James Stewart Biography

James Maitland Stewart, also known as Jimmy Stewart to his fans, was an American film and stage actor whose portrayals of decent, naïve, idealistic and noble characters endeared him to millions of film lovers. A lanky actor with an ungainly stride and boyish mannerisms, he personified the typical middle-class American caught up in a confusing world. He had a distinctive voice and accent which his fans loved and impersonators loved to mimic. In a career spanning over half a century, he had acted in over 90 movies, many of which are considered classics. He was a major MGM contract star known for making collaborations with many of the famous directors of his times: Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra, John Ford, Anthony Mann, etc. His depiction of a naïve idealist in ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His role as intrusive reporter in ‘The Philadelphia Story’ won him an Academy Award in a competitive category. Apart from being a movie star, Stewart was a highly-decorated war veteran, who served as a bomber pilot during World War II. He was eventually promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in the US Air Force Reserve. After the war, he returned to Hollywood with what would become his best known performance—as George Bailey in Frank Capra's ‘It's a Wonderful Life’. Though the movie generated mixed reviews upon its release, it went on to become a Christmas classic years later.