Judy Garland

Frances Ethel Gumm aka Judy Garland was born June 10, 1922 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. She died in London, England at the age of 47 on June 22, 1969. The cause of death was barbiturate overdose. She was a singer, vaudevillian and actress. Described by her contemporary as one of the greatest entertainers who ever lived, Garland had a unique voice and style. Garland received a Juvenile Academy Award, a Golden Globe, Grammy and Special Tony Award. She was nominated for an Oscar for her role in A Star is Born and also for her 1961 film Judgment at Nuremberg. She received a Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in the movie industry.
She appeared in vaudeville with her sisters and was singed to MGM as a teen. She make more than twelve films and nine included Mickey Rooney. Her 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is her most recognizable performance and Over the Rainbow is her trademark song. She was released from MGM after 15 years but continued to act, record and appear in concerts.
Garland appeared in Andy Hardy Meets Debutants, Strike up the Band, and Little Nellie Kelly (1940). She made her transition from child star to adult film star in For Me and My Gal in 1944. Garland's most successful film was Meet Me in St. Louis in 1944 where she sang The Trolley Song, The Boy Next Door and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Garland's final film was I Could Go On singing in 1963 starring Dirk Bogarde.
Garland performed in Las Vegas in 1956 and her performances were very successful making Garland the highest paid entertainer to work in Las Vegas. However in 1959 she was hospitalized with hepatitis. She was told she would never sing again, but she played at Carnegie Hall in 1961and was in several television specials.
Garland's personal life was influenced by film executives who called her unattractive and manipulated her onscreen appearance. She had financial instability and owed thousands of dollars in back taxes. She married five times and had a long battle with alcohol and drugs. She had a nervous breakdown in 1947 and this started her on suicide attempts. She began to have migraine headaches and missed her shooting schedules and was released from several films.
Garland was married five times and had three children. She married David Rose in 1941 and divorced him in 1944. She married Vincente Minnelli in 1945 and divorced him in 1951 (1 child). She married Sidney Luft in 1952 and they divorced in 1965 (2 children). She married Mark Herron in 1965 and they divorced in 1969. He last husband was Mickey Dean in 1969 until her death on June 22, 1969.