Judy Holliday was born Judith Tuvim in New York City on June 21, 1921. Her mother was a piano instructor who was attending a play when she went into labor. She made it just in time. Judy would be her only child. By the time Judy was four years old, her mother had enrolled her in ballet school and this helped her to foster a life long interest in show business. Two years later her parents divorced. By the time she got to high school, Judy had begun to develop an interest in the theater. She excelled in several high school plays along with her studies and after graduation, got a job in the Orson Welles Mercury Theater--as a switchboard operator. Slowly, Judy worked her way on the stage. From that point on Judy appeared on stages in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. as well as New York City. In addition to the theaters, Judy toured the nightclub circuit as part of a group called "The Revuers". After being on the stage, Judy went to Hollywood and made her first foray into the film world. It was through the Revuers that Judy had her first shot at the silver screen in a film entitled, GREENWICH VILLAGE in 1944. Unfortunately, most of what they shot ended up on the cutting room floor. Disappointed, but not discouraged, Judy got two more roles in films that year, SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS and WINGED VICTORY. At least in the latter, Judy had a chance to have a few lines of dialogue. True, they were small, but it was a step up over GREENWICH VILLAGE. Afterwards, Judy left California to go back to New York and continue her stage career. It would be five more years before she would return to the big screen. When she did return, it was for the production of ADAM'S RIB playing Doris Attinger. Based on her success in that film, Judy was signed to play Billie Dawn in 1950's BORN YESTERDAY. (She had successfully played the stage version). Her acting was so superb in this production, she was nominated for and won Best Actress. Judy was completely convincing as the "dumb blonde" in that film. She had reached the pinnacle of her craft and was a force to be reckoned with, but unforeseen circumstances loomed on the horizon. After filming THE MARRYING KIND, Judy was summoned before the Un-American Activities Committee to ask her about organizations and affiliations she was associated with. Joseph McCarthy, the junior Senator from Wisconsin, had earlier stated that he had a list of Communists in the State Department. In fact, there was no list, only McCarthy trying to make a name for himself. He and his fellow committee members made the allegations sound credible. It wasn't long before the "Red Scare" spilled over into the entertainment industry. Numerous entertainers were summoned to Washington to answer for their "questionable" associations. Judy was one of those called to testify. Fortunately for her, she was not "blacklisted" as were some of her counter-parts, but the damage was done. It was the old adage of "guilt by association". Now the Oscar winning actress didn't get the parts that she probably could have had. Her film career was curtailed somewhat, but rebounded. She continued with her stage and musical efforts, but limited time on the screen. After filming THE SOLID GOLD CADILLAC in 1956, Judy was absent from movies for the next four years. Her last film was the MGM production of BELLS ARE RINGING with Dean Martin in 1960 and it was one of her best. She was 39, an age where she should have been fast becoming a household name. Her performances were flawless, an actress with a fantastic talent. But she had become ill with cancer. She had pulled her life together and continued to work the stage and make records, but she was slowly dying. Judy died three weeks before her 44th birthday in New York City on June 7, 1965. If only Judy had been dealt a better hand at life, she could have very well been one of the most famous actresses of all time.
The Marrying Kind (1952): $200,000
Greenwich Village (1944): $400/week

Despite her image of a "dumb blond", she was actually very smart. Her I.Q was measured at 172. She often said that it took a lot of smarts to convince people that her characters were stupid. Singer. Listed by Madonna as one of her biggest influences Co-wrote and performed songs with jazz legend Gerry Mulligan for the album "Holliday with Mulligan". According to her biographer Gary Carey, Holliday flummoxed the House Unamerican Activities Committee so much (by essentially playing her Billie Dawn character on the witness stand) she ended up being the only person ever called before HUAC who was neither blacklisted nor compelled to name names. During the Broadway musical Bells Are Ringing, she had a brief fling with her co-star Sydney Chaplin, the son of Charles Chaplin. An only child. Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 217-218. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387 Son, Jonathan Oppenheim, is a film editor. Lived in the building where John Lennon was murdered. Dated Nicholas Ray in 1944. Won Broadway's 1957 Tony Award as Best Actress (Musical) for "Bells Are Ringing," a role she recreated in the film version of the same name, Bells Are Ringing. To help build up her image, particularly in the eyes of producer Harry Cohn. Katharine Hepburn deliberately leaked stories to the gossip columns suggesting that Holliday's performance in "Adam's Rib" was so good that it had stolen the spotlight from Spencer Tracy & Hepburn. This got Cohn's attention & Holliday won the part in "Born Yesterday". Her performance as Billie Dawn in "Born Yesterday" (1950) is ranked #96 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006). Son Jonathan Oppenheim born November 11, 1952.