The Biography

Judy Garland, born Frances Ethel Gumm, (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville with her sisters, Jimmie and Suzie. Judy was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. There she made more than two dozen films, including nine with Mickey Rooney and "The Wizard of Oz". After fifteen years, Garland was released from the studio but gained renewed success through concert appearances and later a return to acting. Through a career, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. She received a juvenile Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award as well as a Grammy Award, and a Special Tony Award. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for "A Star is Born" (1954) and Best Supporting Actress for "Judgement at Nuremberg" (1961). At forty, she was the youngest recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in the motion picture industry. In 1997, Garland was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Several of her recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 1999, the American Film Institute placed her among the ten greatest female stars in the history of American cinema.