Overview (5)

Mini Bio (1)

Spouse (5)

Trade Mark (5)



Her iconic role as Dorothy Gale in Der Zauberer von Oz (1939)

Her small, delicate physical presence



Deep sultry voice



Big, expressive eyes



Powerful wide-ranged vocals



Trivia (90)

She was considered an icon in the gay community in the 1950s and 1960s. Her death and the loss of that emotional icon in 1969 has been thought to be a contributing factor to the feeling of the passing of an era that helped spark the Stonewall Riots that began the modern gay rights advocacy movement. Adding to her appeal within the gay community, Garland always acknowledged her gay fan base at a time when homosexuality was seldom even discussed. Late in her career and in dire need of money, she even accepted work singing in a New York City gay bar.





She married Mark Herron on June 12, 1964, though her divorce from Sidney Luft was not settled. They were married in Mandarin by a Buddhist monk, and the legality of the marriage is not clear.



There is surviving footage of Garland performing the lead role of Annie Oakley in Duell in der Manege (1950) before she was replaced by Betty Hutton , and this has been included in many documentaries. Undoubtedly, the best is That's Entertainment! III (1994), which for the first time assembled raw unedited footage for two musical numbers and presented them as they would have looked had the film been completed with Garland. Also surviving today are Garland's prerecordings of all songs for the production.



She originally screen-tested and signed to play Helen Lawson in Das Tal der Puppen (1967). The studio even provided a pool table in her dressing room at her request. Eventually, she backed out of the film and was replaced by Susan Hayward . She kept her costume, a sequined pantsuit, and wore it while performing in concerts around the world. The character of Neely O'Hara in the film was partially based on her own history with pills, alcohol, and failed marriages. Sadly, Garland's real-life pill addiction contributed to her leaving the film.



Garland's death was attributed to an "incautious self-overdosage of Seconal." Her funeral was held in Manhattan on June 27, 1969, at the Frank E. Campbell funeral home at Madison Ave. and 81st St. Over 22,000 people filed past her open coffin in 24 hours. Afterward, her body was stored in a temporary crypt for more than a year because no one had paid to move her body to a permanent resting spot. Liza Minnelli was reportedly under the impression that Mickey Deans had made the necessary arrangements, but Deans claimed to have no money. Liza took on the task of raising the funds to have her mother properly buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

The day she died, there was a tornado in Kansas.





Liza Minnelli said Garland had planned on calling her autobiography "Ho-Hum".



Her portrayal of Dorothy in Der Zauberer von Oz (1939) was the inspiration for the character of Mary Ann on Gilligans Insel (1964).



According to Mel Tormé , she had a powerful gift of retention. She could view a piece of music once and have the entire thing memorized.

In 1997, Garland was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1998, her 1961 album "Judy at Carnegie Hall" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.





First cousin three times removed of US President Ulysses S. Grant



In September 2002, a federal judge in Los Angeles barred Sidney Luft from selling Garland's replacement Juvenile Oscar, which she had received for Der Zauberer von Oz (1939). Luft was also ordered to pay the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nearly $60,000 to settle its second lawsuit against him for repeatedly trying to sell the statuette.



Her soulful and iconic performance of "Over The Rainbow" from Der Zauberer von Oz (1939) claimed the #1 spot on June 22, 2004, in The American Film Institute's list of "The 100 Years of The Greatest Songs". The AFI board said, "'Over The Rainbow [. . . ]captured the nation's heart, echoed beyond the walls of a movie theater, and ultimately stands in our collective memory of the film itself. It has resonated across the century, enriching America's film heritage and captivating artists and audiences today".



Garland discouraged her children from entering show business, pointing out her financial and health problems. Nevertheless, Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft became entertainers. Joey Luft lives in relative anonymity as a freelance photographer.

She experienced financial difficulties in the 1960s due to overspending, periods of unemployment, and her business manager embezzling funds. The IRS garnished most of her concert revenues in the late 1960s. Her financial difficulties combined with her erratic behavior due to her drug addiction helped break up her marriages and estrange her children from her a year before her death.



Was a member of The International Order of Job's Daughters.





