- Born
- DiedJuly 2, 1997 · Los Angeles, California, USA (cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism following respiratory problems)
- Birth nameJames Maitland Stewart
- Nickname
- Jimmy
- Height6′ 3″ (1.91 m)
- James Maitland Stewart was born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pennsylvania, to Elizabeth Ruth (Johnson) and Alexander Maitland Stewart, who owned a hardware store. He was of Scottish, Ulster-Scots, and some English descent. Stewart was educated at a local prep school, Mercersburg Academy, where he was a keen athlete (football and track), musician (singing and accordion playing), and sometime actor.
In 1929, he won a place at Princeton University, where he studied architecture with some success and became further involved with the performing arts as a musician and actor with the University Players. After graduation, engagements with the University Players took him around the northeastern United States, including a run on Broadway in 1932. But work dried up as the Great Depression deepened, and it was not until 1934, when he followed his friend Henry Fonda to Hollywood, that things began to pick up.
After his first screen appearance in Art Trouble (1934), Stewart worked for a time for MGM as a contract player and slowly began making a name for himself in increasingly high-profile roles throughout the rest of the 1930s. His famous collaborations with Frank Capra, in You Can't Take It with You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and, after World War II, It's a Wonderful Life (1946) helped to launch his career as a star and to establish his screen persona as the likable everyman.
Having learned to fly in 1935, he was drafted into the United States Army in 1940 as a private (after twice failing the medical for being underweight). During the course of World War II, he rose to the rank of colonel, first as an instructor at home in the United States, and later on combat missions in Europe. He remained involved with the United States Air Force Reserve after the war and officially retired in 1968. In 1959, he was promoted to brigadier general, becoming the highest-ranking actor in U.S. military history.
Stewart's acting career took off properly after the war. During the course of his long professional life, he had roles in some of Hollywood's best-remembered films, starring in a string of Westerns, bringing his everyman qualities to movies like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)), biopics (The Stratton Story (1949), The Glenn Miller Story (1954), and The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), for instance, thrillers (most notably his frequent collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock), and even some screwball comedies.
On June 25, 1997, a thrombosis formed in his right leg, leading to a pulmonary embolism, and a week later on July 2, 1997, surrounded by his children, James Stewart died at age 89 at his home in Beverly Hills, California. His last words to his family were, "I'm going to be with Gloria now".- IMDb Mini Biography By: fmetz
- SpouseGloria Stewart(August 9, 1949 - February 16, 1994) (her death, 2 children)
- ChildrenJudy Stewart-MerrillRonald StewartMichael Stewart
- ParentsElizabeth Ruth StewartAlexander Stewart
- RelativesMary Stewart(Sibling)Virginia Stewart(Sibling)Colonel Samuel Jackson(Grandparent)David Merrill(Grandchild)John Merrill(Grandchild)
- Soft-spoken, extremely polite and shy manner, with a very recognizable drawl in his voice.
- Often played honest, average middle class individuals who are unwittingly drawn into some kind of crisis.
- Roles in westerns.
- After 1950, he often played tough, cynical and frequently ruthless characters.
- Upon accepting his Honorary Oscar in 1985, he stated, "This was the greatest award I received, to know that, after all these years, I haven't been forgotten." The audience gave him a ten-minute standing ovation, making the show run long. Steven Spielberg, who was in attendance, said that he was humbled to even be in the same room as Stewart, because he respected him so much.
- Of all his films, he has said that It's a Wonderful Life (1946) was his favorite.
- The army stated that he was too valuable to be put on active service and wanted him to do propaganda films. However, he wanted none of it and insisted on being on the front line.
- Burt Reynolds was a neighbor a life-long devoted fan. In an interview for the TC Palm in 2010, Reynolds said how much he admired Stewart and that he was always gracious and kind towards him and others. "So modest, so wonderful", Reynolds said. "He was more than an actor. He was every man you wish you could be".
- When he left to serve in World War II, his father gave him a letter that he kept in his pocket every day until the war ended.
- Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing a Jimmy Stewart imitation myself.
- [in 1983] I'd like people to remember me as someone who was good at his job and seemed to mean what he said.
- There ought to be a law against any man who doesn't want to marry Myrna Loy.
- [on John Wayne] I can't imagine there's anyone in the country who doesn't know who he is. Kids will be talking about him long after the rest of us are gone. John will make the history books, as Will Rogers did, because he as lived his life to reflect the ideals of his country.
- It's much easier, for example, to play a heroin addict and you're withdrawing - you tear the ceiling off - that's much easier than it is to come in and say, "Hello" or "I love you". When you judge it in that way, the heavy isn't as difficult.
- Right of Way (1983) - $250,000
- The Shootist (1976) - $50,000
- The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) - $50,000
- Harvey (1950) - $200,000 + % net profits
- Winchester '73 (1950) - $600,000
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content