Judy Garland was an American actress and singer who was born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922 and died on June 22, 1969. Despite receiving great acclaim for a variety of roles during her career, she is most recognized for her portrayal of Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939).
She rose to international prominence as a musical and dramatic actor, a recording artist, and a concert performer. She won an Academy Juvenile Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Special Tony Award for her versatility. Garland was the first woman to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Judy at Carnegie Hall, which she received in 1961.
Garland began her career in vaudeville as a kid with her two older sisters in the “Gumm Sisters,” a vaudeville act, and was subsequently signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a teenager. She appeared in more than a half-dozen MGM films.
Garland worked frequently with director and second spouse Vincente Minnelli, and was a frequent on-screen collaborator of both Mickey Rooney and Gene Kelly. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), The Harvey Girls (1946), Easter Parade (1948), and Summer Stock (1948) were among the other films in which he starred (1950).
After 15 years with MGM, she was let go in 1950 due to a series of personal problems that prohibited her from fulfilling her contract.
The Formative Years
Judy Garland was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, as Frances Ethel Gumm. Her parents were vaudeville artists, and Frances quickly joined her older sisters Mary Jane and Dorothy to form the Gumm Sisters, a singing and dancing group.
The facts are hazy, but the Gumm Sisters changed their name to the Garland Sisters around 1934, in search of a more appealing moniker. Frances changed her name to Judy shortly after that. Suzanne, the oldest of the Garland Sisters, married pianist Lee Kahn in 1935, and the trio disbanded.
Judy was signed to a contract with MGM without having to pass a screen test later in 1935. The studio, on the other hand, was unsure how to market Garland, who was older than the typical child star but yet too young for adult roles. After a few failed attempts, she had her big break when she was cast alongside Mickey Rooney in the 1938 picture Love Finds Andy Hardy.
Also Read: Is David Walliams Gay? Britain’s Got Talent Star David Walliams on Love and Sexuality!
Personal Experiences
Judy Garland's tumultuous personal life was punctuated by multiple heartbreaks. Judy Garland's 49-year-old father died of meningitis when she was 13 years old, leaving her deeply heartbroken. Years later, Garland was heartbroken when her first adult love, bandleader Artie Shaw, eloped with actress Lana Turner.
On her 18th birthday, she received an engagement ring from musician David Rose, who was still married to actress Martha Raye at the time. Judy and David married for a short time after their divorce. The marriage was only three years later, in 1944.
Judy Garland was diagnosed with acute hepatitis in 1959, and she told doctors she didn't expect to live longer than five years.
She admitted that she would probably never sing again and that she was relieved by the diagnosis because it relieved a lot of the stress in her life. Over the course of several months, she recovered and resumed performing performances.
Was Judy Garland a Lesbian?
Judy Garland, an American actress and singer, is a homosexual icon. In the 1950s, she became a cultural figure. Gays recognized her talent as a performer and her importance as a camp character at the time. In drag revues, she was frequently mocked.
During her maturity, she struggled with drugs, alcohol, and personal relationships, which were common among urban closeted gays at the time. Garland's iconic position may be founded on her performance as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz.
Garland's position as a homosexual icon began to wane after her death in 1969 and the Stonewall riots. Garland's theatrical victimhood and emotionalism could or would not resonate with young homosexual men who embraced their sexual orientation with pride rather than shame.
A Career in Film
Judy Garland was cast in the lead role of 1939's The Wizard of Oz after her success in a series of films with Mickey Rooney. She sung “Over the Rainbow” in the film, which became known as her hallmark song. It was a critical hit, and Garland received a special Juvenile Academy Award for her work with Mickey Rooney in both The Wizard of Oz and Babes In Arms.
In the 1940s, Judy Garland starred in three of her most popular films. She sung “The Trolley Song” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in the 1944 film Meet Me In St. Louis. She teamed up with famed dancer and actor Fred Astaire for The Easter Parade in 1948.
She co-starred alongside Van Johnson in the 1949 film In the Good Old Summertime. It was one of Judy Garland's biggest box-office hits, and it starred Judy Garland's three-year-old daughter Liza Minnelli in her first film role.
Judy Garland had a reputation for being tough to work with while filming new projects by 1950. She was accused of putting in little effort, while drugs and alcohol also made it difficult for her to show up for shoots on time.
Garland made a triumphant return in 1954 with the second film adaptation of A Star Is Born. Her performance was praised by critics and spectators alike, and she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Her days as a prominent Hollywood actress were ended when she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Judgment at Nuremberg in 1961.
Also Read: 10 Best Gay and LGBTQ+ Romance Movies