Always had crooked front teeth, for which an MGM dentist fitted her with removable caps to wear in her films, including Der Zauberer von Oz (1939).

Has a special variety of rose named after her. The petals are yellow (Garland adored yellow roses) and the tips are bright red. It took devoted fans almost nine years after her death to find a rose company in Britain interested in naming a rose officially for her, and the Judy Garland rose didn't appear in the US until 1991. Several JG rose bushes are planted outside of her burial crypt, and at the Judy Garland museum in Grand Rapids.



In 1952 she received a Special Tony Award "for an important contribution to the revival of vaudeville through her recent stint at the Palace Theatre".





Had weight problems most of her life. Drastic weight fluctuations often affected continuity in her films and can be seen in Words and Music (1948) and Summer Stock (1950).

Garland was voted the 22nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine. She was voted the 23rd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.



Was named #8 Actress on The AFI 50 Greatest Screen Legends





Peter Allen wrote the song "Quiet Please, There's A Lady On Stage" for the stage musical "The Boy From Oz" as a tribute to her.



Was pregnant with her first child Liza Minnelli while filming her minor role in Bis die Wolken vorüberzieh'n (1946). In order to hide her pregnant stomach she was hidden behind stacks of dishes while singing "Look For The Silver Lining". She had also recorded a song "Do You Love Me", which was cut before release. Her scenes were directed by her then husband Vincente Minnelli



After serving as the music director on her short-lived CBS series, Mel Tormé wrote a vicious tell-all book about his talented but challenging former boss. So frustrated from the experience, his words in "The Other Side of The Rainbow: With Judy Garland on the Dawn Patrol" portrayed Garland as hopelessly drug-addicted, unprofessional and a horror to work with.



In 2006 her per performance as Vicki Lester in Ein neuer Stern am Himmel (1954) was ranked #72 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.



Her performance as Dorothy Gale in Der Zauberer von Oz (1939) is ranked #17 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

On 6/10/06 she was pictured on a 39¢ US commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series.





Grandmother of Vanessa and Jesse Richards, children of singer Lorna Luft



Garland's parents were Francis Gumm (March 20, 1886-November 17, 1935; born in Tennessee, died in California) and Ethel (nee Milne) Gumm (November 17, 1893-January 5, 1953; born in Michigan, died in California). Garland's sisters were Mary Jane Gumm and Virginia Gumm



Born in Grand Rapids, MN, and later lived in Lancaster, CA. John Wayne , then attending college at USC, also lived in Lancaster and was a neighbor of hers.



Gave birth to all three of her children via Caesarean section. She also suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her daughters Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft



The famous theme song David Raksin wrote for Laura (1944) was originally entitled "Judy" in honor of her.



Did not attend the 1955 Academy Awards, where she was nominated as Best Actress for her portrayal of Vicki Lester in Ein neuer Stern am Himmel (1954), because she was in hospital after giving birth to her third child and only son Joey Luft



Betty Asher, who worked on the MGM lots, served as her maid of honor during her wedding to Vincente Minnelli in 1945.



Offered the lead role in Eva mit 3 Gesichtern (1957), but turned down the role because the storyline bore too many resemblances to her own personal life. The role was then given to Joanne Woodward who went on to win the Best Actress Oscar for her performance.



Was Matron of Honor at the wedding of actor Don DeFore and Marion Holmes DeFore on February 14, 1942.



The only witnesses present at her Las Vegas wedding to David Rose in 1941 were her mother and stepfather. During this marriage she was forced to undergo an abortion at the insistence of MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer who feared that pregnancy would hurt her good-girl image. The event reportedly left her traumatized for the rest of her life. Garland filed for divorce from Dave Rose on May 5, 1944 on the grounds of incompatibility. (Associated Press, no headline, The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday, May 6, 1944, volume 50, page 4).

In a performance of "Come Rain Or Come Shine" on her 1963-1964 variety show on CBS TV, though forgetting some of the words and seemingly "out of sync" with the orchestra she still managed to give a quite powerful and memorable performance.





