John Garfield
John Garfield
John Garfieldwas an American actor adept at playing brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in Depression-era New York City. In the early 1930s, he became an important member of the Group Theater. In 1937, he moved to Hollywood, eventually becoming one of Warner Bros.' major stars. Called to testify before the U.S. Congressional House Committee on Un-American Activities, he denied communist affiliation and refused to "name names," effectively ending his film career. Some have alleged that the...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionActor
Date of Birth4 March 1913
CountryUnited States of America
Early Tuesday morning, I was stopped outside my home for driving under the influence of alcohol. I have always taken full responsibility for my actions and pledge that I will cooperate completely with law enforcement officials,
I wanted the attention I missed at home, so I became the leader of a gang. That way, I got attention and was recognized as being important. It wasn't a bad gang - you know, in poor districts in New York, there's a gang to every block. We never robbed at the point of a gun; we'd steal potatoes from a grocery store, or crackers.
When I think back, the neighbors were always sayin', 'Oh, that poor Julie, that poor orphan.' I loved it. The Italians would invite me in for dinner - it was an Italian neighborhood mostly. Oh, I loved it.
Today, for the good of my own health and because I love my family more than anything, I am checking myself into a rehabilitation center to help me in my battle with alcoholism and its unhealthy interaction with pain medications I have been prescribed for many years,
I always wanted to be in the limelight, and I found I could get it by being on the stage. That was the beginning of everything for me.
I believe the more successful an actor becomes, the more chances he should take. An actor never stops learning.
To my surprise, I discovered that I could act, and I liked it even better than boxing.
There are many films in which minority groups are caricatured to the point where truth is all together lost. There are many more films, good in general, but untrue in their presentation of the Negro's life as totally divorced from the Caucasian's or the Caucasian's from the Negro.
When an actor doesn't face a conflict, he loses confidence in himself. I always want to have a struggle because I believe it will help me accomplish more.
There was no convincing me that a stepmother could be anything but a wicked ogre, and I acted accordingly.
I know a playwright with a forty-thousand-dollar house in Beverly and he's miserable.
I lived in a bad neighborhood. I knew so many things a boy shouldn't know. I did so many things a boy shouldn't do.
There was a revolution going on at home. Why didn't I earn some money? Why didn't I do something practical, like chicken farming?
I didn't learn anything about acting until I joined the Group Theatre. They taught me an entirely new approach, an entirely new technique.