GARLAND, JUDY

born June 10, 1922, Grand Rapids, Minn., U.S. died June 22, 1969, London, Eng. original name Frances Gumm American motion-picture singer and actress whose exceptional talents, appeal, and personal vulnerabilities combined to make her one of the most enduringly popular Hollywood icons of the 20th century. Frances Gumm was the daughter of former vaudevillians. She began appearing on the vaudeville and variety stage at a very early age and for a few years toured with her two older sisters in a singing act, the Gumm Sisters. She had already adopted, at comedian and producer George Jessel's suggestion, the name Judy Garland when in 1935 she was signed for motion pictures by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Her first film appearance was in a short, Every Sunday (1936). She followed with such movies as Pigskin Parade (1936), Listen, Darling (1937), and Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), in which she sang "Dear Mr. Gable" ("You Made Me Love You") and began her climb to stardom. Her popular partnership with Mickey Rooney began in Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937) and continued through Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), Babes in Arms (1939), Babes on Broadway (1941), and Girl Crazy (1943), in which she sang "I Got Rhythm" and "Embraceable You." In 1939 Garland starred in the classic film version of The Wizard of Oz singing what would become her theme song, "Somewhere over the Rainbow"; she won a special Academy Award for her performance. Among her later movies of note were the musicals Strike Up the Band (1940), For Me and My Gal (1942), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), The Harvey Girls (1946), Till the Clouds Roll By (1946), The Pirate (1948), Easter Parade (1948), Words and Music (1948), In the Good Old Summertime (1949), and Summer Stock (1950). Stardom proved a heavy burden, however, and Garland began experiencing personal and health problems that led to the termination of her MGM contract in 1950. She toured with great success as a singer, both in the United States and in Europe, attracting enormously devoted fans. In 1954 she returned to the screen in a remake of A Star Is Born. She continued to make concert appearances through the late 1950s and early '60s despite problems with mental and physical illness and drug abuse. A supporting dramatic role in Judgment at Nuremberg (1962) brought her an Academy Award nomination; she also appeared in I Could Go On Singing (1962) and A Child Is Waiting (1963). She starred in a short-lived television variety program and continued to make personal appearances. One of the most popular entertainers of her day and the idol of millions around the world, Judy Garland died in 1969 of a drug overdose. Liza Minnelli (b. 1946), the daughter of Garland and the motion-picture director Vincente Minnelli (married 1945, divorced 1951), also became a singer and actress. Additional reading Garland's life and career are examined in David Shipman, Judy Garland (1992); and John Fricke, Judy Garland: World's Greatest Entertainer (1992).