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IMDbPro

Judy Holliday(1921-1965)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Judy Holliday
Official Trailer
Play trailer3:00
Bells Are Ringing (1960)
5 Videos
97 Photos
Judy Holliday was born Judith Tuvim in New York City on June 21, 1921. Her mother, a piano teacher, was attending a play when she went into labor and made it to the hospital just in time. Judy was an only child. By the age of four, her mother had her enrolled in ballet school which fostered a life-long interest in show business. Two years later her parents divorced. In high school, Judy began to develop an interest in theater. She appeared in several high school plays. After graduation, she got a job in the Orson Welles Mercury Theater as a switchboard operator. Judy worked her way on the stage with appearance in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and New York City. Judy toured on the nightclub circuit with a group called "The Revuers" founded by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. She went to Hollywood to make her first foray into the film world in Greenwich Village (1944). Most of her scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. Disappointed, but not discouraged, Judy earned two more roles that year in Something for the Boys (1944) and Winged Victory (1944). In the latter, Judy had a few lines of dialogue. Judy returned to New York to continue her stage career. She returned to Hollywood after five years to appear in Adam's Rib (1949) as Doris Attinger opposite screen greats Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy and Tom Ewell. With her success in that role, Judy was signed to play Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday (1950), a role which she originated on Broadway. She was nominated for and won the best actress Oscar for her performance. After filming The Marrying Kind (1952), Judy was summoned before the Un-American Activities Committee to testify about her political affiliations. Fortunately for her, she was not blacklisted as were many of her counterparts, but damage was done. Her film career was curtailed somewhat, but rebounded. She continued with her stage and musical efforts, but with limited time on the screen. After filming The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956), she was off-screen for four years. Her last film was the MGM production of Bells Are Ringing (1960) with Dean Martin and it was one of her best. Judy died two weeks before her 44th birthday in New York City on June 7, 1965.
BornJune 21, 1921
DiedJune 7, 1965(43)
BornJune 21, 1921
DiedJune 7, 1965(43)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Oscar
    • 7 wins & 7 nominations total

Photos97

Paul Douglas and Judy Holliday in The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
Paul Douglas and Judy Holliday in The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
Judy Holliday in The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
Paul Douglas, Richard Deacon, and Judy Holliday in The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
Judy Holliday in The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
Paul Douglas and Judy Holliday in The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
Judy Holliday and Peter Lawford in It Should Happen to You (1954)
Jack Lemmon and Judy Holliday in It Should Happen to You (1954)
Jack Lemmon and Judy Holliday in It Should Happen to You (1954)
Judy Holliday in It Should Happen to You (1954)
Jack Lemmon and Judy Holliday in It Should Happen to You (1954)
Jack Lemmon and Judy Holliday in It Should Happen to You (1954)

Known for:

William Holden, Broderick Crawford, and Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday (1950)
Born Yesterday
7.5
  • Billie Dawn
  • 1950
Dean Martin, Judy Holliday, and Jean Stapleton in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
Bells Are Ringing
6.9
  • Ella Peterson
  • 1960
Jack Lemmon, Judy Holliday, and Peter Lawford in It Should Happen to You (1954)
It Should Happen to You
7.2
  • Gladys Glover
  • 1954
Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in Adam's Rib (1949)
Adam's Rib
7.4
  • Doris Attinger
  • 1949

