Judy Holliday

Judy Holliday was an American actress, comedienne and singer. She was known for her performance on Broadway in the musical Bells Are Ringing, winning a Tony Award and reprising her role in the 1960 film adaptation. In 1952 she was called to testify before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee to answer claims she was associated with communism.

About Judy Holliday in brief

Summary Judy HollidayJudy Holliday was an American actress, comedienne and singer. She began her career as part of a nightclub act before working in Broadway plays and musicals. Her success in the 1946 stage production of Born Yesterday as Billie Dawn led to her being cast in the 1950 film version for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress. She was known for her performance on Broadway in the musical Bells Are Ringing, winning a Tony Award and reprising her role in the 1960 film adaptation. In 1952 she was called to testify before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee to answer claims she was associated with communism. She starred opposite then-newcomer Jack Lemmon in his first two feature films, the comedies It Should Happen to You and Phffftft! Holliday’s name appeared on a list of 151 pro-Communist artists in conservative publication Red Channels: Channels of Influence in Radio and TV.

The next year she was subpoenaed by Senator Pat McCarran’s Internal Security subcommittee, which was investigating subversion in the entertainment industry. She appeared in several films during the 1950s, including All About Eve and The Godfather: Part II. She died of a heart attack at the age of 69 in Los Angeles, California, on December 17, 1998. She is survived by her husband, two daughters, and a son. She had a daughter with her first husband, Michael Holliday, who died of cancer in 2002. She also had a son with actor Michael Landon, who starred in the film version of The Great Comet of 1812 and the TV series The Carrie Diaries. Holliday died of lung cancer in 2008.