Judy Garland

Frances Ethel Gumm, also known by her stage name Judy Garland (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American actress, singer, dancer and vaudevillian. She is well known for playing the film role of Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Garland was famous internationally as an entertainer in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. She got a Juvenile Academy Award and won a Golden Globe Award. She also won Grammy Awards and a Special Tony Award. She was nominated for the Academy Award for "Best Actress" for her role in the remake of the 1954 film A Star is Born. She also got a nomination for "Best Supporting Actress" for her performance in the 1961 movie, Judgment at Nuremberg. She was the youngest person to be given the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in the movie industry.

Garland was in vaudeville with her two older sisters. She was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a teenager. She made more than two dozen MGM movies. Nine of these movies co-starred Mickey Rooney. Her most famous MGM movie was The Wizard of Oz of 1939. She worked with MGM for 15 years. She went on to make record-breaking concert appearances.

Garland had personal problems throughout her life. She did not like the way she looked. Her feelings were made worse by movie executives who told her she did not look good. They changed the way she looked physically in movies. She also had financial problems. She often owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes. She married five times. Her first four marriages ended in divorce. She had a long struggle with alcohol and drug use during most of her career. She died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 47. She had three children. They are Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Joey Luft.

In 1997, Garland was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award years after her death. Several of her recordings have been sent to the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 1999, the American Film Institute placed her among the ten greatest female stars in the history of American movies.

Related pages
Judy Garland as gay icon

Other websites

Judy Garland Page On The Oldies Music Guide 
Judy Garland On The Oldies Radio Station 
Judy Garland at HighBeam
The Judy Garland Database
The Judy Room
The Judy Garland Online Discography 
The Judy Garland Birthplace and Museum in Grand Rapids, MN
The Judy Garland Club: established 1963; official international Club supported by Judy during her lifetime
 Judy Garland - The Live Performances
 Judy Garland: By Myself - American Masters special 


Category:1922 births
Category:1969 deaths
Category:Actors from Minnesota
Category:American movie actors
Category:American stage actors
Category:Drug-related accidental deaths in the United Kingdom
Category:Episcopalians
Category:Golden Globe Award winning actors
Category:American Grammy Award winners
Category:Singers from Minnesota
Category:Stage names
Category:Tony Award winning actors
Category:Vaudeville performers