James Stewart (actor)

James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American film actor beloved for his persona as an average guy who faces adversity and tries to do the right thing, an image which was largely reflected in his own personality.

Life

Stewart was born in near Pittsburgh in Indiana, Pennsylvania to devoutly Presbyterian parents, Alexander M. Stewart and Elizabeth Ruth Jackson,. He was studying architecture at Princeton University when fellow classmate Joshua Logan convinced him to join the newly-formed University Players in Massachusetts, where he first met Henry Fonda and Margaret Sullavan, among others. Stewart was already a Broadway veteran when Hollywood beckoned. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1940 for his role in The Philadelphia Story, in which he co-starred with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. He was awarded the American Film Institute's lifetime achievement award in 1980, as well as an Honorary Academy Award for 50 years of memorable performances in 1985.

Related Topics:
Pittsburgh - Indiana - Pennsylvania - Presbyterian - Architecture - Princeton University - Joshua Logan - Massachusetts - Henry Fonda - Margaret Sullavan - Broadway - Hollywood - Academy Award for Best Actor - 1940 - The Philadelphia Story - Cary Grant - Katharine Hepburn - American Film Institute - 1980 - Honorary Academy Award - 1985

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Stewart spoke in a hemming-and-hawing style which was sometimes hard on sound men but came through as sincerity to his audience. His career was therefore built around playing a clean-cut person with good values (although he did play the occasional baddie). His hesitating style gave his characters a natural feel not seen in many movies of his time. His early career is perhaps most notable for the films he made with director Frank Capra, including You Can't Take It With You (1938) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). His portrayal of George Bailey in Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946), his first film after returning from the war, was a defining performance in his career.

Related Topics:
Baddie - Frank Capra - You Can't Take It With You - 1938 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - 1939 - It's a Wonderful Life - 1946

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Already a pilot, Stewart signed up for the U.S. Army Air Force a year before Pearl Harbor was attacked. Initially rejected for being too skinny, he gained weight and successfully reapplied. His first posting was at Moffett Field, California. American celebrities who served in World War II were generally kept out of harm's way and used for publicity purposes; Stewart objected to this special treatment, requesting the same combat duty as other pilots. By the end of the war, he had flown 20 missions over Europe with the Eighth Air Force, piloting a B-24 Liberator. Among his decorations were the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Croix de Guerre and 7 battle stars. Stewart was reluctant, though, to speak about the missions he flew, possibly due to his dislike of violence.

Related Topics:
U.S. Army Air Force - Pearl Harbor - Moffett Field, California - World War II - Eighth Air Force - B-24 Liberator - Air Medal - Distinguished Flying Cross - Croix de Guerre

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After WWII, he remained in the United States Air Force Reserves, achieving the rank of Brigadier General on July 23, 1959. His final mission was a bombing run over North Vietnam in a B-52 during the Vietnam War that he specifically requested as a close for his military career. He retired from the Air Force on May 31, 1968.

Related Topics:
United States Air Force - Reserves - Brigadier General - July 23 - 1959 - North Vietnam - B-52 - Vietnam War - May 31 - 1968

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As an aviator, he was an appropriate choice to play Charles Lindbergh, in The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), and appeared in other aviation films such as Strategic Air Command (1955) The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)and In an episode of The World at War (1974), he was one of several former airmen interviewed about his World War II career.

Related Topics:
Charles Lindbergh - The Spirit of St. Louis - 1957 - Strategic Air Command - 1955 - The Flight of the Phoenix - 1965 - The World at War - 1974

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A ladies' man, Stewart finally settled down at age 41, marrying former model Gloria Hatrick McLean on August 9, 1949, and was devoted to her until her death. He adopted her two sons; one of them, Ronald, died on June 8, 1969 in Vietnam. On May 7, 1951, their twin daughters Judy and Kelly were born.

Related Topics:
Model - August 9 - 1949 - June 8 - 1969 - Vietnam - May 7 - 1951

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Later in his career, Stewart tried for a slight change of image; although still the hero, he began to play more challenging parts with a harder edge. He starred in four highly regarded Alfred Hitchcock films: Rope (1948), Rear Window (1954), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), and Vertigo (1958). He also starred in many classic westerns, and in Harvey (1950), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), and the title role in The Glenn Miller Story (1953). It is possible that some of this change of image came from the fact that a critic stated that the role of Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey (1950) was too easy a role for him, so he began taking roles some would think unusual for him.

Related Topics:
Alfred Hitchcock - Rope - 1948 - Rear Window - 1954 - The Man Who Knew Too Much - 1956 - Vertigo - 1958 - Westerns - Harvey - 1950 - Anatomy of a Murder - 1959 - Glenn Miller - 1953

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Jimmy Stewart: The Truth Behind the Legend by Michael Munn raises new claims that politically conservative Stewart secretly worked for the FBI, acting as a spy against fellow Hollywood actors and helping expose suspected communists. He was a staunch Republican, but still remained in a close friendship with Henry Fonda, a staunch Democrat.

Related Topics:
Conservative - FBI - Expose suspected communists

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In his later years Stewart became a familiar figure on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show, reading poems he had written.

Related Topics:
Johnny Carson - The Tonight Show

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For his contribution to the recording industry, Jimmy Stewart has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1708 Vine Street. In 1972, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Related Topics:
Hollywood Walk of Fame - 1972 - Western Performers Hall of Fame - National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

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A museum dedicated to his life, The Jimmy Stewart Museum, is located in his hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania. There is also a statue of Indiana's favorite son on the lawn in front of the Indiana County Courthouse which was dedicated May 20, 1983 in celebration of Stewart's 75th birthday.

Related Topics:
Museum - The Jimmy Stewart Museum - Indiana County - Courthouse - May 20 - 1983 - Birthday

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Stewart died on July 2, 1997 from a pulmonary embolism following respiratory problems at the age of 89. His The Big Sleep co-star Robert Mitchum had died the day before. He is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Related Topics:
July 2 - 1997 - The Big Sleep - Robert Mitchum - Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery - Glendale, California

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