James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime Achievement award. He was a major MGM contract star. He also had a noted military career and was a World War II and Vietnam War veteran, who rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve.
Throughout his seven decades in Hollywood, Stewart cultivated a versatile career and recognized screen image in such classics as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Philadelphia Story, Harvey, It's a Wonderful Life, Shenandoah, Rear Window, Rope, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo. He is the most represented leading actor on the AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) and AFI's 10 Top 10 lists. He is also the most represented leading actor on the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time list presented by Entertainment Weekly. As of 2007, ten of his films have been inducted into the United States National Film Registry.
Stewart left his mark on a wide range of film genres, including westerns, suspense thrillers, family films, biographies and screwball comedies. He worked for a number of renowned directors later in his career, most notably Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Billy Wilder, Frank Capra, George Cukor, and Anthony Mann. He won many of the industry's highest honors and earned Lifetime Achievement awards from every major film organization. He died at age 89, leaving behind a legacy of classic performances, and is considered one of the finest actors of the "Golden Age of Hollywood". He was named the third Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute.
Academy Awards
Best Actor
Known For
Vertigo
(1958)
Det. John 'Scottie' Ferguson
The Philadelphia Story
(1940)
Macaulay 'Mike' Connor
Rear Window
(1954)
L.B. 'Jeff' Jefferies
Airport '77
(1977)
Philip Stevens
It's a Wonderful Life
(1946)
George Bailey
Rope
(1948)
Rupert Cadell
The Shootist
(1976)
Dr. Hostetler
Harvey
(1950)
Elwood P. Dowd
Cheyenne Autumn
(1964)
Wyatt Earp
Bandolero!
(1968)
Mace Bishop
Winchester '73
(1950)
Lin McAdam
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
(1991)
Wylie Burp (voice)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
(1962)
Ransom Stoddard
Broken Arrow
(1950)
Tom Jeffords
The Man Who Knew Too Much
(1956)
Dr. Ben McKenna
The Shop Around the Corner
(1940)
Alfred Kralik
Full Filmography
Acting
Art Trouble
(1934)
Jack Burton
The Murder Man
(1935)
Shorty
After the Thin Man
(1936)
David Graham
Born to Dance
(1936)
Ted Barker
Rose Marie
(1936)
John Flower
Wife vs. Secretary
(1936)
Dave
Next Time We Love
(1936)
Christopher Tyler
Small Town Girl
(1936)
Elmer Clampett
The Gorgeous Hussy
(1936)
Roderick "Rowdy" Dow
Speed
(1936)
Terry Martin
Important News
(1936)
Cornelius 'Corn' Stevens
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
(1936)
Self
The Last Gangster
(1937)
Paul North Sr.
Navy Blue and Gold
(1937)
John 'Truck' Cross
Seventh Heaven
(1937)
Chico
The Romance of Celluloid
(1937)
Self (archive footage)
Vivacious Lady
(1938)
Peter Morgan Jr.
You Can't Take It with You
(1938)
Tony Kirby
The Shopworn Angel
(1938)
Pvt. William 'Texas' Pettigrew
Of Human Hearts
(1938)
Jason Wilkins
Hollywood Goes to Town
(1938)
Self
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12
(1938)
James Stewart
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939)
Jefferson Smith
Destry Rides Again
(1939)
Tom Destry Jr.
It's a Wonderful World
(1939)
Guy Johnson
Made for Each Other
(1939)
John Horace Mason
The Ice Follies of 1939
(1939)
Mort Hodges
Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8
(1939)
James Stewart
Hollywood Hobbies
(1939)
The Philadelphia Story
(1940)
Macaulay 'Mike' Connor
The Mortal Storm
(1940)
Martin Breitner
The Shop Around the Corner
(1940)
Alfred Kralik
No Time for Comedy
(1940)
Gaylord 'Gay' Esterbrook
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
(1940)
Self
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
(1940)
Self
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
(1940)
Self
Ziegfeld Girl
(1941)
Gilbert Young
Come Live with Me
(1941)
Bill Smith
Pot o' Gold
(1941)
James Hamilton 'Jimmy' Haskell
Breakdowns of 1941
(1941)
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Winning Your Wings
(1942)
Self
Fellow Americans
(1942)
Narrator (voice)
It's a Wonderful Life
(1946)
George Bailey
Magic Town
(1947)
Rip Smith
Blow-Ups of 1947
(1947)
Self
Thunderbolt
(1947)
Himself
Rope
(1948)
Rupert Cadell
Call Northside 777
(1948)
P.J. 'Jim' McNeal
You Gotta Stay Happy
(1948)
Marvin Payne
On Our Merry Way
(1948)
Slim
10,000 Kids and a Cop
(1948)
Narrator
The Stratton Story
(1949)
Monty Stratton
Malaya
(1949)
John Royer
Harvey
(1950)
Elwood P. Dowd
Winchester '73
(1950)
Lin McAdam
Broken Arrow
(1950)
Tom Jeffords
The Jackpot
(1950)
William J. 'Bill' Lawrence
And Then There Were Four
(1950)
Narrator
No Highway
(1951)
Theodore Honey
The Greatest Show on Earth
(1952)
Buttons
Carbine Williams
(1952)
Marsh Williams
Bend of the River
(1952)
Glyn McLyntock
The Naked Spur
(1953)
Howard Kemp
Thunder Bay
(1953)
Steve Martin
Rear Window
(1954)
L.B. 'Jeff' Jefferies
The Glenn Miller Story
(1954)
Glenn Miller
