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JAMES MAITLAND STEWART ( May 1908 -- Jul 1997 )

Stewart was usually called "Jimmy" in the movie industry and by fans but always referred to himself as "James." He was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, son of a hardware store owner. He was expected to take over the business in due course, as his father had done from his grandfather. Even after Stewart had become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, his father urged him to return to Indiana, marry a nice girl, and forget about show business. He graduated from Mercersburg Academy prep school in 1928 and, at his father's insistence, entered Princeton University, graduating in 1932. At Princeton he studied architecture and impressed his instructors, but gravitated to the drama and music clubs (he played accordian) and during summer breaks played bit parts in summer stock. In 1932 he went to New York, where he roomed with Henry Fonda, a lifelong friend. He debuted in a Broadway play as a chauffer, with two speaking lines. After parts in a few plays that flopped, and with Broadway suffering from the Great Depression, he went to Hollywood and was signed by MGM in 1935. His first substantial part was in After The Thin Man (1936) and he was loaned to Columbia Pictures for You Can't Take It With You, co-starring Jean Arthur. The film won Best Picture Oscar for 1938. He teamed with Jean Arthur again in 1939 in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington , receiving the first of his five Oscar nominations. Also in 1939 he made his first Western, Destry Rides Again, and began working in radio drama. His distinctive voice and speech mannerisms were now so well known that comics began doing impersonations of him. He won his only Oscar for The Philadelphia Story with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. His film career was interrupted by WWII, in which he served as a B-24 pilot, flying 20 missions over occupied Europe. His first post-war film was It's A Wonderful Life and after three years on Broadway he resumed his film career with a string of very successful movies. He received the Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute and other industry associations and is ranked by AFI as the Third Greatest Male Star of All time.

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