Matinee Classics - Judy Holliday Biography & Filmography

Judy Holliday ACTOR

PHOTOS

JUDY HOLLIDAY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Judy Holliday was born on June 21st, 1921 in New York City, New York with the birth name Judith Tuvim as an only child, born to Abe and Hemen Tuvim. Her mother was a piano instructor and she was raised in a Russian Jewish family in Queens, New York. As a young girl she took ballet lessons and began to develop an interest in the performing arts.

After graduating from Julia Richman High School she first found work as a switchboard operator at the Mercury Theatre and later worked her way up to appearing on stage. She toured with a group called, "The Revuers" and performed at various night clubs. When the group broke up, Judy took on stage roles in such productions as, "Kiss Them For Me" and "Born Yesterday".

In the early 1940's, Holliday relocated to Los Angeles and began working in the film industry appearing in such features as, "Greenwich Village" (1944) starring Carmen Miranda, William Bendix, Vivian Blaine, Don Ameche and Felix Bressart, "Something for the Boys" (1944) starring Carmen Miranda, Michael O'Shea, Vivian Blaine, Phil Silvers, Sheila Ryan and Perry Como, "Winged Victory" (1944) and "On The Town" (1949) Co-starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Ann Miller, Betty Garrett, Jules Munshin, Vera-Ellen and Alice Pearce .

Along with now working as a film actress, Holliday traveled back to New York City to do some more stage work and gain some more experience as an actress. Five years later with more credits now added to her resume, she went back to Hollywood to give the film industry another try.

Soon she was being cast in such films as, "Adam's Rib" (1949) starring Spencer Tracy, Katherine
Hepburn, Tom Ewell, David Wayne, Jean Hagen, Hope Emerson and Will Wright and "Born Yesterday" (1950) co-starring William Holden and Broderick Crawford, a role for which she won her first Oscar for Best Actress. In 1952, she had to testify in front of the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee in regards to questions regarding her involvement with Communism. Unlike many of her counter parts her were blacklisted from the film industry, Holliday was not, although for three years she was not allowed to do any television of radio work.

Her career in films from this point on was on and off only adding a couple more roles to her resume such as, "The Marrying Kind" (1952) also starring Aldo Ray, John Alexander, Charles Bronson, Peggy Cass, Barry Curtis, Tom Farrell, Frank Ferguson, Ruth Gordon, Gordon Jones, Madge Kennedy, Nancy Kulp, Mickey Shaughnessy and Joan Shawlee, "It Should Happen to You" (1954) starring Peter Lawford, Jack Lemmon, Michael O'Shea, Constance Bennett, Connie Gilchrist, Vaughn Taylor and Melville Cooper, "Phffft!" (1954) co-starring Jack Lemmon, Jack Carson, Kim Novak and Merry Anders, "The Solid Gold Cadillac" (1956) with Paul Douglas, John Williams, Arthur O'Connell, Ray Collins and narrated by George Burns and her final film role in, "Bells are Ringing" (1960) starring alongside Dean Martin, Jean Stapleton, Eddie Foy Jr., Fred Clark, Frank Gorshin, Bernie West, Hal Linden, Frank Gorshin and Gerry Mulligan.

Along with her career as an actress she was a very intelligent lady having an amazingly high IQ and was a very talented writer. She later wrote song lyrics for her musician boyfriend and would later also perform these songs live with him. She was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the Motion Picture Industry.

Judy Holliday married only once to Dave Oppenheim in 1948 and they had one child before the marriage ended in divorce in 1958. She never re-married or had any other children, although she was involved in a long relationship with, jazz musician, Gerry Mulligan. On June 7th, 1965, three weeks before her 44th birthday, she passed away in New York City from breast cancer. Her remains were buried at Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson in New York.