Jimmy Stewart Biography

Jimmy Stewart. James Stewart was probably one of the most loved actors of his and most subsequent generations, an actor who captured audiences' hearts for six decades. The son of the local hardware store owner, Stewart was born on May 20, 1908, in the town of Indiana, Pennsylvania. While studying architecture at Princeton University, he met director Joshua

Logan, who was later to make a name for himself directing musicals such as Annie Get Your Gun, South Pacific, and paint your wagon. Logan convinced Stewart to begin acting, and after graduating in 1932, Stewart, bitten by the acting bug, moved with Logan to summer stock work with the university players in Falmouth, Massachusetts, joining Henry Fonda and Margaret

Sullivan, debuting in Goodbye Again. That summer, a production had a pre-Broadway tryout at Falmouth, and Stewart in particular was noticed and written up by a visiting New York critic. Stewart and found a move to New York where Head of Hopper recommended Jimmy for a screen test, resulting in a long-term contract for MGM.

From the first, Stewart's performance stood out. Audiences first took note of him as Eleanor Powell's leading man and born to dance in 1936. Everyone at Metro at least had to try musicals. Stewart, singing, introduced Cole Porter's easy to love.

He was hopeless, but the public found him adorable. of Stewart's big breaks actually came away from MGM. George Stevens, 5-Aces Lady in 1938 at RKO, and Frank Capras, you can't take it with you in 1938 at Columbia. David O. Selznick's made for each other in 1939 opposite Carol Lombard. Mr. Smith goes to Washington 1939

with Gene Arthur at Columbia, and Despy rides again 1939 with Marlene Dietrich at Universal. MGM rallied with two winners in 1940, both co-starring Margaret Sullivan, the shop around the corner and the mortal storm. The Philadelphia story followed.