Born on Lower East Side of New York City to David and Hannah Garfinkle. Jules, as he was known, was raised by his father after his mother's death in 1920. Sent to a special school for problem children, where he was introduced to boxing and drama. Won a scholarship to Maria Ouspenskaya's drama school. Joined the Civic Repertory Theatre in 1932, changing his name to Jules Garfield and making his Broadway debut in that company's Counsellor- at-Law. Joined the Group Theatre company, winning acclaim for his role in Awake and Sing. Embittered over being passed over for the lead in Golden Boy, which was written for him, he signed a contract with Warner Brothers, which changed his name to John Garfield. Won enormous praise for his role of the cynical Mickey Borden in Four Daughters. Kept in similar roles throughout career despite his efforts to play varied parts. Children Katherine (1938-1945), 'David Patton' (1942-1995), Julie (1946-). Active in liberal political and social causes, and found himself embroiled in Communist scare of the late 1940s. Though he testified before Congress that he was never a Communist, his ability to get work declined. While separated from his wife, he succumbed to long-term heart problems, dying suddenly in the home of a woman friend at 39. His funeral was mobbed by thousands of fans, in the largest funeral attendance for an actor since Rudolph Valentino.
Father of actors David Garfield and Julie Garfield. Comforted Sidney Poitier on his first plane ride by telling him to put a handkerchief over his face and think about nothing. Won a state-wide debating contest sponsored by the New York Times as a boy. Was producer Irene Mayer Selznick's first choice to play Stanley Kowalski in the Broadway premiere of "A Streetcar Named Desire." Wife Roberta Seidman was his childhood sweetheart. His 6-year old daughter Katharine died of an allergic reaction in 1945. Garfield never got over the loss. When his Warner Bros. contract expired in 1946, he did not re-sign with the studio, opting to start his own independent production company instead. He was one of the first Hollywood actors to do so. Blacklisted in the early 1950s for his left-wing sympathies, he refused to name names in testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in April 1951. He was found dead of a heart attack in the apartment of a former showgirl on May 21, 1952, the day after Clifford Odets, testifying before HUAC, reaffirmed that Garfield had never been a member of the Communist Party. His funeral in New York was mobbed by 10,000 fans. Buried at Westchester Hills Cemetery, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York Is portrayed by Bruce Ornstein in Will There Really Be a Morning?