Judy Holliday (born Judith Tuvim, June 21, 1921 – June 7, 1965) was an American actress, comedian, and singer best known for her sharp comedic timing and portrayals of seemingly ditzy blonde characters with underlying intelligence.
Holliday began her career in a nightclub act called “The Revuers” with collaborators like Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Her breakthrough came on Broadway in 1946 when she starred as Billie Dawn in Garson Kanin’s play Born Yesterday. She reprised this role in the 1950 film adaptation, for which she famously won an Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award.
Despite her onscreen persona, Holliday was highly intelligent (reportedly with an IQ of 172). This intelligence proved useful when she was called to testify before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee in 1952 during the McCarthy era. She navigated the questioning by appearing to play her “dumb blonde” character, skillfully avoiding naming names and largely escaping the blacklisting that affected many others in the industry.
Throughout the 1950s, she continued to charm audiences in films like The Marrying Kind (1952), It Should Happen to You (1954), Phffft! (1954), and The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956). She also achieved great success on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Bells Are Ringing (1956), a role she also brought to the screen in 1960.
Judy Holliday’s career was tragically cut short when she died of breast cancer on June 7, 1965, at the age of 43. She remains remembered for her unique comedic timing and for creating some of Hollywood’s most beloved and enduring characters.
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