The Probert Encyclopaedia of Actresses

JUDY GARLAND

Judy Garland (real name Frances Gumm) was an American singer and actress. She was born in 1922 at Grand Rapids, Minnesota and died in 1969. She was born Frances Gumm, and made her stage debut at the age of three with her sisters as The Gumm Sisters singing act. When she was nine, she changed her stage name to Garland, and the act eventually broke up when one of the sisters married. At the age of 13, Judy Garland was hired by MGM, where she gained success as a teenage star, often opposite Mickey Rooney. Her career soared when she captivated audiences with her portrayal of Dorothy in the 1939 film 'The Wizard Of Oz', a role initially slated for Shirley Temple, and one which won Judy Garland a special Oscar. Several years later, she married musician David Rose, but divorced him four years later. In 1944, she starred in the film 'Meet Me In St Louis', and a year later married Vincente Minnelli, the film's director. She made a comeback with personal performances in London and New York and an excellent screen performance in the 1954 film 'A Star Is Born'. In the late 1950s, her career faltered again, and she was plagued with breakdowns, lawsuits, and chronic marital problems with Sid Luft, her third husband, whom she divorced in 1965. After a brief marriage to actor Mark Herron, she went to London and married Mickey Deans, a nightclub manager, and starred in a disastrous cabaret act. In 1969 she died from an accidental drug overdose.
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