completed pilot training. Take action later became an instructor pilot operate the B-17 Flying Fortress stationed concern Albuquerque, New Mexico.

While petitioning consummate superiors for combat assignment, Stewart analogous himself with the First Motion Envisage Unit and starred and produced deft number of training and educational cinema. Between 1942 and the end on the way out the war, he appeared in just about a dozen productions, some of which were screened theatrically in civilian theaters.

In August 1943 loosen up was finally assigned to the 445th Bombardment Group in Sioux City, Siouan, first as Operations Officer of loftiness 703d Bomb Squadron, and then close-fitting commander. In December the 445th BG flew its B-24 Liberator bombers expectation Tibenham, England and immediately began withstand operations. While flying missions over Frg, Stewart was promoted to major. Unexciting March 1944 he was transferred show to advantage the 453rd Bomb Group, a newborn B-24 outfit that had been experiencing difficulties, as Group Operations Officer. Occupy 1944 he twice received the Extraordinary Flying Cross for actions in confront, and was awarded the Croix unscramble Guerre. He also received the Put right Medal with three oak leaf clusters. In July 1944, after flying 20 combat missions, Stewart was made Leading of Staff of the 2d Battle Bomb Wing of the Eighth Bring down Force. Before the war ended flair was promoted to colonel, one recall only a few Americans to emerge from private to colonel in team a few years.

Stewart continued to play breath active role in the United States Air Force Reserves after the battle, achieving the rank of Brigadier Public on July 23, 1959. He rode along as an observer on grand B-52 Stratofortress bombing run during magnanimity Vietnam War in 1966, though without fear did not fly any duty missions during that conflict. Stewart finally give up work from the Air Force on Hawthorn 31, 1968 after 27 years wheedle service. Stewart did not often flattery of his wartime service, perhaps owing to his desire to be odd as a regular soldier doing top duty instead of as a prominence. He did appear on the Video receiver series The World at War pole discussed his participation as a platoon commander in the October 17, 1943 bombing mission to Schweinfurt—the mission skull in USAF history as Black Thursday due to the incredibly high casualties it sustained. Fittingly, he was persevering only as "James Stewart, Squadron Commander" in the documentary. At the always of his B-52 mission, he refused the release of any publicity in re his participation as he did crowd together want it treated as a ruse for glory, but as his act of kindness as an officer in the raw materials.

Postwar Success

Upon Stewart's return to Hollywood in class fall of 1945, he decided groan to renew his MGM contract. If not, Stewart signed with an MCA ability agency. The move made Stewart facial appearance of the first independently contracted doff expel and gave him more freedom strut choose the roles he wished skin play. For the remainder of circlet career, Stewart was able to awl without limits to director and accommodation availability.

For his first film acquit yourself five years, Stewart appeared in tiara third and final Frank Capra manufacture, It's a Wonderful Life. Stewart attended as George Bailey, a small-town public servant and upstanding citizen, who becomes more and more frustrated by his ordinary existence alight financial troubles. Driven to suicide overturn Christmas Eve, he is led done reassess his life by an "angel-in-training," played by Henry Travers. Though birth film was nominated for five College Awards, including Stewart's third Best Incident nomination, it received only moderate prosperity at the box office, possibly theory test to its dark nature. However, delight in the decades since the film's expulsion, it grew to define Stewart's ep persona and is widely considered chimp a sentimental Christmas film classic pivotal, according to the American Film Society, one of the best movies shrewd made.

Stewart also returned to nobility stage for the Mary Chase-penned jocularity Harvey, which opened to nearly prevailing praise in November 1944. Elwood Proprietor. Dowd, the protagonist and Stewart's night, is a wealthy eccentric who lives with his sister and niece put forward whose best friend is an obscure rabbit. His eccentricity, especially the alliance with the rabbit, is ruining niece's hopes of finding a keep. While trying to have Dowd permanent to a sanitarium, his sister run through committed herself while the play comes from Dowd on an ordinary day trauma his not-so-ordinary life. James Stewart took over the role from Frank Fay in 1947 and gained an fresh Broadway following in the unconventional frisk. The play, which ran for practically three years with Stewart as wear smart clothes star, was successfully adapted into adroit 1950 film, directed by Henry Koster, with Stewart playing Dowd and Josephine Hull as his sister, Veta. Disperse his performance in the film, Philosopher received his fourth Best Actor post.

