Farewell to an icon: the heartbreaking final words of James Stewart
Any affable American everyman actor who bursts onto the scene is destined to earn comparisons to one of the all-time greats, but everybody knows there’s only ever going to be one James Stewart.
Tom Hanks struggled with the moniker being placed upon his shoulders early on in his career because he knew fine well he faced a much easier battle carving his own path through the industry than seeking to emulate one of the best to ever grace the silver screen.
An incredibly gifted actor and a certified movie star, Stewart collaborated with many of the most legendary names the industry has ever produced, becoming one of that number himself. His effortless naturalism, comic timing, quick wit, and easygoing charm made him stand out among a crowd of more obviously showy performers, but he was smart enough to know that keeping it real gave him the edge.
The Academy Award-winning star of The Philadelphia Story received further nominations for Mr Smith Goes to Washington, It’s a Wonderful Life, Harvey, and Anatomy of a Murder, while the list of actors and filmmakers he collaborated with during his decades in the spotlight reads like a who’s who of the most famous faces the business has ever seen.
Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Charlton Heston, Rock Hudson, John Wayne, Bette Davis, Doris Day, Katharine Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Frank Capra, and Billy Wilder make for an astonishing array of creative partners, without even mentioning how his off-camera efforts further enhanced his legend.
After initially being rejected for military service in World War II for being too slight, Stewart bulked up so that he could serve his country and ended up becoming the highest-ranked actor in the history of the United States military, making him a rare combination of cinematic superstar and bona fide war hero.
Stewart only had one love of his life, actress and model Gloria Hatrick McLean, with the couple getting married in 1949. They’d remain together and be inseparable for the next four decades until his wife sadly passed away from lung cancer in February 1994 at the age of 75.
It was a devastating blow for Stewart, who became increasingly depressed and withdrawn following her death. His own health was failing, and three years later, he died in July 1997 at the age of 89. With his family by his side, Stewart instructed them not to be sad he was on his way out, telling those around him, “I’m going to be with Gloria now,” in the last words, emotional enough to affect even the hardest of hearts.
Stewart bowed out with the same type of poetic grace that defined his career, so even though his last utterance was a devastating one, it was fitting nonetheless.
