Judy Garland, originally born Frances Ethel Gumm, had an extremely tragic life, but I feel her talent is unparalleled. I won't go into all the details about her life and death, but here are a few highlights. She had a horrible mother, and she herself turned out to be not the best of mothers. She struggled with drug use throughout her life. It was the movie studio that originally got her hooked on drugs to help her lose weight (really? I never thought the girl was heavy!) and give her energy. Her co-star during her teenage years, Mickey Rooney, is still alive. She was married five times, and she had three kids. Liza Minnelli is her most successful and well-known daughter. She was nominated for an Academy Award (that she lost to Grace Kelly) for her role in A Star is Born (my favorite of her movies, and I feel her best!). She had a fantastic concert career. She died June 22, 1969, due to drug overdose. While it was not intentional suicide at that moment, the effects of drug use over a long period of time were what caused her death.
As I was growing up, I was able to make my singing voice sound just like hers. I doubt I could now. Vocal training does tend to change one's voice. She is still one of my favorite actresses/singers. If you have never checked out any of her movies (besides The Wizard of Oz--I could spend a whole blog post talking about the drama considering that film), I would invite you to check her out. I can't remember how many of her movies I have seen---maybe 15 or so.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000023/bio
http://www.biography.com/people/judy-garland-9306838
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_garland
What is your favorite Judy Garland movie? I'd love to see more.
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