Born May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pa., James Stewart aspired to an architectural career but joined an acting troupe while attending Princeton University and changed his life's trajectory. After small parts on Broadway, he answered Hollywood's call and made his first significant silver-screen appearance in Next Time We Love (1936).Stewart's breakout film followed in 1939: Playing a young senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, the gangly actor snagged a Best Actor nod -- and won the next year for The Philadelphia Story. His distinctive stammer and everyman demeanor had long since won over audiences, but his most endearing role came in 1946 with It's a Wonderful Life.
He starred in several Alfred Hitchcock movies, including Rear Window (1954), and later delivered memorable turns in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) and The Shootist (1976). Stewart died from a pulmonary embolism July 2, 1997.
Rear WindowAs his broken leg heals, wheelchair-bound L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart) becomes absorbed with the parade of life outside his window and soon fixates on a mysterious man whose behavior has Jefferies convinced a murder has taken place. Meanwhile, other windows reveal the daily lives of a dancer, a... Read More
VertigoOne of Alfred Hitchcock's darkest and most compelling suspense films tells the story of police detective Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart), who has a crippling fear of heights -- and an all-consuming obsession with a married woman. When an old friend asks him to tail his wife (Kim Novak), Scottie is... Read More
The Man Who Knew Too MuchWhile vacationing in Morocco, American tourist Ben McKenna (James Stewart) learns of an assassination plot but can't turn to the police without endangering his young son, who's been kidnapped to ensure McKenna's silence. Director Alfred Hitchcock's suspenseful remake of his 1934 thriller features a... Read More
Anatomy of a MurderNominated for seven Oscars, this legal thriller profiles the attempts of country lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart) to exonerate Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara), who's charged with a local barkeep's murder but claims the victim raped his wife (Lee Remick). Employing a temporary insanity defense,... Read More
RopeFarley Granger and John Dall are riveting as two friends who pride themselves on committing the "perfect murder" -- until their former teacher (James Stewart) becomes increasingly suspicious -- in this classic Hitchcock thriller inspired by a real-life crime. Over the course of a seemingly routine... Read More
