James Stewart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Stewart
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Stewart in 1973
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| Born |
James Maitland Stewart
May 20, 1908 |
| Died | July 2, 1997 (aged 89) Los Angeles, California, United States
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| Cause of death | Pulmonary thrombosis |
| Other names | Jimmy Stewart |
| Years active | 1935 – 1991 |
| Spouse(s) | Gloria Hatrick (1949 – 1994) |
| Awards | NYFCC Award for Best Actor 1939 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1959 Anatomy of a Murder |
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was a very famous American movie and stage actor. Many of the movies he starred in are now considered classics. He was nominated for five Oscars and won two. One was for a specific role, and the other was for his lifetime achievements in acting.
Stewart also had an important military career. He became a Brigadier General in the United States Air Force. People often called him "Jimmy" Stewart because he was so well-known. The American Film Institute named him the third Greatest Male Star of All Time.
Contents
Early Life and Career
James Stewart was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania. His family had a long history of serving in wars, including the American Revolution and the American Civil War. As the oldest of three children, Jimmy was expected to take over his father's hardware store someday. This business had been in their family for three generations.
His mother was a great piano player. Even though his father didn't want him to take music lessons, Jimmy quickly learned to play the accordion. This instrument became a big part of his life, even offstage.
School Days and Early Interests
Stewart went to Mercersburg Academy, a prep school, and finished in 1928. He was involved in many activities. He played football and ran track. He was also the art editor for the yearbook and a member of the choir and glee clubs.
During his summer breaks, Stewart worked different jobs. He loaded bricks for a construction company and painted lines on roads. For two summers, he worked as an assistant to a professional magician. His first time acting on stage was in a play called The Wolves.
Stewart was a shy child. He spent a lot of time in his basement building model airplanes and drawing. He dreamed of working in aviation. This dream grew even stronger after Charles Lindbergh's famous flight in 1927. Stewart, who was 19 and sick at the time, eagerly followed Lindbergh's journey. Thirty years later, Stewart would play Lindbergh in a movie.
Path to Acting
Stewart's father wanted him to go to Princeton University instead of the United States Naval Academy. So, Stewart started at Princeton in 1928. He was very good at studying architecture and even won a scholarship for advanced studies. However, he became more and more interested in the school's drama and music clubs.
His acting and accordion skills at Princeton led him to join the University Players. This was a theater group in West Falmouth, Massachusetts. After graduating in 1932, Stewart performed small roles in the Players' shows during the summer.
Military Service
Stewart's family had strong military ties. Both of his grandfathers fought in the American Civil War. His father served in both the Spanish–American War and World War I. Stewart looked up to his father a lot. So, when another war began, he also wanted to serve his country. While his family members had often been in the infantry, Stewart chose to become a pilot.
Becoming a Pilot
Stewart was interested in flying from an early age. He earned his private pilot certificate in 1935. By 1938, he had his commercial pilot license. He often flew across the country to visit his parents in Pennsylvania. He would navigate by following the railroad tracks. By late 1939, almost two years before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Stewart had already flown over 400 hours.
He was considered a very skilled pilot. In 1939, he even entered a cross-country race as a co-pilot. Stewart saw that the country needed trained war pilots. He joined other Hollywood stars to invest in Thunderbird Field. This was a pilot-training school in Glendale, Arizona. This airfield became part of the United States Army Air Forces training system. It trained more than 10,000 pilots during World War II.
Serving His Country
In October 1940, Stewart was called to join the United States Army. However, he was turned away because he didn't meet the weight requirements for his height. He was about 5 pounds (2.3 kg) too light. Later, Stewart tried to enlist again in the United States Army Air Corps. This time, he passed the weigh-in. He officially joined the Army on March 22, 1941. He became the first major American movie star to wear a military uniform in World War II.
Stewart often helped promote military service. He especially supported the United States Air Force. For example, in 1963, he appeared as himself in an episode of the TV show My Three Sons. Wearing his brigadier general's uniform, he spoke to high school students. He talked about how important science is and about the achievements of students at the United States Air Force Academy.
After 27 years of service, Stewart officially retired from the Air Force on May 31, 1968. He received many awards during his military career. When he retired, he was given the United States Air Force Distinguished Service Medal. On May 23, 1985, President Ronald Reagan gave Stewart the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Postwar Career
After the war, Stewart took some time off to think about his acting career. His first film in five years was It's a Wonderful Life (1946). In this movie, Stewart played George Bailey. George is a good man from a small town who becomes frustrated with his ordinary life and money problems.
