John Garfield

 John Garfield, born Jacob Julius Garfinkle (March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952)

He grew up in poverty in Depression-era New York City. In the early 1930s, he became an important member of the Group Theater, and soon moved to Los Angeles to find work in Hollywood. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor, once in 1939 for Four Daughters, and again in 1948 for Body and Soul. Other noteworthy films include They Made Me A Criminal, The Sea Wolf, Destination Tokyo, Gentleman's Agreement, Humoresque, and The Postman Always Rings Twice. An active liberal, he was accused of being a Communist in the late 1940's and was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in April, 1951. He refused to mention names of any friends and testified that he was not, nor had he ever been a Communist. Nevertheless, he was still blacklisted in Hollywood and his ability to find work greatly declined. Garfield, who already had a heart ailment, was under a great deal of stress. In the morning of May 20, 1952 Garfield, against his doctor's strict orders, played several strenuous sets of tennis with a friend, mentioning the fact that he had not been to bed the night before.

He met actress Iris Whitney for dinner, and afterward became suddenly ill complaining that he felt chilled. She took him to her apartment, where he refused to let her call a doctor and instead went to bed. The next morning, she found him dead. James Garfield had died from a heart attack at 39, and is buried at Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, Westchester County, New York