Jimmy Stewart is one of those classic actors
who, even if you don’t know his name, you’ve
seen his face.
He appeared in over 80 films throughout a
career that spanned from 1935-1991.
He was even ranked #3 on the American Film
Institute’s list of greatest male actors.
A name like that made fans take notice, but
so did the women of Hollywood.
The shy everyman tried a few relationships
until he found his true love.
They had a family, and his children are his
true legacy, not his roles or awards.
Keep watching as Jimmy Stewart’s daughter
reveals the truth about him.
Who Was Jimmy Stewart?
Jimmy Stewart was born on May 20, 1908.
He had a humble childhood in Indiana Pennsylvania
where he tried acting.
He began his career in earnest when he graduated
from Princeton University in 1932.
He went on Broadway and joined summer stock
productions.
His first official film roles were in 1935’s
The Murder Man and 1938’s You Can’t Take
It With You.
1939’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington shot
him to fame with his first Academy Award nomination.
He continued to soar after that with other
hits such as 1940’s The Philadelphia Story.
He joined the Air Force during WWII and was
a successful pilot.
His first post-war role was perhaps his best-known,
1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life.
It became a holiday classic after modest box
office success.
He’d developed a morally upright persona
but tried more serious parts after that such
as 1948’s Rope and 1954’s Rear Window.
He also tried comedies such as 1950s Harvey
and westerns such as 1962’s The Man Who
Shot Liberty Valance.
Nothing could keep him down, but something
was missing.
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Finding True Love and Making a Family
Jimmy was a surprisingly shy actor considering
the man he was.
His MGM boss Louis B. Mayer was worried he
might be gay when he didn’t start romancing
his co-stars, so they started setting him
up on dates.
Eventually, the things that made Jimmy Stewart
a box-office draw also made him a ladies’
man in his earlier years.
His war history, handsome but approachable
looks, and unique voice all made the ladies
take notice.
He was dubbed the Great American Bachelor
in the 40s.
Jimmy was connected to many women including
Olivia de Havilland, Ginger Rogers, Loretta
Young, Norma Shear, Dinah Shore, and Marlene
Dietrich.
The relationships differed in seriousness,
but none were the one.
Then, one day, he met Gloria McLean.
She was a socialite, actress, and model.
They met at a dinner party, and he admits
it was love at first sight.
That didn’t make it an obvious match.
She was divorced and had two sons from a previous
marriage, Michael and Ronald.
Jimmy married Gloria in 1949 when he was 41.
He shocked the world and made headlines.
Gloria admitted about a year later that she’d
been worried about marrying such a famous
bachelor.
She was worried that he wouldn’t like seeing
her sons from a previous marriage all day
every day.
Her fears were unfounded.
They had a picnic on the beach on his first
day off after the wedding.
She said that he made everything into an occasion
and was a “great hit with the boys.”
They had their own children in 1951, twin
daughters Kelly and Judy.
It seemed that he’d finally found a woman
to settle down with and start a family.
()
His Death and Legacy
Jimmy’s career continued until 1991 when
he recorded his lines for the animated movie
Fievel Goes West.
He also appeared in a few talking head documentaries
in the 90s.
The death of his wife seemed like the right
time to retire.
His health was already declining.
He had to use a hearing aid, survived a bout
of skin cancer, and had heart problems.
Jimmy Stewart died at the age of 89 on July
2, 1997.
He suffered an embolism that lodged a blood
clot in his lungs.
Over 3,000 mourners attended his memorial
service, which included full military honors.
Bill Clinton said the world had lost a national
treasure.
Jimmy certainly created an impressive legacy,
and no one can express it better than those
()
who lived with him.
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on the Stewart family.
Keep watching to learn the truths that Jimmy
Stewart’s daughter revealed.
Who Is Jimmy’s Daughter?
Jimmy was married to his true love Gloria
for 45 years.
They had two sons, one of whom was tragically
killed in Vietnam.
They also had twin daughters.
None of them had any interest in acting, including
his daughter Kelly.
She instead became an anthropologist, living
with her husband Alexander Harcourt and teaching
at UC Davis.
Her parents were interested in conservation,
and her mother read books about it that she
received in high school.
She feels that her father would be relieved
she never got into film.
Kelly remembers going on the set with him
as a little girl.
She thought that everyone fussing over him
for hair and makeup didn’t look like the
kind of thing she could do.
She also remembers that his preparations for
roles would sometimes continue at home.
He’d sit in his special chair at home, looking
over new scripts.
He’d never speak his lines out loud, but
you could see his lips moving as he would
go over them in his head.
She still remembers that image well even if
none of the children ever participated in
it.
That was the only way he brought his work
home, but she always thought that “Hollywood
was out” when he came through the door.
It helped her feel loved and noticed in a
way that many actors’ children don’t.
()
What Jimmy’s Daughter Had to Say
Kelly doesn’t consider Jimmy a “traditional
father” or a “hands-on dad.”
He wasn’t the type to help with homework
or change diapers, but his life was his example
of how to behave.
She says that her father’s massive career
never gave him a massive ego.
His respectable, All-American attitude was
not an act.
He was gracious with fans.
He never refused anyone who wanted an autograph.
Fans would tell him about writing a letter
in high school and getting a personal response
back.
His secretary had to help him in the later
years, but he always signed them.
His distinctive Southern drawl was also real.
It showed up when he would tell them stories
about his life, which she loved even when
he took a while to get to the point.
She does remember one moment when the light
in his eyes began to dim.
That was when his wife Gloria died in 1994.
She remembers that they were both wonderful
parents.
They had a similar sense of humor that worked
well with each other and were never the disciplinary
type.
She says that, when he lost her, it seemed
like he’d “had enough of the world.”
He wasn’t depressed per se but would spend
most of his time in bed with his two dogs.
At the same time, she does believe that he
knew he was loved and appreciated his wonderful
life.
Speaking of that, Kelly believes It’s a
Wonderful Life remains relevant today.
It encourages those who dream of traveling.
It also lets everyone know how important it
is to make their life mean something to the
ones they love.
She’s grateful to those who’ve made it part
of their holiday traditions and considers
that a gift to their family.
She also believes that it was one of her father’s
favorite projects.
He loved working with director Frank Capra,
whom he worked with several times again.
Another thing he was most proud of was his
military service.
It took a toll on him, leaving him with nightmares
of bombers.
It was Frank who helped convince him that
he could come back to film after so much time
away.
Kelly also remembers Jimmy as a doting grandfather.
She and her brother’s children all have
fond memories of their grandparents and how
much they made their lives better.
A Few More Stewart Secrets
Jimmy almost didn’t get his breakout role
in 1939’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
It was going to go to Gary Cooper, but they
preferred his everyman persona.
He was humble enough to not focus on his full
award closet.
He couldn’t stop winning in his early years,
including an Oscar for The Philadelphia Story.
He wasn’t satisfied with it, though.
There are rumors he wasn’t even going to
come to the ceremony but someone associated
with it told him it’d be worth it.
He turned down roles that went on to be Oscar
winners as well.
They included 1981’s On Golden Pond.
He didn’t like the relationship between
the father and daughter and couldn’t imagine
treating his daughters that way so he turned
it down.
He also didn’t like the racial themes in
1962’s To Kill a Mockingbird or the profanity
in 1976’s Network.
The only place he couldn’t seem to succeed
was TV.
The Jimmy Stewart Show debuted in 1971 but
only lasted for 24 episodes.
He won a Golden Globe for another show in
1973 but only stayed for 37 episodes.
It was a ratings flop and he found TV too
stressful.
Jimmy was strongly against colorizing old
films.
He was one of the opponents who lobbied Congress
to prevent it from happening.
The House Appropriations Committee decided
that they agreed with him in 1988.
Any film that did get colorized had to have
a disclaimer warning viewers that it had been
changed.
Acting wasn’t even his only passion.
He was an accomplished pilot with over 400
flight hours by the end of the 1930s.
He flew over 20 combat missions by the end
of his service in the Air Force and stayed
with the Air Force Reserve until retiring
in 1968.
He also starred in a biopic of Charles Lindberg
and was inducted into the Aviation Hall of
Fame in 2009.
There’s even an airport named after him
close to his hometown in Pennsylvania.
Jimmy was also a poet.
If the improvised crying scene in It’s a
Wonderful Life didn’t make you cry, his
story about a dog will.
He appeared on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight
Show several times.
His piece Beau which he read in 1981 had everyone,
including the host, holding back tears.
There’s also a collected version of his
works called Jimmy Stewart and His Poems,
and it sold over 300,000 copies.
()
What’s your favorite Jimmy Stewart film?
Let us know in the comments below
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