James Stewart's Real Name: James Maitland Stewart

Quick answer: James Stewart, the actor many fans call Jimmy Stewart, was born James Maitland Stewart on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Jimmy is a nickname, and Maitland is his middle name. He won an Academy Award for The Philadelphia Story (1940) and starred in It's a Wonderful Life, Rear Window, and Vertigo. He died on July 2, 1997 (Britannica; Library of Congress).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Stewart, James, 1908-1997," with the variant "Stewart, Jimmy, 1908-1997." One of its citations uses the full form "Stewart, James Maitland, 1908-." Another reads "b. May 20, 1908 in Indiana, Pa.; d. July 2, 1997 in Los Angeles, Calif." Britannica gives the same dates, naming the place of death more specifically as Beverly Hills, California.

According to Britannica, Stewart graduated from Princeton University in 1932 with a degree in architecture. He then joined the University Players, a summer stock company in Falmouth, Massachusetts, where he met Henry Fonda, who became a lifelong friend. Critics praised him in several Broadway plays in 1932–33, and that led to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1934.

Career highlights

Stewart's film debut was The Murder Man (1935) with Spencer Tracy. On loan to Columbia, he starred in two Frank Capra films, You Can't Take It with You (1938) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). The second earned him his first Oscar nomination. He won the best actor Oscar the next year for The Philadelphia Story (1940).

He enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 1941 and, as an avid pilot, was assigned to the Air Corps. Britannica says he flew some 20 bomber missions and rose to colonel by 1945, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Croix de Guerre. He was promoted to brigadier general in the reserves in 1959.

After the war he played George Bailey in Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946). The film did mediocre business at first but, through decades of television showings, became one of the most beloved American films. His collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock included Rope (1948), Rear Window (1954), and Vertigo (1958). With Anthony Mann he made westerns such as Winchester '73 (1950) and The Man from Laramie (1955). He also played Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey (1950) and appeared in Anatomy of a Murder (1959) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). In 1985 he received an honorary Academy Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Death

Britannica gives his death as July 2, 1997, in Beverly Hills, California. He was 89.

Name notes for searchers

James is his legal first name, and Jimmy is the familiar form that appears in some credits, including the title of The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971–72). Maitland is his middle name, and Stewart is his family surname.