Judy Garland
Judy Garland’s father was from the highly respected Marable family of Virginia, USA. Her mother was from the Fitzpatrick family from Smithtown, Co Meath, who immigrated to Minnesota in the 1770s. She was christened Frances Ethel Gumm and was born on the 10 June 1922. She was tiny standing at just 4 foot 11.
At 15 she found fame by playing Dorothy in the world renowned musical The Wizard of Oz. She played an orphaned girl living on a farm in Kansas who ends up in the magical world of Oz on the other side of the rainbow. She won a special Oscar in February 1940 for the Best Performance by a young Actor for her amazing portrayal of this orphan .
After 3 years of marriage Judy divorced from David Rose on 8 June 1944. On 12 March 1946 Judy gave birth to their daughter Liza Minnelli in LA, California. Judy's mental health was deteriorating quickly and this affected her performances. At 28, Judy was fired by MGM and her second marriage ended. This proved to be the downward spiral that resulted in her life-long drug addiction. Judy signed a film contract with Warner Bros in 1937 to star in the musical remake of A Star Is Born. Soon she began to lose her millions of hard-earned dollars due to her new husband's strong gambling. Again, this marriage ended in divorce. In total she married 5 times and divorced 4 times within 25 years. Her first marriage lasted for just 11 months. She had 3 children in total.
At a concert in London in June 1969 Judy walked into her bathroom for the last time and died of an overdose. The drugs that controlled her whole life eventually killed her at just 47. Garland has been described as “One of the brightest, most tragic movie stars of Hollywood's Golden Era”. She was a much loved actress.
Today she is still well known for her famous performances in:
The Wizard of Oz (1939),
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944),
Easter Parade (1948),
A Star Is Born (1954).
Minnesota is the 12th biggest state in the USA. It has a population of nearly 5.5 million people. It borders on Canada and most of its residents are of German and Scandinavian descent.1 in 10 people are of Irish descent. Over 60% of Minnesota's people reside in the Minneapolis -Saint Paul metropolitan area known as the Twin Cities. Grand Rapids has a small population of about 10,000 people. It is a fishing village and was named after the 3.5 mile Mississippi river that flow through the town. Its total area is 17km2. Grand Rapids is in Itasca County which contains over 1000 lakes. Judy Garlands home that was built in 1892 is open to the public as the Judy Garland Museum after it was taken over by the Itasca County Historical Society and it created a Judy Garland exhibit in their Heritage Museum.
http://style.popcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/judy.jpg
Post a Comment