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| Birth Name(s) : Frances Ethel Gumm |
Date of Birth: June 10, 1922 |
| Status:
Married
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Partner:
Mickey Deans |
| Profession:
Actor/Musician |
Official Site
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Full Judy Garland Biography
| Judy Garland worked for nearly forty-five of her forty-seven years. She made thirty-two feature films, did voice-over work for two more, and appeared in at least a half dozen short subjects. She received a special Academy Award and was nominated for two others. She starred in thirty of her own television shows (the programs and Garland herself garnering a total of ten Emmy Award nominations) and appeared as a guest on nearly thirty more. Between 1951 and 1969, she fulfilled over eleven hundred theatre, nightclub and concert performances, winning a special Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for the first of three record-breaking Broadway engagements at the Palace. She recorded nearly one hundred singles and over a dozen record albums; Judy at Carnegie Hall received an unprecedented five Grammys in 1962 (including Album of the Year) and has never been out of print. Her radio work encompassed several hundred broadcasts, and she sang at countless benefits and personal appearances for the military. Earlier, between the ages of two and thirteen - and prior to signing her MGM contract in 1935 - she fulfilled hundreds of live vaudeville and radio dates with her two older sisters. |
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Additional Judy Garland Biography
Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum, Hartsdale, New York, USA Plot: Unit 9, alcove HH, crypt 31Years active
Garland's physical appearance created a dilemma for MGM. At only 4'11 1/2", Garland's "cute" or "girl-next-door" looks did not exemplify the "sexy", more glamorous looks required for leading ladies of the time, and her appearance caused her anxiety. Garland was to go through a transformation process throughout her film career. During her early years at the studio, she was photographed and dressed in plain garments, or frilly juvenile gowns and costumes to match the "girl-next-door" image that was created for her.
In 1940, she starred in three films; Andy Hardy Meets Debutante, Strike up the Band and Little Nellie Kelly. In the latter film Garland played her first adult role (in the film she played a dual role of both mother and daughter). The Little Nellie Kelly project was purchased from George M. Cohan as a vehicle for Garland to assess both her audience appeal and her physical appearance. The role was a challenge for the young actress, requiring the use of an accent, her first adult kiss and her first (and only) death scene. The success of these three films–and a further three films in 1941– secured her position at MGM as a major property. In 1942, noticeably thinner, she was given the lead role in For Me and My Gal alongside Gene Kelly in his first screen appearance. She was top billed over the credits for the first time and effectively made the direct transition from teenage star to an adult actress.
In 1943, at the age of 21, she was finally given the "glamour treatment" in Presenting Lily Mars, in which she was dressed in "grown-up" gowns. Her lightened hair was also pulled-up in a stylish fashion. Years later when reflecting on her mother's film image, Liza Minnelli stated that in her opinion her mother looked "the most beautiful in this film". However, no matter how glamorous or beautiful she appeared on screen or in photographs, she was never confident in her appearance and never escaped the "girl next door" image that had been created for her.
By 1944, Garland was given a new make-up artist specifically requested by Vincente Minnelli. Dorothy Ponedel refined Judy's appearance in several ways, including extending and reshaping her eyebrows, tweezing her hairline, modifying her lip line and getting rid of the unnecessary nose discs. Judy appreciated the results so much that Ponedel was written into her contract for all her remaining pictures at MGM. Interestingly, MGM's attempts to "glamorize" Garland stopped in 1948, at which time her appearance was natural yet refined. Publicly, Garland stated that she was never quite happy with her appearance on screen except in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and The Clock (1945).Garland, performing "The Trolley Song" in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).
In the run-up to the 27th Academy Awards, Garland was believed to be the most likely winner for Best Actress. She could not attend the ceremony because she had just given birth to her son Joseph Luft; a television crew entered Garland's room with cameras and wires, in the hope that Garland would win the Best Actress award, to televise Garland's award speech. However, the Oscar went to Grace Kelly for The Country Girl (1954). Many fans hold that Garland was "robbed" of her Oscar, and should have won the award (Groucho Marx sent her a famous telegram after the awards, stating that it was "the biggest robbery since Brinks"). However she did win the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Musical that year.
Returning to the stage, Garland made her last appearances at New York's Palace Theatre in July, a sixteen-show tour, performing with her children Lorna and Joey Luft. Garland wore a sequined pants-suit on stage for this tour, which was part of the original wardrobe for her character in Valley of the Dolls.
While prejudice against gays still exists, there are more out gay men than ever, and the intensity of the closet isn't what it was in Garland's day. But she will always have a place in gay history as an icon and inspiration to countless others.
Of Garland's five marriages, the first four ended in divorce. Her children are Liza Minnelli (singer and actress) born March 1946, Lorna Luft (also an acclaimed singer), born November 21, 1952, and Joey Luft (a scenic photographer), born March 29, 1955 in Los Angeles, California.
- David Rose; married 1941-1945
- Vincente Minnelli; married 1945-1952; one daughter, Liza Minnelli
- Sidney Luft; married 1952-1965; one daughter, Lorna Luft, and one son, Joey Luft
- Mark Herron; married 1965-1967
- Mickey Deans; married March 1969-June 1969
Her earliest paternal ancestor was George Marable (1631 - 1683), who traveled to Virginia from Kent, England, circa 1652 and was one of the first colonists settling in what is now Jamestown, Virginia. The Marable families of the southern United States all derived from the aforementioned George Marable.
A family link between Garland and the 18th United States president Ulysses S Grant has often been incorrectly stated. Garland's great great grandfather Hugh Fitzpatrick (1809 - 1878) was married twice; his second wife was Catherine Grant, a first cousin of Grant. However, Garland is descended from a son, also named Hugh (born 1838), from his first wife (Margaret Ross, 1807 - 1845), therefore there is no blood link. |
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| Hollywood is a strange place if you're in trouble. Everybody thinks it's contagious. |
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