She performed with her sisters at the 1933-34 World's Fair in Chicago, in the Old Mexico Club on the infamous midway, where Sally Rand was the main attraction. They sold out every night. The club closed unexpectedly during their third week when their liquor license expired. She also served as the grand marshal in a parade for the Fair's "Children's Day" in early 1934. Frances Gumm changed her name to Judy Garland during a performance at the Oriental Theater on their last day in Chicago, partly at the advice of George Jessel , who was emcee.



Mentioned in the song "Happy Phantom" by Tori Amos , "Dance in the Dark" by Lady Gaga , and "A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel" by U2



She initially refused to appear in Heimweh nach St. Louis (1944) because was tired of playing virginal teenage characters. She later relented after much persuasion. She met Vincente Minnelli on set, and her performance was also one of her most famous during her MGM years.



Did not get on with Lucille Bremer , who played her sister in Heimweh nach St. Louis (1944). She thought that Bremer couldn't act and repeatedly tried to have her fired from the film, but to no avail.



Was replaced by Ginger Rogers in the film Tänzer vom Broadway (1949) after being suspended from MGM for her tardiness.



A close friend was Katharine Hepburn , with whom she would regularly stay during her most serious bouts of depression in order to recover.



Despite numerous concert and television appearances in the 1960s, she remained constantly in debt. Her then-manager David Begelman embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from Garland and his other clients. Begelman even claimed a Cadillac presented to Garland for an appearance on The Jack Paar Program (1962) as his own.



Was in consideration for the role of Sophie MacDonald in Auf Messers Schneide (1946) but Anne Baxter , who went on to win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance, was cast instead.



Returned to work nine months after giving birth to her daughter Liza Minnelli in order to film Der Pirat (1948).



Despite popular belief that Shirley Temple was the first choice for the role of Dorothy in Der Zauberer von Oz (1939), Garland was cast in the role even before pre-production had begun. As early as February 1938 both "Variety" and columnist Louella Parsons announced that she was cast in the role of Dorothy.

According to her biography on the A&E channel, as a young adult in her early acting career producers had her going to six different doctors for prescription drugs, without any one doctor knowing about the other five. It was this process that led to her addiction.



She was born in June of 1922, and died on June 22.





Married Sidney Luft at Paicines Ranch near Hollister, CA, on June 8, 1952.



In her biography, Garland's friend, June Allyson wrote that Garland had wanted a white casket for her funeral, and for everything else to be in yellow and white. No white coffin was immediately available, so the funeral home painted a coffin white.

Won five Grammys over her career.



In January 2017, her body was removed from the mausoleum at Ferncliff Cemetery in New York and sent to Los Angeles, where she was placed in a private family crypt at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Garlands children bought a large family crypt to ensure they would be laid to rest with their mother; there was no room for that at Ferncliff. She was laid to rest in the same cemetery as her childhood friend and costar Mickey Rooney.



On August 19, 2018, she was honored with a day of her film work during the TCM Summer Under The Stars.



Maternal granddaughter of John (1865-1937) and Eva (née Fitzpatrick) Milne (1865-1949). Both were born and raised in the state of New York.



Paternal granddaughter of William (1854-1906) and Clemmie (née Baugh) Gumm (1857-1896). Both were born and raised in the state of Tennessee.



Paternal great granddaughter of John (1806-1870), born in the state of Virginia, and Mary (née Marable) Baugh (1812-1892), born in the state of Tennessee.



Paternal great granddaughter of John (1827-1904) and Martha (née Wade) Gumm (1835-1897). Both were born and raised in the state of Tennessee.



Maternal great granddaughter of Hugh (1838-1908), born in Canada, and Mary (née Harriet) Fitzpatrick (1841-1908), born in Ireland.



Attended Hollywood High School.





According to daughter Lorna Luft , Garland had made 39 films, appeared on over 500 radio shows and about 57 concerts by the time she was 37.

In most biographies about her, Garland's height has been stated as 4'11". According to various MGM press releases and memories from colleagues including June Allyson and Esther Williams, Garland was more than likely closer to 5'3".



Mother-in-law of Jack Haley, Jr..



Presented with a special Academy Award in 1939 for her outstanding performances as a screen juvenile.





