EARLY DAYS PRODUCTIONS
John Garfield was born Jacob Julius Garfinkle on March 4, 1913 in New York City, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants David and Hannah Garfinkle. After the death of his mother, Garfield was sent to a school for difficult children in the Bronx. It was under the guidance of the school's principal-the noted educator Angelo Patri-that he was introduced to both boxing and acting. He had also contracted a childhood illness, severely damaging his heart and limiting his ability to engage in strenuous athletics. He received a scholarship to Maria Ouspenskaya's acting school, making his Broadway debut in 1932.
1913 - 1952
Stats:
Bith Name:
Jacob Julius Garfinkle
Height: 5' 7"
Eye Color: brown
Hair Color: brown
Nickname: "Julie"
Quote: "Screen acting is my business but I get my kicks from Broadway "
Bith Name:
Jacob Julius Garfinkle
Height: 5' 7"
Eye Color: brown
Hair Color: brown
Nickname: "Julie"
Quote: "Screen acting is my business but I get my kicks from Broadway "
Garfield decided to leave Broadway and try his luck in Hollywood. In 1938, he received wide critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Four Daughters".At the onset of World War II, Garfield immediately attempted to enlist in the armed forces, but was turned down because of his heart condition. Frustrated, he turned his energies to supporting the war effort. He and actress Bette Davis were the driving forces behind the opening of the Hollywood Canteen, a club offering food and entertainment for American servicemen.
Garfield graduated to leading roles in films such as "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946) with Lana Turner, "Humoresque" (1946) with Joan Crawford, and the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Gentleman's Agreement" (1947). (In the latter film, Garfield took a featured, but supporting part because he believed deeply in the project.)
For more information about John Garfield please visit: Wikipedia
John Garfield's Selected Filmography
Four Daughters (1938)
Four Wives (1939, sequel)
They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
Blackwell's Island (1939)
Juarez (1939)
Daughters Courageous (1939)
Dust Be My Destiny (1939)
Castle on the Hudson (1940)
Saturday's Children (1940)
Flowing Gold (1940)
East of the River (1940)
The Sea Wolf (1941)
Out of the Fog (1941)
Dangerously They Live (1941)
Tortilla Flat (1942)
Air Force (1943)
The Fallen Sparrow (1943)
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
Destination Tokyo (1943)
Between Two Worlds (1944)
Hollywood Canteen (1944)
Pride of the Marines (1945)
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Nobody Lives Forever (1946)
Humoresque (1946)
Body and Soul (1947)
Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
Daisy Kenyon (1947)
Difficult Years (1948)
Force of Evil (1948)
We Were Strangers (1949)
Jigsaw (1949) (cameo)
Under My Skin (1950)
The Breaking Point (1950)
He Ran All the Way (1951)
Four Wives (1939, sequel)
They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
Blackwell's Island (1939)
Juarez (1939)
Daughters Courageous (1939)
Dust Be My Destiny (1939)
Castle on the Hudson (1940)
Saturday's Children (1940)
Flowing Gold (1940)
East of the River (1940)
The Sea Wolf (1941)
Out of the Fog (1941)
Dangerously They Live (1941)
Tortilla Flat (1942)
Air Force (1943)
The Fallen Sparrow (1943)
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
Destination Tokyo (1943)
Between Two Worlds (1944)
Hollywood Canteen (1944)
Pride of the Marines (1945)
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Nobody Lives Forever (1946)
Humoresque (1946)
Body and Soul (1947)
Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
Daisy Kenyon (1947)
Difficult Years (1948)
Force of Evil (1948)
We Were Strangers (1949)
Jigsaw (1949) (cameo)
Under My Skin (1950)
The Breaking Point (1950)
He Ran All the Way (1951)
Full Movie: They Made Me A Criminal (1939)
A boxer flees believing he has comitted a murder while he was drunk. Directed by Busby Berkeley - Taken from IMDB
In 1948, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his starring role in "Body and Soul" (1947). A strong-willed and often verbally combative individual, Garfield did not hesitate to venture out on his own when the opportunity arose. In 1946, when his contract with Warner Bros. expired, Garfield decided not to renew it and opted to start his own independent production company, one of the first Hollywood stars to take this step.
Long involved in liberal politics, Garfield was caught up in the Communist scare of the late 1940s and early 1950s. He supported the Committee for the First Amendment, which opposed governmental investigation of political beliefs. When called to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, which was empowered to investigate purported communist infiltration in America, Garfield refused to name communist party members or followers, testifying that, indeed, he knew none in the film industry. However, his forced testimony before the committee had severely damaged his reputation. He was blacklisted in Red Channels, and barred from future employment as an actor by Hollywood movie studio bosses for the remainder of his career. Garfield died of a heart attack at the age of 39 on May 21, 1952.
Early Days Productions: John Garfield 04/04/2012