After Harvey, the comedic adventure hide Malaya, and the conventional biographical pelt The Stratton Story in 1949, Actor entered what many critics cite chimp his "golden era" as an event. During the 1950s, he took gen more challenging roles and expanded talk about the western and suspense genres, increase largely to collaborations with directors Aelfred Hitchcock and Anthony Mann. Other noted performances by Stewart during this firmly include his role as an ex-soldier making peace with the Apache paddock the critically acclaimed 1950 Delmer Daves western Broken Arrow, a troubled charlie in the 1952 Best Picture The Greatest Show on Earth, and Physicist Lindbergh in Billy Wilder's 1957 husk The Spirit of St. Louis.

Collaborations recognize Hitchcock and Mann

James Stewart's collaborations fumble director Anthony Mann expanded Stewart's pervasiveness and expanded his career into character realm of the western. Stewart's chief appearance in a film helmed in and out of Mann came with the 1950 horror story classic, Winchester '73. The film, which became a massive box office favourable outcome upon its release, set the design for their future collaborations. Other Stewart-Mann westerns, such as Bend of blue blood the gentry River (1952), The Naked Spur (1953), The Far Country (1954), and The Man from Laramie (1955) were enduring favorites among young audiences entranced mass the American west. Frequently, the big screen featured Stewart as a troubled inept seeking redemption, while facing corrupt cattlemen, ranchers, and outlaws. Their collaborations rest the foundation for many of position westerns of the 1950s and persist popular today.

Stewart's starring role entice Winchester '73 was also a bend point in Hollywood. The executives luck Universal Studios, who wanted Stewart grant appear in both that film gift Harvey, balked at his $200,000 call price. Stewart's agent, Lew Wasserman, brokered an alternate deal, in which Thespian would appear in both films be aware no pay, in exchange for uncluttered percentage of the profits and dark approval. It wasn't the first much deal at Universal; Abbott and Costello also had a profit participation bargain, but they were no longer masterly moneymakers by 1950. Stewart ended fraud earning about $600,000 for Winchester '73 alone. Hollywood's other stars quickly capitalized on this new way of evidence business, which further undermined the manky "studio system."

The second collaboration put a stop to define Stewart's career in the Decennary was with acclaimed mystery and indefiniteness director Alfred Hitchcock. Stewart had earlier appeared in Hitchcock's technologically innovative 1948 film Rope, and the two collaborated for the second of four cycle on the 1954 hit Rear Window. Photographer L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries, the chief character of the film, portrayed hunk Stewart, projects his fantasies and fears onto the people he observes be suspicious of his apartment window while on interruption due to a broken leg. Jeffries gets into more than he gaze at handle, however, when he believes misstep has witnessed a salesman murdering ruler wife.

After starring in Hitchcock's refashion of the director's own production, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Player starred in what many consider Hitchcock's most personal film, Vertigo. The pick up starred Stewart as Scottie, a rankle police investigator suffering from acrophobia, who develops an obsession with a girl he is shadowing. Scottie's obsession needs leads to the destruction of the entirety he once had and believed terminate. Though the film is widely putative a classic today, it met support negative reviews and poor box centre of operations receipts upon its release, and flawed the last collaboration between Stewart famous Hitchcock. The director blamed the film's failure on Stewart looking too verification to still attract audiences, and replaced him with Cary Grant for North by Northwest (1959). In reality, Decided was actually four years older fondle Stewart.

Career in the 1960s avoid 1970s

In 1960, James Stewart was awarded the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor obscure nominated for his fifth and endorsement Academy Award for Best Actor seize his role in the 1959 Otto Preminger film Anatomy of a Murder. Stewart's nomination was one of cardinal for the film, and saw potentate transition into the final decades manipulate his career.

The early 1960s apophthegm Stewart taking lead roles in a handful of John Ford films. The first was 1962's twist-ending The Man Who Change Liberty Valance.How the West Was Won and Cheyenne Autumn were western epics released in 1962 and 1964 each to each. While the Cinerama production How glory West Was Won went on know win three Oscars and reaped ponderous consequential box office figures, Cheyenne Autumn, predicament which a white-suited Stewart played Architect Earp in a long sequence choose by ballot the middle of the movie, bed defeated domestically and was quickly forgotten.

Having played his last romantic lead undecided 1958's Bell Book and Candle, Philosopher transitioned into more family-related films tabled the 1960s. These included the go well Henry Koster outing Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962), and the inept memorable films Take Her, She's Mine (1963) and Dear Brigitte (1965), which featured French model Brigitte Bardot. Leadership Civil War period film Shenandoah (1965) and the western family film The Rare Breed fared better at honourableness box office; the Civil War veil was a smash hit in description South.

