History Creator / JimmyStewart

James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart (1908--1997) was a popular actor for a good deal of the 20th century, starring in films from ''{{Harvey}}'' to ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory'' to ''Film/TheManWhoShotLibertyValance''. He is perhaps most famous for his role as George Bailey in the classic film ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'', with ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington'' getting a strong look-in. His other films included ''Theatre/YouCantTakeItWithYou'', ''Film/TheShopAroundTheCorner'', ''Film/AnatomyOfAMurder'', and ''Film/TheFlightOfThePhoenix1965'', as well as numerous [[TheWestern Westerns]] (including ''Destry Rides Again'', ''Film/Winchester73'', ''Film/HowTheWestWasWon'', and ''Film/{{Shenandoah}}'') and {{Biopic}}s (including ''TheGlennMillerStory'' and ''The Spirit of St. Louis''). Also notable for making multiple collaborations with several famous directors from the era, such as Creator/FrankCapra, Creator/AlfredHitchcock, Creator/JohnFord, and Anthony Mann. A mark of his image as an everyman was his constantly being referred to by the public (and this entry) as "Jimmy Stewart", despite the fact that he was never credited as such in any of his famous film roles, always going by "James" (He, in fact, hated being referred to by the nickname).

James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart (1908--1997) was a popular actor for a good deal of the 20th century, starring in films from ''{{Harvey}}'' to ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory'' to ''Film/TheManWhoShotLibertyValance''. He is perhaps most famous for his role as George Bailey in the classic film ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'', with ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington'' getting a strong look-in. His other films included ''Theatre/YouCantTakeItWithYou'', ''Film/TheShopAroundTheCorner'', ''Film/AnatomyOfAMurder'', and ''Film/TheFlightOfThePhoenix1965'', as well as numerous [[TheWestern Westerns]] (including ''Destry Rides Again'', ''Winchester '73'', ''HowTheWestWasWon'', and ''Film/{{Shenandoah}}'') and {{Biopic}}s (including ''TheGlennMillerStory'' and ''The Spirit of St. Louis''). Also notable for making multiple collaborations with several famous directors from the era, such as Creator/FrankCapra, Creator/AlfredHitchcock, Creator/JohnFord, and Anthony Mann. A mark of his image as an everyman was his constantly being referred to by the public (and this entry) as "Jimmy Stewart", despite the fact that he was never credited as such in any of his famous film roles, always going by "James" (He, in fact, hated being referred to by the nickname).

->''“If I had my career over again? Maybe I'd say to myself, speed it up a little.”''

* ''TheGreatestShowOnEarth'' (1952)

James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart (1908--1997) was a popular actor for a good deal of the 20th century, starring in films from ''{{Harvey}}'' to ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory'' to ''Film/TheManWhoShotLibertyValance''. He is perhaps most famous for his role as George Bailey in the classic film ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'', with ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington'' getting a strong look-in. His other films included ''Theatre/YouCantTakeItWithYou'', ''Film/TheShopAroundTheCorner'', ''Film/AnatomyOfAMurder'', and ''Film/TheFlightOfThePhoenix1965'', as well as numerous [[TheWestern Westerns]] (including ''Destry Rides Again'', ''Winchester '73'', ''HowTheWestWasWon'', and ''Film/{{Shenandoah}}'') and {{Biopic}}s (including ''TheGlennMillerStory'' and ''The Spirit of St. Louis''). Also notable for making multiple collaborations with several famous directors from the era, such as FrankCapra, Creator/AlfredHitchcock, Creator/JohnFord, and Anthony Mann. A mark of his image as an everyman was his constantly being referred to by the public (and this entry) as "Jimmy Stewart", despite the fact that he was never credited as such in any of his famous film roles, always going by "James" (He, in fact, hated being referred to by the nickname).

* ''Theatre/YouCantTakeItWithYou'' (1938) -- His first movie with FrankCapra.

* ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington'' (1939) -- Directed by FrankCapra. Made him a star overnight. Oscar nomination.

* ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'' (1946) -- Directed by FrankCapra. His first movie after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Now considered the quintessential Christmas movie. Oscar nomination.

