Jacob Garfinkle
11 min read
Reading time
2,072
Words
Published
48
Film credits
1
Award
John Garfield, a Jewish immigrant’s son from New York City’s Lower East Side, was blacklisted during the McCarthy era and died of a heart attack at 39 in 1952. He starred in classics like The Postman Always Rings Twice 1946 and Body and Soul 1947. His funeral drew thousands of fans, rivaling Rudolph Valentino’s.
Names, aliases, and relatives of John Garfield — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
John Garfield by the numbers — life, work, and family.
John Garfield — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
John Garfield was born Jacob Julius Garfinkle on March 4, 1913, on the Lower East Side of New York City. His mother Hannah died when he was seven, and his father David, a clothes presser and part-time cantor, raised him. Sent to a school for problem children, Garfield discovered boxing and drama. He won a scholarship to Maria Ouspenskaya’s drama school and joined the Civic Repertory Theatre in 1932, making his Broadway debut in Counsellor-at-Law.
Garfield’s breakout came with Four Daughters 1938, where his portrayal of cynical Mickey Borden earned enormous praise. He signed with Warner Bros. after being passed over for the lead in Golden Boy, a role written for him. Despite his efforts for varied roles, he was often cast in similar cynical parts. He starred in The Postman Always Rings Twice 1946, Body and Soul 1947, and Gentleman’s Agreement 1947. He also produced and acted in Force of Evil 1950. When his Warner contract expired in 1946, he started his own independent production company, one of the first Hollywood actors to do so.
Garfield married his childhood sweetheart Roberta Seidman in 1935. They had three children: Katherine, who died at age six from an allergic reaction in 1945, David, and Julie. The loss devastated him. He was active in liberal causes and was blacklisted during the Communist scare. He testified before Congress in 1951 but his career suffered. He separated from his wife shortly before his death on May 21, 1952, in the New York apartment of actress Iris Whitney.
He was one of the first Hollywood actors to start his own production company. The role of Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront 1954 was written for him, but he died before filming. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2021, Turner Classic Movies honored him as Star of the Month. His funeral was the largest for an actor since Rudolph Valentino. He is remembered as a symbol of the blacklist era.
The complete filmography of John Garfield — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by John Garfield — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from John Garfield — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
Screen Acting Is My Business but I Get My Kicks from Broadway.
Little-known facts about John Garfield — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
The loss of his six-year-old daughter Katherine, who died of an allergic reaction in 1945, haunted Garfield for the rest of his life.
Because both Garfield and his wife did not want to go Hollywood, he had a clause in his Warner contract that allowed him to perform in a legitimate play every year at his option, and they chose not to own a home in Tinseltown.
The role of Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront 1954 was originally written for Garfield, but he died before the film was made.
When his Warner Bros. contract expired in 1946, he did not re-sign with the studio, opting to start his own independent production company instead; he was one of the first Hollywood actors to do so.
Comforted Sidney Poitier on his first plane ride by telling him to put a handkerchief over his face and think about nothing.
A week before his fatal heart attack Garfield had separated from his wife, and hours before his death he completed a statement modifying his 1951 testimony about his Communist affiliations; Garfield was the fourth actor to die after being subjected to HUAC investigation, following Mady Christians, J. Edward Bromberg, and Canada Lee.
Was producer Irene Mayer Selznick’s first choice to play Stanley Kowalski in the Broadway premiere of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Won a state-wide oratory contest sponsored by the New York Times as a boy with Benjamin Franklin as his subject.
Blacklisted during the McCarthy Red Scare era in the early 1950s for his left-wing political beliefs, he adamantly refused to name names in testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee in April 1951; He was found dead of a heart attack in the apartment of a former showgirl, Iris Whitney, on May 21, 1952, the day after Clifford Odets, testifying before HUAC, reaffirmed that Garfield had never been a member of the Communist Party; His funeral in New York was mobbed by thousands of fans.
When he turned down the chance to play the male lead on Broadway in A Streetcar Named Desire, the part written originally by Tennessee Williams for an Italian-American was rewritten for a Polish-American to accommodate the blonde looks of the then unknown Marlon Brando, whose performance made him a star.
Garfield was one of Warner Bros’ most suspended stars, having been suspended 11 times during his nine years at the studio.
On an episode of his own biography, Robert Blake related that when he was playing John Garfield as a boy in Humoresque 1946, there was a scene he could not get right; Garfield cleared the set and directed Blake himself, telling the nine-year-old: Robert, remember this for the rest of your life. Your life is a rehearsal. Your performance is real.
Parents were Russian immigrants, David and Hannah Garfinkle; although his father was a presser in a factory during the week, he was also a cantor on weekends and holy days.
The role of Bill Sampson in All About Eve 1950 was originally intended for him, but Gary Merrill was cast instead.
Wife Roberta Seidman was his childhood sweetheart.
Was a semifinalist in a Golden Gloves tournament.
Was Nelson Algren’s choice to play Frankie Machine in the film version The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955 of Algren’s novel The Man With the Golden Arm.
He landed a nonpaying job at Eva Le Gallienne’s Civic Repertory, where he was recommended to legendary acting teachers Maria Ouspenskaya and Richard Boleslawski.
In his only dramatic TV appearance, Garfield played Joe Bonaparte and Kim Stanley played Lorna Moon in a scene from Clifford Odets’ play Golden Boy on the show John Garfield, Kim Stanley, Paul Winchell & Jerry Mahoney 1950; the role had been written for him by Odets, but when the play was first produced by the Group Theatre in 1938, the powers that be decided Garfield wasn’t ready to play the role of the young violinist turned boxer; Luther Adler subsequently created the role; Garfield finally played the role on Broadway in 1951, a few months before his premature death; the performance has been preserved and is available on YouTube as of 2024.
Is portrayed by Bruce Ornstein in Will There Really Be a Morning? 1983.
Father of actors David Garfield and Julie Garfield.
Died in the New York apartment of actress Iris Whitney after they had dinner at Luchow’s Restaurant.
Garfield was a guest on Ed Sullivan’s show in 1948 and quipped that the large TV cameras of this new medium were frightening.
Buried at Westchester Hills Cemetery, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.
Garfield’s widow Roberta married labor lawyer Sidney Cohn in 1954; he died in 1991 and Roberta Garfield Cohn died of Alzheimer’s Disease in January 2004.
Honored by Turner Classic Movies as Star of the Month for February 2021.
Favorite movie star of Alain Delon.
According to her best-selling autobiography The Gift Horse, German actress Hildegard Knef was the last person Garfield spoke to before his death.
On May 26, 1949, he was a guest on NBC radio’s Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Show.
He was born on the same day that Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated as the 28th President of the United States: March 4, 1913.
Disliked being recognized by the public.
Felt that Warner Bros. cast him in largely inferior roles that didn’t stretch his acting ability.
Always considered himself an actor of the theatre, first and foremost.
Had a strained relationship with his father, who showed little interest in his son.
In 1932, John Garfield joined the Civic Repertory Theatre in New York, and soon after made his Broadway debut in Counsellor at Law.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about John Garfield.
Celebrities similar to John Garfield — same craft, ranked by reach.
🌍 Hong Kong
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇦 Ukraine
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇦 Ukraine
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
