Judy Garland
Who was Judy Garland?
American actress, singer, dancer and vaudevillian (1922–1969)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Judy Garland (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Judy Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, to vaudeville performers Frank Avelino Gumm and Ethel Marion Milne. She started performing with her two older sisters as the Gumm Sisters from the age of two and a half. The family moved to California to find better opportunities in the entertainment business, settling first in Lancaster and later moving closer to Los Angeles. She changed her name to Judy Garland in the mid-1930s, and her talent soon caught the eye of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which signed her at thirteen.
While at MGM, Garland's career flourished during some of Hollywood's most important years. Her role as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939) made her famous worldwide and won her a special Academy Juvenile Award in 1940. She starred in several successful MGM musicals, including Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), directed by Vincente Minnelli, whom she later married. Her film A Star Is Born (1954), produced by her then-husband Sidney Luft, earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, showcasing her dramatic skills along with her singing talent.
Outside of film, Garland had a successful career as a live concert performer and recording artist. Her album Judy at Carnegie Hall, recorded during her famed 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall, won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1962, making her one of the era's most celebrated recording artists. She received a Special Tony Award in 1952 for her stage work and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1961. Her television special and series, The Judy Garland Show, gained a large audience and critical attention in the early 1960s.
Garland's personal life was filled with struggles. She married five times, to bandleader David Rose, director Vincente Minnelli, producer Sidney Luft, actor Mark Herron, and nightclub manager Mickey Deans. She faced issues with prescription drug dependency that began while she was under contract at MGM, leading to professional and health problems throughout her life. Despite these challenges, she continued to perform internationally into the late 1960s. Judy Garland died on June 22, 1969, in Chelsea, London, at 47 from an accidental overdose of barbiturates. She left behind three children, including actress and singer Liza Minnelli.
Before Fame
Judy Garland grew up in a family where performing was a big part of life. Her parents ran a movie theater in Grand Rapids and put on shows where Garland made her stage debut as a toddler. The Gumm Sisters performed at local venues and on the vaudeville circuit, and the young Frances showed vocal maturity and stage presence that set her apart from her siblings. When the family moved to California, she was close to Hollywood, just as the film studios were looking for young talent.
Garland went to the Hollywood Professional School and other local institutions while also auditioning and performing. MGM signed her in 1935 when she was thirteen, quickly recognizing her voice and screen presence. She started with roles in short films and minor features, but soon got bigger parts as MGM paired her with Mickey Rooney in a series of popular musical comedies. By the time she was cast in The Wizard of Oz, Garland had already developed the technical skill and emotional expressiveness that marked her career.
Key Achievements
- Won the Academy Juvenile Award in 1940 for her performance as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz
- Became one of the few artists to win Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the same recording, Judy at Carnegie Hall
- Received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for A Star Is Born (1954)
- Honored with a Special Tony Award in 1952 for her stage performances
- Awarded the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1961 for lifetime achievement in the film industry
Did You Know?
- 01.Garland's iconic ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz were silver in the original L. Frank Baum novel; they were changed to red specifically to take advantage of Technicolor film technology.
- 02.Her 1961 Carnegie Hall concert recording remained on the Billboard chart for 73 weeks and is widely considered one of the greatest live albums ever made.
- 03.MGM studio executives famously put Garland on a strict diet and had studio doctors prescribe stimulants and sleeping pills during her teenage years to manage her schedule, a practice that contributed to her lifelong struggles with dependency.
- 04.Garland was originally considered too plain for the role of Dorothy, with studio head Louis B. Mayer reportedly referring to her dismissively before the production's success made her one of the studio's biggest stars.
- 05.Her daughter Liza Minnelli became the only child of an Academy Award winner to also win an Academy Award, with Garland having been nominated for Best Actress for A Star Is Born in 1955.
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Academy Juvenile Award | 1940 | — |
| Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | 1997 | — |
| Special Tony Award | 1952 | — |
| Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | 1954 | — |
| Grammy Award for Album of the Year | 1961 | — |
| Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | 1961 | — |
| Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award | 1961 | — |