James Stewart

James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military officer who is among the most honored and popular stars in film history. Known for his distinctive drawl, down-to-earth persona, and authentic, every-man acting style, Stewart's film career spanned over 55 years and 80 films. With the strong morals he portrayed both on screen and in his personal life, Stewart epitomized the "American ideal" in the 20th-century United States. The characters he appeared as spanned a wide range of subjects and appealed to large audiences. His more emotional film performances contributed to his cinematic acclaim.
Stewart began his career as a performer on Broadway which earned him a film contract at MGM. He began his career portraying idyllic and moral characters and established himself as a movie star working with Frank Capra for You Can't Take It with You (1938) and then Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), which earned him his first of five Academy Awardnominations for Best Actor. The following year he won the Academy Award for his work in the The Philadelphia Storywhich also starred Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant.
Stewart served during World War Two and also in the Vietnam War as a pilot, rising to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve, becoming the highest-ranking actor in military history. In 1985, Stewart was promoted to Major General, reserve list by President Ronald Reagan, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In 1946 he starred as George Bailey in the Capra Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life, the film for which he is most known, earning another Academy Award nomination. He expanded his acting roles during his later career to include more flawed and disillusioned characters in films by Alfred Hitchcock and Anthony Mann. From amongst his four films with Hitchcock came Rope (1948), the Rear Window (1954) opposite Grace Kelly, and Vertigo (1958). Vertigo was unenthusiastically received at its time of release, but has since been reevaluated as an American cinematic masterpiece. Stewart's later prominent roles included those in the courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder (1960) and the comedy-drama Harvey (1950), both of which landed him Academy Award nominations, and westerns such as The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962 and Cheyenne Autumn (1964), both directed by John Ford.
In 1949 Stewart married former model Gloria Hatrick McLean, with whom he had twin daughters. He also adopted her two children from her previous marriage. Many of the films in which he starred have become enduring classics. Stewart received an Academy Honorary Award for his achievements in 1985 and in 1999 Stewart was named the third-greatest male screen legend of the Golden Age of Hollywood by the American Film Institute, behind only Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant.
Category:Celebrities