His other Oscar-nominated roles were in Mr. Stewart went on to received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in George Cukor romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story (1940). He landed his first supporting role in The Murder Man (1935) and had his breakthrough in Frank Capra's ensemble comedy You Can't Take It with You (1938).
After graduating, he began a career as a stage actor making his Broadway debut in the play Carry Nation (1932). He received numerous honors including the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1980, the Kennedy Center Honor in 1983, as well as the Academy Honorary Award and Presidential Medal of Freedom, both in 1985.īorn and raised in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Stewart started acting while at Princeton University. In 1999, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked him third on its list of the greatest American male actors. With the strong morality which he portrayed both on and off the screen, he epitomized the ' American ideal' in the mid-twentieth century. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. James Maitland 'Jimmy' Stewart (– July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military officer.
