James Stewart
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Born:May 20, 1908 |
Born as:James Maitland Stewart |
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Died:July 2, 1997 |
When it came to kissing, Harlow was the best.
Biography:
James was born and grew up in Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA. He made his acting debut in a boy scout play.
After graduating from Princeton in 1932 with a degree in architecture, he joined the University Players whose members included such future stars as Henry Fonda and Margaret Sullavan.
His first motion-picture appearance was in 1935 in The Murder Man. Stewart's career gained momentum after his well-received Frank Capra films, including his Academy Award nominated role in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946).
James served in the US Army Air Forces in World War II and was heavily decorated.
After the war, Stewart returned to the theater in Harvey (1947) (he later re-created the role in the 1950 film version of the play).
During the 1950s, he took on more challenging roles and expanded into the western and suspense genres, thanks largely to collaborations with directors Anthony Mann and Alfred Hitchcock (Rear window (1954), The man who knew too much (1956), Vertigo (1958)).
In the early sixties there were roles in three John Ford films, including the classic The man who shot Liberty Valance.
James undertook some television projects in the 1970s, but with little success. Late in life Stewart made a series of popular appearances on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, reading his own poetry.
Selected Movies:
- Rear window (1954)
- It's a wonderful Life (1946)
- Vertigo (1958)
- Mr. Smith goes to Washington (1939)
- The Philadelphia story (1940)
- Harvey (1950)
- The man who shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Academy awards:
1985 Honorary Award
1960 Nominated Best Actor for: Anatomy of a Murder
1951 Nominated Best Actor for: Harvey
1947 Nominated Best Actor for: It's a wonderful Life
1941 Won Oscar Best Actor for: The Philadelphia Story (1940)
1940 Nominated Best Actor for: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Bibliography » Books:
