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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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What’s your favorite Jimmy Stewart film?

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