Humphrey Bogart

Short Biography

The son of a Manhattan surgeon and a magazine illustrator, Humphrey Bogart was educated at Trinity School, NYC, and sent to Phillips Academy in Andover in preparation for medical studies at Yale. He was expelled from Phillips and joined the U.S. Navy. While serving, he was wounded in the shelling of the Leviathan; the resulting partial paralysis caused his signature snarl and lisp.

From 1920 to 1922, he managed a stage company owned by family friend William S. Brady, performing a variety of tasks at Brady's film studio in New York. After this, he began regular stage performances. Alexander Woollcott described his acting in a 1922 play as "inadequate".

In 1930, he got a contract with Fox and his feature film debut in a 10 minute short Broadway's Like That (1930), co-starring Ruth Etting and Joan Blondell. Fox released him after two years. After five more years of stage and minor film roles, he broke through with The Petrified Forest (1936); he got the part over Edward G. Robinson, only after the star, Leslie Howard, threatened to quit unless accompanied by his fellow actor from the Broadway production. The movie led to a long-term contract with Warners.

From 1936 to 1940, he appeared in 28 films, usually as a gangster, twice in Westerns. 1941 was his landmark year, first in High Sierra (1941) and then as Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon (1941). These were followed by Casablanca (1942), 0038355 and Key Largo (1948).

In 1947, he joined Lauren Bacall and others protesting the witch hunts of the House Un-American Activities Committee. He also formed his own production company and the next year made The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). "Bogey" received the Best Actor Academy Award for The African Queen (1951) and nomination for Casablanca (1942) and as Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny (1954), a film made when he was already seriously ill.

He died in his sleep at his Hollywood home following an operation for throat cancer.

Source: www.humphreybogart.com