John Garfield

Biography

Born Jacob Julius Garfinkle in 1913 to Russian Jewish immigrant parents, John Garfield grew up in poverty on New York City's Lower East Side and became a member of the Group Theater in the early 1930s. He transitioned to Hollywood, starring at Warner Bros., and received Academy Award nominations for Four Daughters (1938) and Body and Soul (1947). His courageous refusal to name names before the U.S. Congressional House Committee on Un-American Activities ended his film career.