James Stewart was a graduate of Princeton University and then went into acting on the Broadway stage with his friend Henry Fonda. His first film role was opposite Spencer Tracy in The Murder Man though his first major role was After the Thin Man. Margaret Sullivan helped him at this time develop his every-man persona. He then worked with director Frank Capra in the Oscar nominated You Can't Take It With You and was followed with Vivacious Lady with Ginger Rogers. His small town integrity was shown in Mr Smith Goes To Washington, a performance that set the style for many of his films and earned hi his first Oscar nomination. After this he appeared in his first western, Destry Rides Again opposite Marlene Dietrich. He then won an Oscar for his performance in The Philadelphia Story which showed he could also do comedy. During World War 2 he was distinguished in the air force. He returned to his flying career in films like Spirit of St Louis and Flight Of The Phoenix.
After the war he returned to films and his iconic role in It's A Wonderful Life in one of several Frank Capra films he starred in. It has become a Christmas classic though not a box office success at the time and won him another Oscar nomination. He then caught the eye of Alfred Hitchcock who cast him in Rope. He then returned to the western genre with Anthony Mann in films like Winchester 73 and Broken Arrow. His next Oscar nomination was for Harvey opposite an imaginary rabbit. He gave very good performances for Alfred Hitchcock in Rear Window and Vertigo. Anatomy Of A Murder was a controversial film due to its subject matter but earned him an Oscar nomination. He then worked with John Wayne in John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. He had a wide range of acting styles and worked in a range of genres thanks in part to working with some great directors like Anthony Mann in westerns, Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock and Ernst Lubitsch. He appeared in over 90 films during his career.
