JOHN GARFIELD BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

John Garfield was born March 4th, 1913 with the birth name Jacob Julius Garfinkle.  He was born in New York City and was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants.  His father David and mother, Hannah raised him in Sea Gate, Brooklyn.  As a child, Garfield contracted a childhood illness that made it difficult for him to engage in too strenuous of an activity, causing strain on his heart.  After his mother passed away, his father sent him to a school in the Bronx designated for problem youth.  The school principal got Garfield interested in both acting and boxing. 
 
He soon received a scholarship to Maria Ouspenskaya's acting school.  Soon after, he was making his Broadway debut in 1932.  He then joined the Group Theater.  The play, "Golden Boy" was written for him in mind, however he was not cast for the lead but instead the supporting role.  After this Garfield decided it was time to see what Hollywood had to offer him.
 
It was for his role on, "Four Daughters" (1938) that he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.  When World War II hit, Garfield wanted to serve his country, but was turned down do to his heart condition.  He wanted to help in the war efforts, so together with Bette Davis, the two opened the Hollywood Canteen, which was a club offering food and entertainment for the American servicemen.
 
After the war, he returned to film making and starred in numerous films.  He was especially good at portraying characters of rebellion working class men.  Some of his leading roles were in, "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946) starring with Lana Turner, "Humoresque" (1946) and "Gentleman's Agreement" (1947) that won an Oscar for Best Picture.
 
Garfield's successful career continued with another nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in, "Body and Soul" (1947).  His career was at an all time high, so when his contract with Warner Brothers expired, he decided to take a step not many Hollywood actors were willing to do.  Garfield opened his own independent production company.
 
John Garfield was also very involved in politics and he supported the Committee for the First Amendment, which opposed governmental investigation of political beliefs.  He had to attend court for a political issue and due to his forced testimony, he severely damaged his reputation.  All Hollywood movie studio's banned him from ever working in Hollywood and his career came to an end.
 
Garfield did not let them stop him from coninuing to work as an actor.  He returned to Broadway and starred in, "Golden Boy" (1952) a revival from the first time, but this time, he was cast as the lead.
 
His personal life was just as successful as his professional.  He married, Roberta Seidman in February, 1935 and they remained married.  Together they had three children, 2 daughters and a son.  Sadly, their one daughter, Katherine passed away at the age of seven due to an allergic reaction.  It is said that his wife was possibly a member of the communist party, but there has never been any proof to show that Garfield was for sure a member either.    
 
John Garfield suffered for many years with heart problems and the stress of being blacklisted from Hollywood did not help matters any.  He as very young when he passed away, only thirty nine years old. on May 21st, 1952.  He is interred at Westchester Hills Cemetery in hastings-on-Hudson, Westchester County, New York.
 
For his contribution to the Motion Picture industry, despite the black listing he expereinced, he was still honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 7065 Hollywood Boulevard. 
 

Filmography

1938  Four Daughters
1938  Swingtime in the Movies
1939  Four Wives
1939  They Made Me a Criminal
1939  Blackwell's Island
1939  Juarez
1939  Daughters Courageous
1939  Dust Be My Destiny
1939  Four Wives
1940  Meet the Stars #1: Chinese Garden Festival
1940  Castle on the Hudson
1940  Saturday's Children
1940  Flowing Gold
1940  East of the River
1941  The Sea Wolf
1941  Out of the Fog
1941  Dangerously They Live
1942  Tortilla Flat
1943  Show Business at War
1943  Air Force
1943  The Fallen Sparrow
1943  Thank Your Lucky Stars
1943  Destination Tokyo
1944  Between Two Worlds
1944  Hollywood Canteen
1945  Pride of the Marines
1946  The Postman Always Rings Twice
1946  Nobody Lives Forever
1946  Humoresque
1946  Screen Snapshots: The Skolsky Party
1947  Screen Snapshots: Out of This World Series
1947  Body and Soul
1947  Gentleman's Agreement
1947  Daisy Kenyon
1948  Difficult Years
1948  Force of Evil
1949  We Were Strangers
1949  Jigsaw
1950  Under My Skin
1950  The Breaking Point
1950  He Ran All the Way