Judy Garland

Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American actress, singer, and vaudevillian. Renowned for her powerful contralto voice, emotional depth, and versatility, Garland rose to international fame as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939), a role that cemented her status as a Hollywood legend. Garland began her career as a child performer in vaudeville alongside her sisters as part of The Gumm Sisters. At age 13, she was signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), where she starred in numerous musical films, including The Wizard of Oz (1939), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Easter Parade (1948), and Summer Stock (1950), the latter earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Known for her collaborations with Mickey Rooney and director Vincente Minnelli (her second husband), Garland became one of MGM's most bankable stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Beyond her film career, Garland achieved success as a recording artist and concert performer. Her 1961 live album, Judy at Carnegie Hall, won two Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, making her the first woman to receive the honor. She also hosted her own Emmy-nominated television series, The Judy Garland Show (1963–1964), and received a Special Tony Award for her contributions to the revival of vaudeville. Garland's film career saw a resurgence in the 1950s and 1960s with critically acclaimed performances in A Star Is Born (1954) and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), which she received Academy Award nominations for, and has released eight studio albums. She has additionally received a Golden Globe Award and was one of twelve people in history to receive an Academy Juvenile Award. At age 39, Garland became the youngest, and first female recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in the film industry. Throughout her career, Garland recorded and introduced numerous songs including "Over the Rainbow", which became her signature song, the Christmas classic "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and the Saint Patrick's Day anthem "It's a Great Day for the Irish". Garland struggled in her personal life from an early age. The pressures of early stardom affected her physical and mental health from the time she was a teenager; her self-image was influenced by constant criticism from film executives who believed that she was physically unattractive and who manipulated her onscreen physical appearance. She had financial troubles, often owing hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes. Throughout her adulthood, she struggled with substance use disorder involving both drugs and alcohol; she died from an accidental barbiturate overdose in 1969, at age 47. In 1997, Garland was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Several of her recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 1999 the American Film Institute ranked her as the eighth-greatest female screen legend of classic Hollywood cinema.

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