Jimmy Stewart was one of the most prolific actors of the 20th Century, yet there was another lesser known side to the Hollywood legend, that of war hero. James Maitland Stewart, who lived from May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997, was an iconic American film and stage actor with a distinctive voice and everyman personality that made him instantly recognizable. Over his 70 year film career, he starred in numerous films and stage productions, many of which are now considered classics. He was widely known for portraying down-to-earth, middle class characters with everyday life challenges, which was much like his own personality.
Another facet of Stewart that was not widely known was his lifelong love of aviation and long-standing military service. Stewart was a very shy and introspective child who was interested in aviation. However, his family discouraged him from pursuing a career in aviation and attending the U.S. Naval Academy. Instead, he was encouraged to use his considerable intellect to pursue higher education at Princeton University. While at Princeton, Stewart discovered his love of acting and began a career as a stage actor.
During the Depression, the actor logged over 400 hours of flight time as a pilot. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the thespian was drafted into the U.S. Army, but was found to be underweight for his height. The actor was a long and lanky 6′ 3″ and only weighed 143 pounds at the time. He worked with a noted Hollywood trainer to put on the necessary weight, and successfully enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Later, Stewart would also serve in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Stewart’s military service spanned a total of 27 years (1941-1968) and he served in World War II as well as Vietnam War conflicts.
During his distinguished military service, Stewart attained the rank of major general (two stars) and received many awards for his valor, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, French Croix de Guerre, and the Army Commendation Medal. Ultimately, the prolific actor and war hero retired from the Air Force in May of 1968.
Following World War II and a five-year absence from film, Stewart took some time to re-evaluate his career. He had not abandoned his love of aviation and considered going into the aviation industry if his film career faltered. Upon the actor’s return to Hollywood in 1945, he became an independent contract actors and secured himself more freedom to choose his roles. Stewart became one of the first studio actors to do so. In 1945, his first post-war film was the Hollywood classic It’s a Wonderful Life, which was directed by Frank Capra and co-starred Donna Reed.
Throughout his impressive seven decades in Hollywood, Stewart’s down-to-earth, wholesome image was seen in such seminal films as The Philadelphia Story (1940), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Harvey (1950), as well as his longstanding collaboration with Director Alfred Hitchcock over several films. Moreover, his upstanding image also extended to his off-screen life. He was devoted to his wife of over 45 years, Gloria, and their family. The actor was devastated by his wife’s passing in 1994, and reportedly never recovered from the loss. The prolific actor and war hero worked in many genres of film including drama, comedy, and westerns, as well as attempted a few TV shows in the 1950s and 70’s. However, Stewart did not find much success in this genre.
Stewart was a prolific actor and war hero, who rarely spoke publicly about his military service and did he act in many military films. Strategic Air Command (1955), in which he starred opposite June Allyson, was likely his most well-known foray into military moviemaking. Yet, Stewart’s film career is undisputed as he remains one of the most represented leading actor on the American Film Institute (AFI) lists, such as the AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies and AFI’s 10 Top 10 lists. Moreover, he is also the most represented leading actor on the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time list presented by Entertainment Weekly Magazine. Furthermore, 10 of his films have been inducted into the United States National Film Registry as of 2007.
By Leigh Haugh
Other Articles by This Author:
Guardian Liberty Voice–Leigh Haugh
Sources:
Biography
IMDb
The Jimmy Stewart Show Website
Military.com
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Hey, how’s it going?
Did you hear that the powers that run this world want to put a RFID microchip in our body? It will contain not only our bank accounts but our personal information, making us total slaves to the elite. This will cause us to lose even more of our privacy.
Did you know that this RFID microchip matches perfectly with the Mark of the Beast in the Bible, more specifically Revelation 13:16-18?
“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name…”
Referring to the last days, this could only be speaking of a cashless society, which we have yet to see, but are heading towards. Otherwise, we could still buy or sell without the mark amongst others if physical money was still currency. It’s amazing that the Bible foretold a cashless society!
Did you also hear that the Jewish people are in the process of bringing about the Third Temple prophesied in the Bible by the prophet Daniel, Jesus, and Apostle Paul? They deny Jesus as their Messiah and say their Messiah will be revealed to rule the whole world under a one world religion. They are not even hiding this information, but are actually promoting it. You can view videos about this on YouTube.
When Donald Trump made Jerusalem captial of Israel in late December 2017, the Jewish people said this was a big step for them to build this Third Temple. They even printed a Temple coin with president Trump’s face on the front with king Cyrus'(the man who built the Second Temple in the Bible) face behind him. On the back of the coin is an image of the Third Temple. They are selling these coins to raise money to build the Temple.
People have been saying for many years that the end is near, but we needed not only the Third Temple, but also the technology for there to be a cashless society for the Mark of the Beast to be a reality.
There is much more to know, please visit http://WWW.BIBLEFREEDOM.COM to see all the proof!
GOD BLESS, JESUS LOVES YOU!