James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 â€" July 2, 1997) was an American
actor, singer and military officer. Known for his distinctive drawl
and everyman screen persona, Stewart had a film career that spanned
over 55 years from 1935 to 1991 with 80 films. With the strong
morality he portrayed both on and off the screen, Stewart epitomized
the "American ideal" in twentieth-century United States. In 1999, the
American Film Institute (AFI) ranked him third on its list of the
greatest American male actors.Born and raised in Indiana,
Pennsylvania, Stewart started acting while studying at Princeton
University. After graduating in 1932, he began a career as a stage
actor, appearing on Broadway and in summer stock productions. In 1935,
he signed a film contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). The studio
did not see leading man material in Stewart, but after three years of
supporting roles and being loaned out to other studios, he had his big
breakthrough in Frank Capra's ensemble comedy You Can't Take It with
You (1938). The following year, Stewart garnered his first of five
Academy Award nominations for his portrayal of an idealized and
virtuous man who becomes a senator in Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington (1939). He won his only Academy Award for Best Actor for
his work in the screwball comedy The Philadelphia Story (1940), which
also starred Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant.A licensed amateur
pilot, Stewart enlisted as a private in the Army Air Corps as soon as
he could after the United States entered the Second World War in 1941.
Although still an MGM star, his only public and film appearances from
1941 to 1945 were scheduled by the Air Corps. After fighting in the
European theater of war, he had attained the rank of colonel and had
received several awards for his service. He remained in the U.S. Air
Force Reserve and was promoted to brigadier general in 1959. He
retired in 1968, and was awarded the United States Air Force
Distinguished Service Medal.
actor, singer and military officer. Known for his distinctive drawl
and everyman screen persona, Stewart had a film career that spanned
over 55 years from 1935 to 1991 with 80 films. With the strong
morality he portrayed both on and off the screen, Stewart epitomized
the "American ideal" in twentieth-century United States. In 1999, the
American Film Institute (AFI) ranked him third on its list of the
greatest American male actors.Born and raised in Indiana,
Pennsylvania, Stewart started acting while studying at Princeton
University. After graduating in 1932, he began a career as a stage
actor, appearing on Broadway and in summer stock productions. In 1935,
he signed a film contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). The studio
did not see leading man material in Stewart, but after three years of
supporting roles and being loaned out to other studios, he had his big
breakthrough in Frank Capra's ensemble comedy You Can't Take It with
You (1938). The following year, Stewart garnered his first of five
Academy Award nominations for his portrayal of an idealized and
virtuous man who becomes a senator in Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington (1939). He won his only Academy Award for Best Actor for
his work in the screwball comedy The Philadelphia Story (1940), which
also starred Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant.A licensed amateur
pilot, Stewart enlisted as a private in the Army Air Corps as soon as
he could after the United States entered the Second World War in 1941.
Although still an MGM star, his only public and film appearances from
1941 to 1945 were scheduled by the Air Corps. After fighting in the
European theater of war, he had attained the rank of colonel and had
received several awards for his service. He remained in the U.S. Air
Force Reserve and was promoted to brigadier general in 1959. He
retired in 1968, and was awarded the United States Air Force
Distinguished Service Medal.
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