Judy Garland, A Renowned Great Star of Hollywood Prime Times

Who is Judy Garland?

Judy Garland was a famous American actress during the golden era of Hollywood. In this post, you are going to read, and know all about her hometown, family, childhood, early education, personal life, and achievements, etc.

Childhood & Early Life

Judy Garland’s birth name was Frances Ethel Gumm, and she was born to Ethel Marion (Milne) and Francis Avent Gumm, on June 10, 1922. Grand Rapids, in Minnesota, is known as her hometown. Judy was the youngest of three girls and was introduced to the entertainment industry early by her parents who were performers in entertaining shows.

Before turning three years old, Frances was added to the Gumm sisters’ dance act. Her mother eventually pulled her from the group, and later both mother, and daughter toured the country. Here Judy was introduced to public audiences with various entertaining acts.

Acting Career of Judy, and Her Sisters

Judy had to move to California where their parents enrolled them in an acting school. All three girls started learning acting and performance in their classes. After the classes, Judy got an opportunity to work with Louis B. Mayer of MGM. Louis B signed Frances Gumm for his new project. Here she became Judy Garland from Frances Ethel Gumm.

Judy was a God gifted actress, and after some initial struggles, her film career finally stabilized with the girl-next-door character in her upcoming movie ‘Pigskin Parade’, in 1936. In her great acting career, she presented her best performance and left memorable prints on the lovers, and movie critics.

Personal Life, & Marital Status

From her very early life, she had been pressurized to keep her weight down, but energy up. Though she was provided with the central nervous system stimulants to help her cope, at the end of the day, it caused her addiction to pills. Her addiction overwhelmed her throughout her life. She got married four times and had several affairs.

From one of her four marriages, she had one daughter, Liza, with her husband Vicente Minnelli. From her second husband, Sidney Luft, she had a son, Joey, and a daughter, Lorna. Judy died at the age of 47, when she was at the peak of her career. She was staying in a room of a hotel, on her stay in London. It was June 10, 1969, when she left her lovers, and fans alone in this world.

Judy Garland Movies

1. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
2. If I Forget You (1940)
3. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
4. The Clock (1945)
5. The Harvey Girls (1946)
6. Easter Parade (1948)
7. A Star Is Born (1954)
8. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

Awards, & Nominations Received by Judy Garland

In her great acting career, she had earned not only fame, but also several credits, nominations, and awards as well. She received a special Oscar in 1940 for ‘Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor’ in the movie ‘The Wizard of Oz’. She was presented with the ‘Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the ‘Golden Globe Awards’ in 1962. The Grammys also honored her in 1999 with its ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’. Here is a small list of some of her achievements.

Golden Globe Awards

Grammy Awards

A Small Tribute to Her Personality

Judy Garland is amazingly a name that instantly invokes a theatrical nostalgia in the collective American memory. She was one of the most iconic actresses, who has seen the Golden Age of Hollywood. She has lit up movie screens with her charm, and talent. Her incredible talent was not limited to only the silver screen, however, she had also earned a good name in music, and television. Most importantly, Judy Garland was more than a screen persona.

She was a good daughter, sister, wife, lover, and mother with all of her relations. Judy was and is known as an American treasure. Her acting and singing talent was a gift that she loved to share with the world, and you can still feel its impact even today. You can find her life also illustrating the struggles of working in a fantasy world while she was still living in the real world. In the long run, she surrendered to those demons, and the world lost an astonishing gift.

Judy Garland Net Worth

Judy Garland had a net worth of $20 million dollars at the time of her death (adjusted for inflation)