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Judy GarlandAdd to My CelebsAge 47 (passed away Jun. 22nd, 1969) Birthday Jun. 10th, 1922 Born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA Height 4' 11 1/2" |
Judy Garland's Main TV Roles
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Main Movie Roles2007 - P.S. I Love You2005 - The Family Stone 1985 - That's Dancing! 1962 - Gay Purr-ee 1961 - Judgment at Nuremberg 1954 - A Star Is Born 1950 - Summer Stock 1949 - In the Good Old Summertime 1948 - Easter Parade 1948 - The Pirate 1948 - Words and Music 1946 - The Harvey Girls 1946 - Till the Clouds Roll By 1944 - Meet Me in St. Louis 1943 - Girl Crazy 1943 - Thousands Cheer 1943 - Presenting Lily Mars 1942 - For Me and My Gal 1941 - Ziegfeld Girl 1941 - Life Begins for Andy Hardy 1941 - Babes on Broadway 1940 - Strike Up the Band 1940 - Little Nellie Kelly 1940 - Andy Hardy Meets Debutante 1939 - Babes in Arms 1939 - The Wizard of Oz 1938 - Love Finds Andy Hardy 1938 - Everybody Sing 1937 - Broadway Melody of 1938 |
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB
She immediately attracted attention in such films as Pigskin Parade (1936), Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) and Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), but Judy Garland didn't truly become a star until she was cast in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Her performance as Dorothy won her a special Juvenile Oscar, and it was this role, of course, that gave her her most famous song, "Over the Rainbow." She then appeared in a long string of classic MGM musicals, including Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Easter Parade (1948) and several with her friend, Mickey Rooney (I). Unfortunately, the same studio that made her a star unwittingly made her a drug addict, providing her with amphetamines to keep her energy level high and her weight level down. This in turn kept her wide awake at night, unable to sleep, so she was given barbiturates to help her sleep. She soon couldn't live without these "wonder drugs." She also couldn't seem to live without a man, as she went through several affairs, often with older men, and by 1950 had been married twice, to bandleader David Rose (I) and director Vincente Minnelli. She had a daughter, Liza Minnelli, with Vincente. All during this time her drug intake had increased dramatically, which led to increasingly erratic behavior and she often failed to show up on time at the studio. MGM eventually couldn't take it any more, and her contract was terminated in 1950. She divorced Minnelli the following year and married producer Sidney Luft. Luft, the father of her daughter Lorna Luft and son Joey Luft, took it upon himself to orchestrate her comeback with a series of very successful concert tours. He also produced the film A Star Is Born (1954), in which many feel she gave her greatest performance. By now she was concentrating on her career as a singer, which was winning her more legions of fans. She continued touring throughout the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in three more films and starring in her own television variety show in 1963, which had to be canceled after one season because the competition, "Bonanza" (1959), was too strong. She divorced Luft and married actor Mark Herron (I); she divorced him when she found out he was gay, and married disco manager Mickey Deans. Throughout this time, however, she still continued her dependency on prescription drugs, and finally the inevitable happened: on the night of June 22, 1969, she overdosed on barbiturates and died. Thousands mourned the world over. It was a sad way to end, but she has left a great legacy: her many films and recordings, as well as her children. Liza and Lorna are now singers as well, carrying on the family tradition.
TRIVIA:
- 2006: Her performance as Vicki Lester in _A Star Is Born (1954)_ (qv) is ranked #72 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.
- Her performance as Dorothy Gale in _The Wizard of Oz (1939)_ (qv) is ranked #17 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
- Did not get on with 'Lucille Bremer' (qv), who played her sister in _Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)_ (qv). She thought that Bremer couldn't act and repeatedly tried to have her fired from the film, but to no avail.
- Adding to her appeal within the gay community, Garland always acknowledged her gay fan base at a time when homosexuality was seldom even discussed. Late in her career and in dire need of money, she even accepted work singing in a New York City gay bar.
- During her first marriage to 'David Rose (I)' (qv), Judy was forced to undergo an abortion at the insistence of MGM studio head 'Louis B. Mayer' (qv) who feared that pregnancy would hurt her good-girl image. The event left her traumatized for the rest of her life.
- She was considered an icon in the gay community in the 1950s and 1960s. Her death and the loss of that emotional icon in 1969 has been thought to be a contributing factor to the feeling of the passing of an era that helped spark the Stonewall Riots that began the modern gay rights advocacy movement.
- Her daughter 'Liza Minnelli' (qv) was once married to 'Jack Haley Jr.' (qv), the son of her _The Wizard of Oz (1939)_ (qv) co-star 'Jack Haley (I)' (qv), who played the Tin Man.
- Judy headlined CBS TV's first special, "Ford Star Jubilee" (1955). She performed many of her standards including "Get Happy", Carolina in the Morning" and "The Trolley Song". Judy and guest David Wayne as tramps performed "A Couple of Swells" from "Easter Parade", Wayne doing Fred Astaire's part. After that number, Judy still in tramp make-up closed the show with "Over The Rainbow".
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