Judy Garland Biography: Born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, Judy Garland was destined for the stage and the spotlight. She began singing at age two and honed her talent to become a formidable competitor in the entertainment industry. Garland made a number of musicals, including “Strike up the Band,” and stunned many in “The Wizard of Oz.” She won a Tony Award, was in high demand as an entertainer, and hosted a reality television programme, “The Judy Garland Show,” on CBS. Join us today in celebrating her special day.
Judy Garland Biography
Early Years
Judy Garland was the youngest of three children born to Ethel Milne and Frank Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. In 1926, her family relocated to California, where she and her sisters Virginia and Mary Jane pursued dance and music. After studying music and dance, the sisters began performing on stage, altering their band’s name from the Gumm Sisters to the Garland Sisters in the late 1920s.
Career
At the age of 13, Garland inked a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (M.G.M. ), and in 1939, she recorded her breakthrough film, “The Wizard of Oz.” Working with MGM was yet another difficult obstacle for Garland. She was prescribed amphetamine-based diet drugs after being criticised for her appearance. Due to her early exposure to illegal substances, she became a drug addict and struggled constantly with her new lifestyle of substance misuse. After “Wizard of Oz,” she went on to star in additional musicals, including “Babes of Broadway” in 1942 and “For Me and My Gal” in 1943. As a result of her emotional crisis, she lost the contract with M.G.M. On her voyage to rebuild her career, she received a Tony Award and an Academy Award nomination for her performance of “The Man That Got Away” in the 1954 musical “A Star Is Born.”
Garland was previously married four times before marrying Mickey Deans a few months prior to her passing. She had three children, Liza Minnelli, Lora Luft, and Joey Luft, and all of her marriages terminated in divorce. Garland perished of an accidental overdose in London in 1969, amidst severe financial and psychological hardships.
Natasha Marian Obama Biography: Age, Birthday, Early Life, Career, Facts
Facts
- Garland suffered from stage fright despite being an actor, but she forced herself to surmount it.
- As a child, Garland believed that she could only learn quickly with her left shoe removed.
- Garland may not have studied nursing, but becoming a nurse was one of her goals.
- Garland’s mother, Ethel Milne, introduced her to pills before she turned 10 — some to increase her vitality, and others to help her sleep.
- M.G.M. supervisors referred to her as a “fat little pig with bunches” and restricted her diet to chicken soup, black coffee, cigarettes and appetite-suppressing medications.