Had a stepson: John Michael Luft (b. September 18, 1948) with ex-husband, Sidney Luft

When cast in Easter Parade although she had been a star for years, Judy had never met Fred Astaire before, and was afraid to speak to him until they were properly introduced.



Personal Quotes (30)

[when told by a reporter that she had a large gay following] I couldn't care less. I sing to people!



How strange when an illusion dies. It's as though you've lost a child.



Well, we have a whole new year ahead of us. And wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all be a little more gentle with each other, and a little more loving, have a little more empathy, and maybe - next year at this time - we'd like each other a little more.



[MGM] had us working days and nights on end. They'd give us pep-up pills to keep us on our feet long after we were exhausted. Then they'd take us to the studio hospital and knock us cold with sleeping pills . . . Then after four hours they'd wake us up and give us the pep-up pills again so we could work another 72 hours in a row. I started to feel like a wind-up toy from FAO Schwarz.



Hollywood is a strange place if you're in trouble. Everybody thinks it's contagious.



[on her sadistic stage mother] She was the real Wicked Witch of the West.



I was born at the age of 12 on a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lot.



I wanted to believe and I tried my damndest to believe in the rainbow that I tried to get over and couldn't. So what? Lots of people can't...



As for my feelings toward "Over the Rainbow", it's become part of my life. It is so symbolic of all my dreams and wishes that I'm sure that's why people sometimes get tears in their eyes when they hear it.



In the silence of night I have often wished for just a few words of love from one man, rather than the applause of thousands of people.



My mother had a marvelous talent for mishandling money - mine. When I was put under stock contract at Metro and had a steady income for the first time, we lived in a four-unit apartment building. I suggested to Mother that we buy it as an investment and rent the other three apartments. She hit me in the mouth and invested the money in a nickel mine in Needles, California, that has never been found. We never got a nickel back.





Some of the [midget] men used to tease me while we were making Der Zauberer von Oz (1939). They used to sneak under my dress! I told them if they ever went under there - and I found out about it - they were in big trouble!



[on daughter Liza Minnelli ] I think she decided to go into show business when she was an embryo, she kicked so much.



[during her short stint as a cast member of Das Tal der Puppen (1967)] The stage hands hadn't even built the set yet, and the press had me walking off it!

When you have lived the life I've lived, when you've loved and suffered, and been madly happy and desperately sad -- well, that's when you realize you'll never be able to set it all down. Maybe you'd rather die first.



From the time I was thirteen, there was a constant struggle between MGM and me - whether or not to eat, how much to eat, what to eat. I remember this more vividly than anything else about my childhood.



I'm a woman who wants to reach out and take 40 million people in her arms.



I have the unfortunate habit of not being able to have an affair with a man without being in love with him.



If I am a legend, then why am I so lonely?



[of the MGM Studio school] The teacher, I think, was named Ma Barker.



Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.



I can live without money, but I cannot live without love.



Behind every cloud is another cloud.





Whenever we'd do that little dance up the Yellow Brick Road, I was supposed to be with them - and they'd shut me out! They would close in, the three of them, and I would be in back of them, dancing. So director Victor Fleming - who was a darling man, always up on a boom - would say, 'Hold it! You three dirty hams! Let that little girl in there! Let her in there!'

You think you can make me sing? Do you think you can? You can get me there, sure, but can you make me sing? I sing for myself. I sing when I want to, whenever I want to, just for me. I sing for my own pleasure, whenever I want. Do you understand that?



[on the 27 takes over 3 days that it took to film 'The Man That Got Away'] I would try to make the electricians and the cameramen and the others react to the song. Only when they had shown the emotion [it] was supposed to evoke did I feel I had reached them.





[on the behavior of the actors playing the Munchkins during the filming of Der Zauberer von Oz (1939)] They were drunks. They got smashed every night and the police used to scoop them up in butterfly nets.



I've always taken Der Zauberer von Oz (1939) very seriously, you know. I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I've spent my entire life trying to get over it.

If you have to be in a soap opera, try not to get the worst role.



Every time the camera rolls, I think to myself 'Maybe this is the time they're going to catch me.'



Salary (28)