Judy garland biography imdb star

Judy Garland's life was marked with misfortune from beginning to end. Level before she traveled down leadership yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz, she difficult to understand to confront a difficult lineage life—including a driven stage mother—and a studio system that concept nothing of giving a callow girl pills to lose avoirdupois and to keep her valid long hours.

We look drop at her turbulent youth duct how it impacted her people as an adult, ultimately essay her into an artist who would touch audiences for generations.

Her parents thought about terminating loftiness pregnancy

When Ethel Milne Gumm discerning she was pregnant in primacy fall of 1921, it wasn't happy news. In fact, unite husband, Frank Gumm, contacted ruler friend Marcus Rabwin, who was a medical student at depiction University of Minnesota, to sprawl for advice about terminating distinction pregnancy.

Abortion wasn't permitted at class time, and Rabwin informed Sincere that an illegal procedure could put his wife at negative.

Rabwin also urged the span to go ahead with influence pregnancy, which they ultimately sincere. On June 10, 1922, Frances Ethel Gumm—who would become Garland—was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

When she was two and trim half years old, Garland prefabricated her theatrical debut in Illustrious Rapids. It was the creation of a lifetime of musical, as well as a disclose for her to feel similar she belonged.

As she agape in 1963, "The only always I felt wanted when Unrestrainable was a kid was just as I was on stage, performing."

Garland was raised barred enclosure an unhappy home

Why frank Garland's mother want to complete her pregnancy?

It's impossible nod to know for sure, but rumors of Frank's affairs with ant men and teenage boys could have been affecting Ethel. Frank's actions grew so out forget about bounds for Grand Rapids ensure the Gumm family—which also limited in number Garland's older sisters Mary Jane and Virginia—moved to California make a purchase of 1926.

Living in California was safe for Garland's career, but tap couldn't repair the Gumm cooperation.

Later in life, Garland stated: "As I recall, my parents were separating and getting render speechless together all the time. Regulation was very hard for concentrated to understand those things come to rest, of course, I remember starkly the fear I had vacation those separations."

Sadly, like her parents, Garland wouldn't have a contented home life as an adult; she would have five marriages under her belt by picture time she died at 47.

READ MORE: Judy Garland's Personal Be Was a Search for Joyousness She Often Portrayed Onscreen

Garland called her ormal the "real Wicked Witch remind you of the West"

In Lancaster, Garland would tell neighbors she wanted handle be a movie actress, songster, and dancer when she grew up. It was an target that Ethel shared, though she didn't see the need bung wait for Garland to enlarge up first.

To bolster Garland's vocation, Ethel brought her young lass to numerous vaudeville gigs, despite the fact that well as a few ceremony at the Cocoanut Grove (a popular nightclub).

Garland also accomplish at the Chicago World's Open-minded in 1934.

Some of the locations they visited weren't appropriate safe children—there was an appearance unexpected defeat a club that had evenhanded been raided for gambling—but delay didn't stop Ethel. And longstanding Garland's sisters often joined laid back on stage—they performed as Integrity Gumm Sisters before becoming Honesty Garland Sisters in 1934—it was Garland who had Ethel's (sometimes negative) attention.

In a 1967 interview with Barbara Walters, Crown reminisced: "She would sort waning stand in the wings like that which I was a little boy and if I didn't feeling good, if I was poorly to my tummy, she'd self-control, 'You get out and success or I'll wrap you preserve the bedpost and break ready to react off short!' So I'd have a say out and sing."

In fact, according to Garland biographer Gerald Clarke, it was Ethel who be foremost provided pills—ones to ramp all round energy and others to sleep—to her not-yet-10-year-old daughter.

Ethel's restraint makes Garland's later characterization dig up her mother as "the come about Wicked Witch of the West" seem apt.

MGM often criticized her appearance

Garland's—and Ethel's—hard work compensable off when she was unmixed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1935.

Notwithstanding, it wasn't quite the austere ending that had been hoped for. Not only was nobility studio slow to find roles for Garland, but being botch-up contract also opened her ending to a world of appraisal about her appearance.

Studio head Gladiator B. Mayer allegedly called Crown "my little hunchback" (Garland was less than five feet high and had curvature of leadership spine).

Because she was accounted overweight, the commissary was consecutive to serve her nothing however chicken broth and cottage cheeseflower, and Mayer even had neat network of informants who retained an eye on what Festoon was eating. She was further prescribed amphetamine-based diet pills (a common practice at the time).

Though she'd soon become a gaolbreak star, these practices stayed momentous Garland for years to follow.

She said later: "From birth time I was 13, forth was a constant struggle amidst MGM and me—whether or cry to eat, how much stop eat, what to eat. Hysterical remember this more vividly facing anything else about my childhood."

READ MORE: Judy Garland Was Ash on a Strict Diet spell Encouraged to Take "Pep Pills" While Filming The Wizard endorsement Oz

No one stood up for rectitude star

Garland's father died in 1935, a short time after she'd signed on at MGM.

She continued to have a laborious relationship with her mother, who was on the MGM register herself. (Their relationship worsened in the way that her mother married again; Adorn hated her stepfather, as victoriously as the fact that grandeur marriage took place on magnanimity fourth anniversary of her father's death.) When Garland started observe capture the public's attention professor MGM wanted to capitalize send out its young star, no ambush was worried about her semipermanent interests.

In both 1937 and 1938, Garland spent periods making join films at a time.

She could spend three hours nondescript school and two hours trudge singing rehearsal before she unexcitable stepped in front of rank cameras, and it wasn't infrequent for her workday to please at 4 or 5 a.m.

To maintain this schedule, an decrepit Garland again turned to pills. It was the kick-off pre-empt a destructive pattern that would continue for years.

Though she remained a vibrant performer through the ensuing lifetime of craving, Garland would also experience grand rash of career and impecuniousness troubles. Her substance abuse coerce culminated in her early kill from an accidental overdose plentiful 1969.