James Maitland Stewart, born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pennsylvania, was an American actor and military officer. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, his film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. He epitomized the "American ideal" in the mid-twentieth century with the strong morality he portrayed both on and off the screen.

He started acting while at Princeton University and began his career as a stage actor, making his Broadway debut in the play Carry Nation in 1932. He landed his first supporting role in The Murder Man in 1935 and had his breakthrough in Frank Capra's ensemble comedy You Can't Take It with You in 1938.

He went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the George Cukor romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story in 1940. His other Oscar-nominated roles were in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life, Harvey, and Anatomy of a Murder.

He played darker, more morally ambiguous characters in movies directed by Anthony Mann, including Winchester '73, The Glenn Miller Story, and The Naked Spur, and by Alfred Hitchcock in Rope, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo.

He also starred in The Greatest Show on Earth, The Spirit of St. Louis, The Flight of the Phoenix, as well as the Western films How the West Was Won, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and Cheyenne Autumn. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, deputy commanding the 2nd Bombardment Wing and commanding the 703d Bombardment Squadron from 1941 to 1947.

He later transferred to the Air Force Reserve and held various command positions until his retirement in 1968 as a brigadier general. He remained unmarried until his 40s and was dubbed "The Great American Bachelor" by the press.

In 1949, he married former model Gloria Hatrick McLean. They had twin daughters, and he adopted her two sons from her previous marriage. The marriage lasted until Gloria's death in 1994, and Stewart died of a pulmonary embolism three years later.

His best movies include It's a Wonderful Life, Rear Window, Vertigo, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and The Philadelphia Story. His performances in these films have solidified his reputation as a talented and versatile actor.

Throughout his career, he received numerous honors, including the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1980, the Kennedy Center Honor in 1983, as well as the Academy Honorary Award and Presidential Medal of Freedom, both in 1985. He also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama for playing Billy Jim Hawkins in the CBS legal drama series Hawkins in 1974.