GARFIELD, JOHN

GARFIELD, JOHN (Julius Garfinkle; 1913–1952), U.S. actor. Born in New York, Garfield, deeply disturbed by the death of his mother, was a chronic truant, but was persuaded by a child psychologist to study acting. He attended drama school and later joined the Group Theater Company, where he won acclaim for his role in Awake and Sing. He first played on Broadway in Elmer rice 's Counselor-at-Law (1931) and then took the lead in clifford odets ' Golden Boy (1937) and in its revival in 1952. His other Broadway performances include Johnny Johnson (1936–37), Having a Wonderful Time (1937–38), Heavenly Express (1940), Skipper Next to God (1948), The Big Knife (1949), and Peer Gynt (1951). Embittered over being passed over for the lead (the part went to William Holden) in the 1939 film version of Golden Boy, which was written for him, he signed a contract with Warner Brothers and won enormous praise for the role of the cynical Mickey Borden in the film Four Daughters (1938). Although he began his film career typed as a "tough," he played the lover in Saturday's Children (1940) and the role of Danny in John Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat (1942). In 1947 he had the opportunity to put on the boxing gloves once again when he starred as the prizefighter in Body and Soul. Other films of his include They Made Me a Criminal (1939), Pride of the Marines (1945), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), Nobody Lives Forever (1946), Humoresque (1946), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), Force of Evil (1948), We W ere Strangers (1949), Under My Skin (1950), The Breaking Point (1950), and He Ran All the Way (1951). Active in liberal political and social causes, he found himself caught up in the Communist scare of the late 1940s. Although he testified before Congress that he was never a Communist, his opportunities to secure acting roles decreased. When John Garfield died of a heart attack at age 39, his funeral was attended by thousands of fans, the largest turnout for an actor since the death of silent film idol Rudolph Valentino. -ADD. BIBLIOGRAPHY: L. Swindell, Body and Soul: The Story of John Garfield (1975); H. Gelman, The Films of John Garfield (1975); R. Nott, He Ran All the Way: The Life of John Garfield (2003). (Ruth Beloff (2nd ed.)