The Far Country
(1954)
Jeff Webster
Tomorrow's Drivers
(1954)
the story teller
Strategic Air Command
(1955)
Robert "Dutch" Holland
The Man from Laramie
(1955)
Will Lockhart
The Man Who Knew Too Much
(1956)
Dr. Ben McKenna
Night Passage
(1957)
Grant McLaine
The Spirit of St. Louis
(1957)
Charles Augustus 'Slim' Lindbergh
Vertigo
(1958)
Det. John 'Scottie' Ferguson
Bell, Book and Candle
(1958)
Shep Henderson
Anatomy of a Murder
(1959)
Paul Biegler
The FBI Story
(1959)
John Michael ('Chip') Hardesty
The Mountain Road
(1960)
Major Baldwin
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood
(1960)
Self
Two Rode Together
(1961)
Marshal Guthrie McCabe
X-15
(1961)
Himself / Narrator (voice)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
(1962)
Ransom Stoddard
How the West Was Won
(1962)
Linus Rawlings
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
(1962)
Roger Hobbs
Flashing Spikes
(1962)
Slim Conway
Take Her, She's Mine
(1963)
Frank Michaelson
Cheyenne Autumn
(1964)
Wyatt Earp
Cheyenne Autumn Trail
(1964)
Narrator
The Flight of the Phoenix
(1965)
Capt. Frank Towns
Shenandoah
(1965)
Charlie Anderson
Dear Brigitte
(1965)
Professor Robert Leaf
The Rare Breed
(1966)
Sam Burnett
Firecreek
(1968)
Johnny Cobb
Bandolero!
(1968)
Mace Bishop
The Dean Martin Christmas Show
(1968)
The Cheyenne Social Club
(1970)
John O'Hanlan
Fools' Parade
(1971)
Mattie Appleyard
The American West of John Ford
(1971)
Self - Narrator
Directed by John Ford
(1971)
Harvey
(1972)
Elwood P. Dowd
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
(1972)
Self (archive footage)
That's Entertainment!
(1974)
Self - Host / Narrator
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
(1975)
Self (archive footage)
The Shootist
(1976)
Dr. Hostetler
Sentimental Journey
(1976)
That's Entertainment, Part II
(1976)
(archive footage)
CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years
(1976)
Self
Airport '77
(1977)
Philip Stevens
The Big Sleep
(1978)
General Sternwood
The Magic of Lassie
(1978)
Clovis Mitchell
Mr. Krueger's Christmas
(1980)
Mr. Krueger
A Tale of Africa
(1980)
Old Man
All-Star Party for Burt Reynolds
(1981)
Self
Night of 100 Stars
(1982)
Self
Showbiz Goes to War
(1982)
(archive footage)
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
(1982)
Self (archive footage)
All-Star Party for Frank Sinatra
(1983)
Self
Right of Way
(1983)
Teddy Dwyer
James Bond: The First 21 Years
(1983)
Self
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
(1983)
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
All Star Party for Lucille Ball
(1984)
Self
Night of 100 Stars II
(1985)
Self
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
(1987)
Self
A Beverly Hills Christmas
(1987)
Self - Host
Grace Kelly: The American Princess
(1987)
Self
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
(1988)
Self
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
(1988)
Self
Son of Dinosaurs
(1989)
Himself
The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life'
(1990)
Self (archival footage)
Night of 100 Stars III
(1990)
Self
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
(1991)
Wylie Burp (voice)
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
(1991)
Self
Frank Capra's 'It's a Wonderful Life': A Personal Remembrance
(1991)
Self
Fonda on Fonda
(1992)
Self
La Classe américaine
(1993)
Jacques (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
(1995)
Self
No Angel: A Life of Marlene Dietrich
(1996)
Frank Capra's American Dream
(1997)
Self (archive footage)
Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life for Hitchcock's Masterpiece
(1997)
Self (archive footage)
Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas
(1997)
George Bailey (archive footage)
Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood
(1999)
Self (archive footage)
The Making of 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'
(2000)
Self (archive footage)
Rope Unleashed
(2001)
Self (archive footage)
'Rear Window' Ethics: Remembering and Restoring a Hitchcock Classic
(2001)
Self (archive footage)
The Ultimate Collection starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 70s and 80s
(2002)
Hell's Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films
(2003)
Narrator (archive footage)
Warner at War
(2008)
Self (archive footage)
Frank Capra Jr. Remembers... You Can't Take It With You
(2008)
Self (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
(2009)
Self (archive footage)
The Size of Legends, The Soul of Myth
(2009)
Self (Archive)
Casino Jack and the United States of Money
(2010)
Jefferson Smith (archive footage)
John Ford & Monument Valley
(2013)
Self (archive footage)
And the Oscar Goes To...
(2014)
Self (archive footage)
This Is Bob Hope...
(2017)
Self (archive footage)
Stewart & Mitchum: The Two Faces of America
(2017)
Self (archive footage)
I Am Alfred Hitchcock
(2021)
Self
Rat Pack
(2022)
Self (archive footage)
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
(2022)
Self (archive Footage)- Glenn Miller
AFI Life Achievement Award: 50th Anniversary Special
(2023)
Self (archive footage)
The Bloody Hundredth
(2024)
Self - Pilot, 453rd Bomb Group (archive footage)