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Dean Martin, Judy Holliday, and Jean Stapleton in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
    Bells Are Ringing
    • Ella Peterson
    • 1960
  • Richard Conte and Judy Holliday in Full of Life (1956)
    Full of Life
    • Emily Rocco
    • 1956
  • Paul Douglas and Judy Holliday in The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
    The Solid Gold Cadillac
    • Laura Partridge
    • 1956
  • Phffft (1954)
    Phffft
    • Nina Tracey
    • 1954
  • Max Liebman Spectaculars (1954)
    Max Liebman Spectaculars
    • TV Series
    • 1954
  • Goodyear Playhouse (1951)
    Goodyear Playhouse
    • Diana Weems
    • TV Series
    • 1954
  • Jack Lemmon, Judy Holliday, and Peter Lawford in It Should Happen to You (1954)
    It Should Happen to You
    • Gladys Glover
    • 1954
  • The Marrying Kind (1952)
    The Marrying Kind
    • Florence (Florrie) Keefer
    • 1952
  • William Holden, Broderick Crawford, and Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday (1950)
    Born Yesterday
    • Billie Dawn
    • 1950
  • Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, and Vera-Ellen in On the Town (1949)
    On the Town
    • Daisy - Simpkins' MGM Date (voice, uncredited)
    • 1949
  • Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in Adam's Rib (1949)
    Adam's Rib
    • Doris Attinger
    • 1949
  • The Ford Theatre Hour (1948)
    The Ford Theatre Hour
    • Curly Flagg
    • TV Series
    • 1949
  • Buy this poster at MovieGoods.com
    Winged Victory
    • Ruth Miller
    • 1944
  • Carmen Miranda, Vivian Blaine, Michael O'Shea, and Phil Silvers in Something for the Boys (1944)
    Something for the Boys
    • Defense Plant Welder (uncredited)
    • 1944
  • Carmen Miranda, Don Ameche, William Bendix, and Vivian Blaine in Greenwich Village (1944)
    Greenwich Village
    • Revuer (uncredited)
    • 1944

Soundtrack

  • Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter (1982)
    Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter
    • performer: "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" (1928) (uncredited)
    • TV Movie
    • 1982
  • That's Entertainment, Part II (1976)
    That's Entertainment, Part II
    • performer: "Just In Time"
    • 1976
  • A Thousand Clowns (1965)
    A Thousand Clowns
    • writer: "A Thousand Clowns" (1965)
    • 1965
  • Dean Martin, Judy Holliday, and Jean Stapleton in Bells Are Ringing (1960)
    Bells Are Ringing
    • performer: "It's a Perfect Relationship" (1956), "Better Than a Dream" (1956), "Mu Cha Cha" (1956), "Just In Time" (1956), "Drop That Name" (1956), "The Party's Over" (1956), "I'm Going Back" (1956) (uncredited)
    • 1960
  • Max Liebman Presents: Promenade
    • performer: "Chattanooga Choo Choo" (uncredited)
    • TV Movie
    • 1955
  • Jack Lemmon, Judy Holliday, and Peter Lawford in It Should Happen to You (1954)
    It Should Happen to You
    • performer: "Let's Fall in Love" (1933) (uncredited)
    • 1954
  • The Marrying Kind (1952)
    The Marrying Kind
    • performer: "Dolores" (uncredited)
    • 1952
  • William Holden, Broderick Crawford, and Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday (1950)
    Born Yesterday
    • performer: "I Can't Give You Anything but Love" (uncredited)
    • 1950

Videos5

Trailer
Trailer 2:30
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 3:06
Official Trailer
Bells Are Ringing
Trailer 3:00
Bells Are Ringing
It Should Happen to You
Trailer 2:41
It Should Happen to You
Born Yesterday
Trailer 1:44
Born Yesterday

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
  • Born
    • June 21, 1921
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • June 7, 1965
    • New York City, New York, USA(breast cancer)
  • Spouse
    • David OppenheimJanuary 5, 1948 - March 1, 1958 (divorced, 1 child)
  • Parents
      Abe Tuvim
  • Other works
    (1950-51) Print ads: Rheingold beer.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Print Biographies
    • 7 Articles
    • 6 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Despite her image as a "dumb blond", she had an IQ of 172. She often said that it took a lot of smarts to convince people that her characters were stupid.
  • Quotes
    You have to be smart to play a dumb blonde over and over and keep the audience's attention without extraordinary physical equipment.
  • Trademarks
      Her voice
  • Salaries
      The Marrying Kind
      (1952)
      $200,000

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