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Title: Jimmy Stewart - Tribute To A Great American View count: 219 Rating: 5.0 (2 ratings) Description: James Maitland Stewart was born on May 20, 1908 in Indiana, Pennsylvania, the son of Elizabeth Ruth (née Jackson) and Alexander Maitland Stewart, who owned a hardware store. Stewart's parents were Scottish Presbyterian origin. His Jackson ancestors served in the American Revolution, War of 1812 and the Civil War. Stewart enrolled at Princeton in 1928 as a member of the Class of 1932. There, he excelled at studying architecture, so impressing his professors with his thesis on an airport design that he was awarded a scholarship for graduate studies, but he gradually became attracted to the school's drama and music clubs, including the famous Princeton Triangle Club. Stewart acting career began in 1932. It was slow in starting. By the late 30's & early 40's Stewart was a star. Before Dec. 7th, 1941, Stewart had already 400 hours flying time and was a Commercial Pilot. Later in 1940, Stewart was drafted into the United States Army but was rejected for failing to meet height and weight requirements for new recruits - Stewart was five pounds under the standard. He worked with hollywood muscle man, Don Loomis to gain the pounds needed. He tried to enlist again, but failed. After a 3rd attempt he passed his weighin & successfully enlisted in the Army in March 1941. He became the first major American movie star to wear a military uniform in World War II. Stewart enlisted as a private and began pilot training in the USAAC. During this time the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, bringing the US into direct involvement in the war. By the end of the war Stewart was a Colonel. One of the "very few" Americans to rise from private to colonel in four years. Stewart continued to play an active role in the United States Air Force Reserve after the war, achieving the rank of Brigadier General on July 23, 1959. Stewart is a highly decorated pilot with awards from both the United States and France for his military service in WWII. Jimmy Stewart was an American film and stage actor best known for his self-effacing persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and one Lifetime Achievement award. He was a major MGM contract star. He also had a noted military career, rising to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve. Throughout his seven decades in Hollywood, Stewart cultivated a versatile career and recognized screen image in such classics as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Philadelphia Story, Harvey, It's a Wonderful Life, Rear Window, Rope and Vertigo. Stewart left his mark on a wide range of film genres, including westerns, suspense thrillers, family films, biographies and screwball comedies. He worked for a number of renowned directors later in his career, most notably Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Billy Wilder, Frank Capra, George Cukor, and Anthony Mann. He won many of the industry's highest honors and earned Lifetime Achievement awards from every major film organization. He died in 1997, leaving behind a legacy of classic performances, and is considered one of the finest actors of the "Golden Age of Hollywood." He was named the third Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute. Tags: james, jimmy, stewart, john, wayne, henry, fonda, ronald, reagan, bob, hope, charlton, heston, academy, award, lifetime, achievement, world, war, ii, pilot, air, force, army, corp, b-24, b-17, germany, hero, brigadier, general, united, states, airforce, reserve, hollywood, actor, mgm, star, military, career, harvey, the, philadelphia, stroy, rear, window, vertigo, princeton, alfred, hitchcock, ford, billy, wilder, frank, capra, newsweek, radio, theater, orson, welles, westerns, winchester, 73, glenn, miller, mystery, suspense, Author: ObamaSteinNo2012 |