James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart (1908--1997) was a popular actor for a good deal of the 20th century, starring in films from ''{{Harvey}}'' to ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory'' to ''Film/TheManWhoShotLibertyValance''. He is perhaps most famous for his role as George Bailey in the classic film ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'', with ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington'' getting a strong look-in. His other films included ''Theatre/YouCantTakeItWithYou'', ''Film/TheShopAroundTheCorner'', ''Film/AnatomyOfAMurder'', and ''Film/TheFlightOfThePhoenix1965'', as well as numerous [[TheWestern Westerns]] (including ''Destry Rides Again'', ''Winchester '73'', ''HowTheWestWasWon'', and ''Film/{{Shenandoah}}'') and {{Biopic}}s (including ''TheGlennMillerStory'' and ''The Spirit of St. Louis''). Also notable for making multiple collaborations with several famous directors from the era, such as FrankCapra, Creator/AlfredHitchcock, JohnFord, and Anthony Mann. A mark of his image as an everyman was his constantly being referred to by the public (and this entry) as "Jimmy Stewart", despite the fact that he was never credited as such in any of his famous film roles, always going by "James" (He, in fact, hated being referred to by the nickname).

* ''Two Rode Together'' (1961) -- Directed by JohnFord.
* ''Film/TheManWhoShotLibertyValance'' (1962) -- Directed by JohnFord. First onscreen pairing of him and JohnWayne.

** In fact, he had to work hard to get into combat roles. At first, he was turned down when he tried to join the Air Corps because he was deemed underweight. After he finished flight training, the brass refused to assign him to a combat unit, since they did not want to see a famous movie star being shot down. During the Vietnam War, which he visited as a Air Force Reserve general, he was not allowed to board B-52's bombing North Vietnam for much the same reason (he snuck onboard some bombing missions anyways).

** In fact, he had to work hard to get into combat roles. At first, he was turned down when he tried to join the Air Corps because he was deemed underweight. After he finished the flight training, the brass refused to assign him to a combat unit, since they did not want to see a famous movie star being shot down. During the Vietnam War, which he visited as a Air Force Reserve general, he was not allowed to board B-52's bombing North Vietnam for much the same reason (he snuck onboard some bombing missions anyways).

James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart (1908--1997) was a popular actor for a good deal of the 20th century, starring in films from ''{{Harvey}}'' to ''ThePhiladelphiaStory'' to ''Film/TheManWhoShotLibertyValance''. He is perhaps most famous for his role as George Bailey in the classic film ''ItsAWonderfulLife'', with ''MrSmithGoesToWashington'' getting a strong look-in. His other films included ''YouCantTakeItWithYou'', ''TheShopAroundTheCorner'', ''AnatomyOfAMurder'', and ''Film/TheFlightOfThePhoenix1965'', as well as numerous [[TheWestern Westerns]] (including ''Destry Rides Again'', ''Winchester '73'', ''HowTheWestWasWon'', and ''Film/{{Shenandoah}}'') and {{Biopic}}s (including ''TheGlennMillerStory'' and ''The Spirit of St. Louis''). Also notable for making multiple collaborations with several famous directors from the era, such as FrankCapra, Creator/AlfredHitchcock, JohnFord, and Anthony Mann. A mark of his image as an everyman was his constantly being referred to by the public (and this entry) as "Jimmy Stewart", despite the fact that he was never credited as such in any of his famous film roles, always going by "James" (He, in fact, hated being referred to by the nickname).

* ''MrSmithGoesToWashington'' (1939) -- Directed by FrankCapra. Made him a star overnight. Oscar nomination.

* ''ThePhiladelphiaStory'' (1940) -- Won his only Oscar for Best Actor.
* ''TheShopAroundTheCorner'' (1940)

He fought as a pilot and commander in the SecondWorldWar and flew once as a non-duty observer in a B-52 on a bombing mission during the VietnamWar (eventually promoted to the rank of [[FourStarBadass Major General]] in the [[HomeGuard Air Force Reserves]], starting from private), and was famous for being a NiceGuy, both in his film roles and in real life.

* ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'' (1946) -- Directed by FrankCapra. His first movie after WorldWarII. Now considered the quintessential Christmas movie. Oscar nomination.

* AcePilot: He was a licensed private pilot with over 400 hours of flight time when he was drafted into the Army. With America's entrance into WorldWarII, he was allowed to volunteer as an instructor pilot on account of his experience, and from there was able to get a transfer into a combat unit.

* ColonelBadass: During WorldWarII, where he rose to the rank of Colonel.

* HomeGuard: Served in the Air Force Reserves from the end of WorldWarII until he retired in 1968.

* ''Film/TheGreatestShowOnEarth'' (1952)

* ''The Greatest Show on Earth'' (1952)

* ''The Naked Spur'' (1953) -- Directed by Anthony Mann.

He had a very unusual accent that is hard to describe (a sort of whiny warble/drawl), and very tempting to imitate. Buy hey, audiences ate it up. So did women, apparently, as Stewart was [[ThePornomancer something of a ladies' man]] early in his life, but he stopped after he entered a very loving marriage with model Gloria [=McLean=]. He was also very good friends with HenryFonda, another famous actor from the era and his former roommate.

