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Quick Facts
- NAME: Jimmy Stewart
- OCCUPATION: Film Actor, Theater Actor
- BIRTH DATE: May 20, 1908
- DEATH DATE: July 02, 1997
- EDUCATION: Princeton University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Indiana, Pennsylvania
- PLACE OF DEATH: Beverly Hills, California
- Full Name: James Maitland Stewart
Best Known For
Jimmy Stewart was a major motion-picture star known for his portrayals of diffident but morally resolute characters in films such as It’s a Wonderful Life.
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Play NowJimmy Stewart. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 12:38, May 24, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/jimmy-stewart-9494773.
Jimmy Stewart. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/jimmy-stewart-9494773 [Accessed 24 May 2013].
"Jimmy Stewart." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 24 2013, 12:38 http://www.biography.com/people/jimmy-stewart-9494773.
"Jimmy Stewart," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/jimmy-stewart-9494773 [accessed May 24, 2013].
"Jimmy Stewart," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/jimmy-stewart-9494773 (accessed May 24, 2013).
Jimmy Stewart [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 24] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/jimmy-stewart-9494773.
Jimmy Stewart, http://www.biography.com/people/jimmy-stewart-9494773 (last visited May 24, 2013).
Jimmy Stewart. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/jimmy-stewart-9494773. Accessed May 24, 2013.
Synopsis
Jimmy Stewart made his film debut in The Murder Man (1935) with Spencer Tracy. He was loaned to Columbia for two Frank Capra films that proved pivotal in his career, one of which was Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), which brought him his first Oscar nomination. The other filn, It's A Wonderful Life (1946),
Contents
has become a Christmas classic. His final acting assignment was to provide the voice of a character in the animated feature An American Tail: Fievel Goes Wes in 1991.
Early Life
One of film's most beloved actors, Jimmy Stewart made more than 80 films in his lifetime. He was known for his everyman quality, which made him both appealing and accessible to audiences. Stewart grew up in the small town of Indiana, Pennsylvania, where his father operated a hardware store.
Stewart got his first taste of performing during his time as a young man. At Princeton University, he acted in shows as a member of the Triangle Club, which put on shows. Stewart earned a degree in architecture in 1932, but he never practiced the trade. Instead he joined the University Players in Falmouth, Massachusetts, the summer after he graduated. There Stewart met fellow actor Henry Fonda, who became a lifelong friend.
That same year, Stewart made his Broadway debut in Carrie Nation. The show didn't fare well, but he soon found more stage roles. In 1935, Stewart landed a movie contract with MGM and headed out west.
Early Films
In his early Hollywood days, Stewart shared an apartment with Henry Fonda. The tall, lanky actor worked a number of films before co-starring with Eleanor Powell in the 1936 popular musical comedy Born to Dance. The movie featured the Cole Porter hit "Easy to Love." Another career breakthrough came with Frank Capra's You Can't Take It With You (1938). This comedy won an Academy Award for Best Picture, and made Stewart a star.
Stewart also played the lead in Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). In this film, he portrayed a young, idealistic politician who takes on corruption. Stewart received his first Academy Award nomination for this film. The following year, he took home Oscar gold for The Philadelphia Story. Stewart co-starred with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, two other major movie stars, in the romantic comedy.
Later Career
From 1941 to 1946, Stewart took a break from his acting career to serve in World War II. He joined the U.S. Air Force and rose up through the ranks to become a colonel by war's end. In 1946, Stewart returned to the big screen with It's a Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra. This film tells the story about a man brought back from the verge of suicide by a guardian angel and visions of the world without him. It was a disappointment at the box office, but it became a holiday favorite over the years. Stewart reportedly considered it to be one of his favorite films.
Stewart soon starred in Harvey (1950), a humorous movie about a man with an imaginary rabbit for a friend.
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