Humphrey Bogart, one of the greatest screen actors of the twentieth century, was born in New York City on January 23, 1899. His parental home and his upbringing were upper crust New York. His father, Belmont DeForest Bogart [1865], was a prosperous New York surgeon, and his mother, Maud Humphrey, was an illustrator and artist.
Bogart's parents were able to send him to first-rate schools such as Trinity School in New York City and Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where he prepared for medical school.
Bogart was from solid Dutch American background. His ancestral grandparents were firmly rooted in seventeenth century New Amsterdam and New Netherland dating back ten generations. They were:
Teunis Gijsbertse Bogaert and Sara Rapalje [1625]. Sara was the first European girl born in New Netherland.Gijsbert Teunisse Bogaert [1668] and Jannetje Simonse Van Arsdale.Gijsbert Bogaert [1697] and Marretje Bergen.Jacob Bogaert [1723] and Ann Stryker.Gilbert Bogaert [1748] and Metje Brokaw.Jacob Bogaert [1772] and Mary Brokaw.Peter Brokaw Bogaert [1793].Adam Welty Bogart [1829].Belmont DeForest Bogart [1865] and Maud Humphrey.Humphrey Bogart [1899-1957].
Humphrey Bogart never completed his pre-med education at Phillips Academy because of failing grades. In 1918 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Following his naval discharge in the early twenties, a family friend who was a theatrical producer, hired him as an office assistant. Bogart worked himself up to the position of stage manager, and began getting small roles in stage plays. Throughout the twenties he continued to do stage work and became a non-renowned stage actor. During the thirties Bogart was in his first feature film entitled, "The Devil with Woman". The film was a forgettable failure.
Bogart's first theatrical success came in the mid-thirties. He had the lead in "The Petrified Forest", a stage play which in 1936 was turned into a film with Bogart as the lead actor. Bette Davis was his co-star. It was a smash hit and provided the impetus for Bogart's future acting career.
Bogart's subsequent acting career encompassed numerous top films during the last twenty years of his life. Although there were other films in between, his next smash hit was "High Sierra" in 1940 with Ida Lupino as co-star and John Huston as director. In that same year "The Maltese Falcon", directed by John Huston, also came out. In 1942 "Across the Pacific", a war drama also directed by John Huston was produced.
Bogart's most famous film of his career, "Casa Blanca" was produced in 1943, with Ingrid Bergman as his co-star. Many film connoisseurs, to this day, consider "Casa Blanca" to be one of the top ten films ever produced. "Casa Blanca" won the Academy's best picture award, and Bogart was nominated for the Academy's best actor award but did not win the Oscar. The noted actors, Peter Lorrie, Claude Rains, Sidney Greenstreet, and Dooley Wilson, also starred in the film.
In 1945 Bogart divorced his third wife, Mayo Method, and married Lauren Bacall, with whom he would co-star in several more smash hit films. Bogart's first film with Lauren Bacall, a top hit, was "To Have and Have Not" in 1945. His next two films with Bacall were "Big Sleep" in 1946 and "Dark Passage" in 1947. In 1947 Bogart also completed the film, "Dead Reckoning" with Liza Scott, followed in 1948 with "Key Largo", in which Bacall was again his co-star.
The smash hit, "African Queen" followed in 1952, with Katherine Hepburn as his co-star. Bogart won his first Academy Award for best actor, the Oscar, by beating both Marlon Brando for his role in "Streetcar Named Desire" and Fred March for his role in "Death of A Salesman". Bogart was also the main actor in "Caine Mutiny" for which he received another Academy nomination for best actor.
Bogart and Bacall had two children together. Their son, Stephen Humphrey Bogart, was born in 1949 and their daughter, Leslie Howard Bogart was born in 1952.
Bogart's last film, "The Harder They Fall", was made in 1956. Bogart died on January 14, 1957 from esopheagal cancer in the bedroom of his home in Hollywood's Holmby Hills. At his funeral, his best friend John Huston described Bogart best with his statement, "He is quite irreplaceable. There will never be anybody like him". It is a statement that reflects the thought of all those who have seen and enjoyed his many unforgettable performances.
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References
Bogart-Tribute.Net
The Fulkerson Geneology