Judy Garland, The Complete Entertainer
Judy Garland was only 47 when she died in 1969 but she had already had a varied career that began in vaudeville and extended into movies, records, radio, television, and personal appearances. She was famous for her emotional, high-energy live performances and she had already created for herself a legendary status which has increased over time. She was a natural performer and her love affair with music was something genuine and sincere that her audiences found contagious.
Biography
Judy Garland, born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, began her show business career before she was three years old.After a successful career as a child star with her two sisters, Judy was signed by Louis B. Mayer to an MGM contract at age 13. Her first film (a short) was Every Sunday (1936) in which she played opposite the other rising child vocal star of the time, Deanna Durbin, but it was her portrayal of a young Clark Gable admirer in Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) that brought her prominently into the public eye.
In her early career Judy made a series of films with Mickey Rooney, including Love finds Andy Hardy (1938) and Babes in Arms (1939). She performs beautifully and for many will always be remembered as Betsy the girl next door. She was type cast in this character for years but it was her role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939) that made her famous. She even won an honorary Oscar for her outstanding performance as a screen juvenile and the film also provided her with the song ("Over the Rainbow") with which she was identified until her death.
By the 1960s Judy Garland had become a true living legend. When she was working on The Judy Garland Show at CBS during the 1963/1964 season, the sign on her dressing room door read, "The Legend." She was one of the most loved and most popular personalities of all time.
Garland was married five times; her hubands were David Rose, Vincente Minnelli, Sid Luft, Mark Herron, and Mickey Deans
Judy died on June 22, 1969, less than two weeks after her 47th birthday. The official cause of death was listed as an accidental overdose of sleeping pills. However, some people maintain that Judy died of anorexia. She did have a bad case of hepatitis in 1959, and it is also possible that the resultant liver damage led to her demise. She was apparently quite ill during the last years of her life.
Judy's memorial service was at Campbell's Funeral Chapel in New York on June 27, 1969, and she was laid to rest at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York
Judy At a Glance
Birth name Frances Ethel Gumm Born June 10, 1922
Grand Rapids, Minnesota, U.S.A. Died June 22, 1969, aged 47 (Overdose) Chelsea, London, England, UK
Years active1929 - 1969
Spouse(s) David Rose (1941 - 1945) (divorced)
Vincente Minnelli (1945 - 1952) (divorced) 1 daughter
Sidney Luft (1952 - 1965) (divorced) 1 daughter, 1 son
Mark Herron (1965 - 1967) (divorced)
Mickey Deans (1969) (her death)
Academy Awards Nominated: Best Supporting Actress 1961 Judgment at Nuremberg
Nominated: Best Actress 1954 A Star Is Born
Academy Juvenile Award (1939)Tony Awards Special Tony Award (1952)Golden Globe Awards Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy 1955 A Star Is Born
Cecil B. DeMille Award (1962) .
