He grew up Indiana, Pennsylvania and never forgot his old hometown. He was an amateur magician and appeared in Triangle Club shows while at Princeton, where he studied architecture. After graduation, classmate Joshua Logan persuaded him to join the University Players, whose members included Henry Fonda and Margaret Sullavan.
Fonda and Stewart roomed together when they went to work on Broadway in 1932 and films in 1935. Margaret Sullavan insisted he be given roles in her films, which was a great help to him. His "aw shucks" appeal also made him a favorite with casting directors.
Great roles and honors began in the late 1930s and continued throughout his career. When he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1940, he sent it to his father in Indiana, PA, who put it in his hardware store. The award remained there for 25 years.
He was the first Hollywood star to enter the service for World War II, joining in 1940. He was initially refused entry into the Air Force because he weighed 5 pounds less than the required 148 pounds, but he talked the recruitment officer into admitting him. He eventually became a colonel and earned the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Croix de Guerre and seven battle stars. In 1959, serving in the Air Force Reserve, he became a brigadier general, the highest ranking entertainer in the U.S. military.
After the war, he portrayed a wide variety of characters, including the beloved George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life and had the lead in four Hitchcock films, Rope, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo.
Stewart died on July 2, 1997 of a pulmonary embolism. He is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
On January 31st, 1997, Jimmy tripped over a potted plant in his bedroom, and cut open his forehead. He was taken to St. John's Hospital, in Santa Monica, where he was given 12 stitches. A few weeks later, he was hospitalized for a blood clot and irregular heartbeat. He had a blood clot in his right knee, and the swelling soon spread through his entire leg. Clearly, this man was not going to be around much longer.
Jimmy spent his last months in bed, watching television. He rarely took phone calls or visitors. He was ready to die, and everyone knew it.
Jimmy did die on Wednesday July 2nd, 1997, at 11:05am. Official cause of death was cardiac arrest. He was 89 years old. His last words were, "I'm going to be with Gloria now."
