The classical Hollywood era saw the rise of many notable screen and stage actors with so much talent and skills. Humphrey Bogart was clearly without a doubt amongst the greats of that time and age as he was honored by the American Film Institute in 1999 as the Greatest Male Star of Classic American cinema.
Following a career that spanned well over three decades and a haul of awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor and a posthumous induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the life of Humphrey Bogart is definitely worth the read.
Humphrey Bogart’s Biography
The talented American actor was born in New York City in the state of New York in the United States of America on December 25, 1899, according to official records. There have been claims that his accurate birth date was January 23, 1900, although those claims have been ruled out. He was christened Humphrey DeForest Bogart at birth. His Father, Belmont Deforest Bogart, both of English and Dutch descent was a surgeon while his Mother, Maud Humphrey, who was of English descent was an Illustrator and a member of the militant women’s organizations who fought for women’s right to vote in public elections.
Bogart, alongside his two younger sisters, Frances and Catherine, grew up amidst wealth on a lakeside estate in upstate New York. Despite his father being a Presbyterian, Humphrey was practically raised as an Episcopalian which happened to be the religion of his mother. He was enrolled in quite a number of fancy private schools such as Delancey School which he left after fifth grade and then moved on to Trinity School. He was also admitted into the prestigious Philips Academy in Massachusetts but was later expelled.
In 1918, shortly about being expelled from school with no options left, Humphrey Bogart decided to pursue a career at sea and enlisted to serve in the United States Navy during World War 1. Upon completing his service in the Navy, he tried his hands on many things including working as a shipper, a bond salesman and went on to join the Coast Guard Reserve.
He started out in entertainment as a stage manager before he finally ventured into acting. He had quite a slow start as he struggled to impress but later found his footing. Some of his acclaimed works include ‘The Petrified Forest’ released in 1936, ‘High Sierra’ and ‘The Maltese Falcon’ which were both released in 1941. He also got Academy Award nominations for his roles in
‘Casablanca’ and ‘The Caine’. He finally won an Academy Award for his performance in ‘The African Queen’ which was released in 1951.
Spouse, Children
The American-born actor was married four times in his lifetime, all of which were to American actresses, and was still married to the fourth as at the time of his death. Many have attributed his failed marriages to the fact that his parents didn’t have much of a happy marriage either.
Humphrey Bogart’s first marriage was to Helen Menken, an American actress, in 1926 but it lasted for barely one year as they divorced in 1927. He then married another actress, Mary Philips, in 1928. The marriage lasted for about 9 years before it finally crumbled. Three years after divorcing Mary Philips, Humphrey married Mayo Methot who was known to have suffered from alcoholism. They had no children together despite being married for seven years before finally getting a divorce in 1945.
Bogart finally hit the jackpot as he married American actress, Lauren Bacall, who would later be named amongst great actresses of Classic Hollywood. They were married in Ohio at the country home of Bogart’s close friend, Louis Bromfield. Their union ended with the death of Humphrey Bogart in 1957. The award-winning actor has only two children from his four marriages and they all came from his marriage to Lauren Bacall.
His first child came when he had already clocked 49 and it was a son. Stephen Humphrey Bogart was born on January 6, 1949, and later went on to become an author. Three years after the birth of his son, his daughter Leslie was born. Leslie Howard Bogart came on August 23, 1952.
Humphrey Bogart’s Height
The Academy winning actor has a height of 1.73m which is about 5ft 8inches which makes Humphrey Bogart quite tall. His height, coupled with his weight of about 70kg, gives him a good physique.
Death – How Humphrey Bogart Died
Hollywood and the world at large witnessed the demise of a legend as Humphrey Bogart kicked the bucket on January 14, 1957, being only 57 years old. His death came after a failed surgery to remove an oesophageal cancerous growth he was previously diagnosed with the previous year – 1956.