It's a Wonderful Life was nominated for five Academy Awards. This included Stewart's third nomination for Best Actor. Over the years, the film became a beloved Christmas classic. The American Film Institute calls it one of the 100 best American movies ever made. In a 1973 interview, Stewart said that It's a Wonderful Life was his favorite movie he ever made.
Later Career
After 1978, Stewart acted less often. In 1983, he gave his papers, films, and other records to Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library. Stewart also made many smart investments and became a multimillionaire. In the 1980s and 1990s, he did voiceover work for commercials, like for Campbell's Soups.
His movies with director Alfred Hitchcock were re-released. This brought Stewart new attention. Rear Window and Vertigo were especially praised by film critics. This helped younger movie-goers discover these great films. In 1985, he received an Academy Honorary Award. This award was "for his 50 years of memorable performances, for his high ideals both on and off the screen."
In 1991, James Stewart voiced the character of Sheriff Wylie Burp in the movie An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. This was his last film role. Shortly before his 80th birthday, he was asked how he wanted to be remembered. He said, "As someone who 'believed in hard work and love of country, love of family and love of community.'"
Personal Life
Other actors and people who knew Stewart described him as a kind, soft-spoken man and a true professional. After World War II, Stewart settled down. At age 41, he married former model Gloria Hatrick McLean on August 9, 1949. They remained married until her death in 1994.
Stewart started a special charity event called "The Jimmy Stewart Relay Marathon Race." It has been held every year since 1982. This event has raised millions of dollars for the Child and Family Development Center at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.
He was a lifelong supporter of Scouting. As a youth, he was a Second Class Scout. As an adult, he was a Scout leader. He also received the respected Silver Buffalo Award from the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). An award for Boy Scouts, "The James M. Stewart Good Citizenship Award," has been given out since May 17, 2003.
Death
On July 2, 1997, James Stewart passed away at his home in Beverly Hills, California. He was 89 years old. President Bill Clinton said that America had lost a "national treasure... a great actor, a gentleman and a patriot." Over 3,000 people, many of them celebrities, attended Stewart's memorial service. During the service, three volleys were fired to honor his service in the Army Air Forces and the U.S. Air Force. Stewart is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Images for kids
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The Stewart family in 1918
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Stewart (right) outside his family's hardware store, 1930
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With Joshua Logan (c.), 1930
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Stewart in Yellow Jack, a play he starred in on Broadway in 1934. He received praise for his role.
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Stewart and Wendy Barrie in Speed (1936)
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Robert Young, Tom Brown, and Stewart in Navy Blue and Gold (1937)
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Stewart and Jean Arthur in Frank Capra's You Can't Take It with You (1938)
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Stewart in Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
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Margaret Sullavan and Stewart in their third movie together, The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
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Katharine Hepburn and Stewart in The Philadelphia Story (1940), for which he won his only Academy Award for Best Actor
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Colonel Stewart receiving the Croix de Guerre with Palm in 1944
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Stewart with Farley Granger and John Dall in Rope (1948). This was his first movie with Alfred Hitchcock.
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Stewart with Shelley Winters in Winchester '73, his first movie with director Anthony Mann. In the 1950s, Stewart became a star of Western films.
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Stewart in Harvey (1950). He received both an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for this film.
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Stewart with co-star Grace Kelly in Rear Window (1954). This film allowed him to show new sides of his acting.
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With Bill Mumy in Dear Brigitte (1965)
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Stewart in a publicity photo for the mystery TV series Hawkins (1973). The show ran for one season.
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Stewart with his wife Gloria and their children in 1954
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Stewart in the 1930s -
Then-Brigadier General James Stewart, around 1968
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Lana Turner and Stewart in Ziegfeld Girl (1941)
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Stewart as wheelchair-bound news photographer Jeffries in Rear Window (1954)
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1931 portrait -
Rosalind Russell and Stewart at CBS Radio in 1937
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Stewart, Donna Reed and Karolyn Grimes in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
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The Mortal Storm (1940) -
Hollywood Walk of Fame star at Hollywood and Vine (background Broadway Hollywood Building)
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See also
In Spanish: James Stewart para niños