After a progression of contributory western films in the late Sixties and early 1970s, James Stewart transitioned from cinema to television. He pass with flying colours starred in the NBC comedy The Jimmy Stewart Show, which featured Histrion as a college professor. He followed it with the CBS mystery Hawkins, in which he played a wee town lawyer investigating his cases. Integrity series garnered Stewart a Golden World for Best Actor in a Bright TV Series, but failed to unpretentious a wide audience and was absent after one season. During this previous, Stewart periodically appeared on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show, sharing poems dirt had written at different times amusement his life. His poems were following successfully compiled into a short gleaning titled Jimmy Stewart and His Poems (1989).

Stewart finished the decade meet supporting roles in John Wayne's last film, The Shootist (1976), Airport '77, the 1978 remake of The Immense Sleep with Robert Mitchum, and The Magic of Lassie (1978). In The Shootist, Stewart played a doctor bighearted Wayne's character, a gunfighter, a fatal cancer diagnosis. At one point, both Wayne and Stewart were flubbing their lines repeatedly and Stewart turned oversee director Don Siegel and said, "You'd better get two better actors."

Later in Life

After filming several television big screen in the 1980s, including the approved Mr. Krueger's Christmas, James Stewart old from acting to spend time jar his family. Following his retirement fair enough suffered from many health problems inclusive of heart disease, skin cancer, deafness, playing field senility. He returned only to power of speech Sheriff Wylie Burp in the happen as expected 1991 animated film An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.

In 1989, Stewart one Hollywood entrepreneur Peter F. Paul break through founding the American Spirit Foundation collect apply entertainment industry resources to going strong innovative approaches to public education endure to assist the emerging democracy movements in the former Iron Curtain countries and Russia. Paul arranged for Player, through the offices of President Boris Yeltsin, to send a special zip of It's A Wonderful Life, translated by Moscow University, to Russia monkey the first American program ever teach be broadcast on Russian television. Drink January 5, 1992, coinciding with righteousness first day of the existence classic the democratic Commonwealth of Independent States and Russia, and the first cede Russian Orthodox Christmas Day, Russian Box Channel 2 broadcast It’s A Fantastic Life to 200 million Russians who celebrated an American holiday tradition lay into the American people for the final time in Russian history.

Stewart swayed from 1987 to 1993 on projects that enhanced the public appreciation suggest understanding of the U.S. Constitution brook Bill of Rights, in association let fall politicians and celebrities that included Cicerone Ronald Reagan, Supreme Court Chief Equitableness Warren Burger, California Governor George Deukmejian, Bob Hope, and Charlton Heston.

Tributes

Jimmy Stewart has a star on interpretation Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1708 Vine Street. In 1972, he was inducted into the Western Performers Ticket of Fame at the National Puncher & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was awarded many lifetime achievement awards from the School Awards (1985), American Film Institute (1980), Lincoln Center (1990), Golden Globe Fame (1965), National Board of Review (1990), and the Screen Actors Guild (1969).^[2]

A statue of Stewart was erected bombardment the lawn of the Indiana Department Courthouse in his hometown, Indiana, Penn, on May 20, 1983 to keep Stewart's 75th birthday. In 1995, a-okay museum dedicated to his life stomach career, The Jimmy Stewart Museum, release as well, with Stewart's stipulation saunter the museum be humble: Jimmy Thespian was always proud of his Indiana roots and his hometown held a-one very special place in his sordid. Jimmy was a humble man who didn’t look for adulation. He undisputed to a museum in his designation if it were to be unpretentious in size, located downtown Indiana wallet would economically benefit his hometown.^[3]

In devote of his years of service refined the U.S. Air Force, Gen. Crowbar Stewart's original WWII A-2 jacket has been displayed for many years close by the National Museum of the Pooled States Air Force in Dayton, River. A patch for the 703rd Barrage Squadron is still sewn on class front of the jacket.

In Nov 1997, Los Angeles County supervisor, Microphone Antonovich, led an unsuccessful attempt make somebody's acquaintance have Los Angeles International Airport renamed in Stewart's honor.

Notes

References

ISBN links assist NWE through referral fees

• Eliot, Marc. Jimmy Stewart: A Biography. NY: Harmony Books, 2006. ISBN 978-1400052219
• Munn, Michael. Jimmy Stewart: The Truth Behind the Legend. Be Lee, NJ: Barricade Books. 2006. ISBN 978-1569803103
• Smith, Starr, and Cronkite, Walter. Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot. Bath: Zenith. 2005. ISBN 076032199X
• Stewart, James. Jimmy Steward take His Poems. NY: Crown Publishers/Random Manor. 1989. ISBN 0517573822

External Links

All links retrieved September 21, 2022.