James Stewart | |
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Stewart in 1948
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Born |
Indiana, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
May 20, 1908
Died | July 2, 1997 Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
(aged 89)
Cause of death | Pulmonary embolism |
Resting place | Forest Lawn, Glendale, California |
Alma mater | Princeton University (B.A., 1932) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1932–1991 |
Known for | First American movie star to enlist in World War II |
Notable work | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Philadelphia Story, It's a Wonderful Life, Rear Window, Vertigo, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance |
Spouse(s) | Gloria Hatrick McLean (m. 1949; d. 1994) (her death) |
Children | 4 (including two stepchildren) |
Awards |
Academy Lifetime Achievement (1985) Academy Award for Best Actor (1941) Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award (1965) Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama (1974) |
James Stewart | |
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Brigadier General Stewart, c. 1960
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Nickname(s) | Jimmy |
Place of burial | Glendale, California |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch |
United States Army United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1941–1968 |
Rank | Brigadier General |
Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997), also known as Jimmy Stewart, was an American actor and military officer who is among the most honored and popular stars in film history. A major Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player, Stewart was known for his distinctive drawl and down-to-earth persona, which helped him often portray American middle-class men struggling in crisis. Many of the films he starred in have become enduring classics.
Stewart was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition for The Philadelphia Story (1940), and received an Academy Lifetime Achievement award in 1985. In 1999, Stewart was named the third greatest male screen legend of the Golden Age of Hollywood by the American Film Institute, behind Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant. The American Film Institute has also named five of Stewart's films to its list of the 100 best American films ever made.
He also had a noted military career and was a World War II and Vietnam War veteran, who rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve, becoming the highest-ranking actor in military history.
Stewart was born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pennsylvania, the son of Elizabeth Ruth Jackson (1875–1953) and Alexander Maitland Stewart (1871–1961), who owned a hardware store. Stewart was mainly of Scottish ancestry and was raised as a Presbyterian. He was descended from veterans of the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War. The eldest of three children (he had two younger sisters, Virginia and Mary), he was expected to continue his father's business, which had been in the family for three generations. His mother was an excellent pianist but his father discouraged Stewart's request for lessons. When his father accepted a gift of an accordion from a guest, young Stewart quickly learned to play the instrument, which became a fixture offstage during his acting career. As the family grew, music continued to be an important part of family life.