He fought as a pilot and commander in the SecondWorldWar and flew once as a non-duty observer in a B-52 on a bombing mission during the VietnamWar (eventually promoted to the rank of [[TheBrigadier Brigadier General]] in the [[HomeGuard Air Force Reserves]], starting from private), and was famous for being a NiceGuy, both in his film roles and in real life.

* ''Destry Rides Again'' (1939)

James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart (1908-1997) was a popular actor for a good deal of the 20th century, starring in films from ''{{Harvey}}'' to ''ThePhiladelphiaStory'' to ''Film/TheManWhoShotLibertyValance''. He is perhaps most famous for his role as George Bailey in the classic film ''ItsAWonderfulLife'', with ''MrSmithGoesToWashington'' getting a strong look-in. His other films included ''YouCantTakeItWithYou'', ''TheShopAroundTheCorner'', ''AnatomyOfAMurder'', and ''Film/TheFlightOfThePhoenix1965'', as well as numerous [[TheWestern Westerns]] (including ''Destry Rides Again'', ''Winchester '73'', ''HowTheWestWasWon'', and ''Film/{{Shenandoah}}'') and {{Biopic}}s (including ''TheGlennMillerStory'' and ''The Spirit of St. Louis''). Also notable for making multiple collaborations with several famous directors from the era, such as FrankCapra, Creator/AlfredHitchcock, JohnFord, and Anthony Mann. A mark of his image as an everyman was his constantly being referred to by the public (and this entry) as "Jimmy Stewart", despite the fact that he was never credited as such in any of his famous film roles, always going by "James" (He, in fact, hated being referred to by the nickname).

* ''After Film/TheThinMan'' (1936) - The first movie where he had a substantial role (he was billed third), and one in which he played a very different role than in his later career.
* ''Theatre/YouCantTakeItWithYou'' (1938) - His first movie with FrankCapra.

* ''MrSmithGoesToWashington'' (1939) - Directed by FrankCapra. Made him a star overnight. Oscar nomination.
* ''It's a Wonderful World'' (1939) - ScrewballComedy[=/=]Mystery film
* ''ThePhiladelphiaStory'' (1940) - Won his only Oscar for Best Actor.

* ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'' (1946) - Directed by FrankCapra. His first movie after WorldWarII. Now considered the quintessential Christmas movie. Oscar nomination.
* ''Theatre/{{Rope}}'' (1948) - His first movie with Creator/AlfredHitchcock.
* ''Theatre/{{Harvey}}'' (1950) - Previously played the role on stage. One of his favorites. Oscar nomination.
* ''{{Film/Winchester73}}'' (1950) - First movie with Anthony Mann.
* ''Bend of the River'' (1952) - Directed by Anthony Mann.

* ''TheGlennMillerStory'' (1953) - Directed by Anthony Mann.
* ''The Naked Spur'' (1953) - Directed by Anthony Mann.
* ''The Far Country'' (1954) - Directed by Anthony Mann.
* ''RearWindow'' (1954) - Directed by Creator/AlfredHitchcock. Stewart's favorite of the movies they did together.
* ''The Man from Laramie'' (1955) - Directed by Anthony Mann.
* ''TheManWhoKnewTooMuch'' (1956) - Directed by Creator/AlfredHitchcock.
* ''Night Passage'' (1957) - With Creator/AudieMurphy.
* ''The Spirit of St. Louis'' (1957) - Plays Charles Lindbergh.
* ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'' (1958) - Directed by Creator/AlfredHitchcock. Now considered one of the greatest movies ever made.
* ''AnatomyOfAMurder'' (1959) - Oscar nomination.
* ''Two Rode Together'' (1961) - Directed by JohnFord.
* ''Film/TheManWhoShotLibertyValance'' (1962) - Directed by JohnFord. First onscreen pairing of him and JohnWayne.

* ''Film/TheShootist'' (1976) - JohnWayne's last movie.

* ''Night Passage'' (1957) - With AudieMurphy.

* NonActionGuy: Stewart's typical role when paired with JohnWayne.

* ''Theatre/{{Rope}}'' (1948) - His first movie with AlfredHitchcock.

* ''RearWindow'' (1954) - Directed by AlfredHitchcock.

* ''TheManWhoKnewTooMuch'' (1956) - Directed by AlfredHitchcock.

* ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'' (1958) - Directed by AlfredHitchcock. Now considered one of the greatest movies ever made.

* ''{{Vertigo}}'' (1958) - Directed by AlfredHitchcock. Now considered one of the greatest movies ever made.