His good-hearted Everyman film image and dignified personal life endeared him to the entire American public, but Hollywood legend Jimmy Stewart had unique ties to Utah and touched the lives of many here during his lengthy career.
Stewart died Wednesday at age 89 at his Beverly Hills home from a blood clot in his lung.A popular performer whose aw-shucks style made acting seem easy in movie classics such as "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "It's a Wonderful Life," Stewart also was capable of showing a darker and more complex side of human nature in such films as "Vertigo" and "Rear Window."
But he was perhaps best known for heartwarming turns in such films as "Harvey" and as a courageous little guy pitted against the forces of ignorance and evil in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance."
In 1980, the versatile performer starred in a television special, "Mr. Krueger's Christmas," produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Stewart said he was delighted that this afforded him the most unique opportunity of his career - the chance to direct the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
President N. Eldon Tanner, then the first counselor in the church's First Presidency, came to the set as filming ended to give Stewart a thank-you gift of a written family history that traced the genealogy of James Maitland Stewart's ancestors back to the Revolutionary War.
A visibly moved Stewart repeatedly termed the gesture "amazing."
Stewart also praised the TV special, saying he hoped it would help promote the true meaning of Christmas. The holiday "has come to be connected with Santa Claus, gifts, lights, decorations, trees, etc. We may be guilty of forgetting that Christmas is really the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ," Stewart said.
The actor in 1985 donated his personal papers and movie memorabilia to Brigham Young University and was honored that year during a week-long tribute to him and his contributions to the entertainment industry.
Tickets sold out in 36 hours.
Although a devout Presbyterian, Stewart nonetheless said he was struck by the values exemplified by BYU.
"In my two days here at Brigham Young, I've become more and more impressed and almost overwhelmed by the size of what you do, what you stand for and the way you operate," Stewart said during the 1985 visit.
Those who knew Stewart only by his slow-talking, regular-guy screen image might be surprised at the complexity of the man. He was educated at Princeton, where he studied architecture. Unlike many Hollywood actors, Stewart enlisted in active service during World War II and flew 20 combat missions in Europe as a bomber squadron com-mander. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. Stewart remained active in the Air Force Reserve, and in 1959 President Dwight D. Eisenhower promoted Stewart to brigadier general.
He was married for 45 years to the former Gloria McLean, who died in 1994, and throughout their marriage, the couple avoided much of the glittery Hollywood scene. They had three children. One son, Ronald, was killed in Vietnam in 1969. Stewart is survived by stepson Michael McLean and daughters Judy Merrill and Kelly Harcourt.
Stewart also was a published poet and brought tears to the eyes of "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson when Stewart read "Beau," a poem about a dog he had always loved.
Those who knew him said Stewart's image as an old-fashioned hero was not some Hollywood concoction. The lanky actor left behind not only an unrivaled body of work but also a legacy of dignity and generosity.
From his courageous war service to his steadfast devotion to his wife, the star exemplified the values of decency and moral courage that he created on screen.
"He is the last of the great leading men," said actor Robert Wagner, a longtime friend who was co-host of Stewart's charity road race. "He was a very kind, very generous person. Everybody who knew Jimmy is better off."
Fighting illness and mourning the death of his wife, Stewart had become something of a recluse in recent years. His image as a beloved symbol of American integrity, however, never dulled.
"Jimmy Stewart had a wonderful life, and there was no one more dear or more fun than he was," Doris Day, his co-star in "The Man Who Knew Too Much," said in a statement.
"America lost a national treasure today," President Clinton said, describing Stewart as "a great actor, a gentleman and a patriot."
Stewart played the hero even when the cameras stopped rolling. From his noble film characters to his offscreen role as devoted husband, dutiful son and genuine war hero, the Academy Award-winning actor championed simple values, giving decency and courage a face - and a slow, stammering voice.
Not so much the suave matinee idol as the guy-next-door type, Stewart mostly played devoted, sometimes bashful heroes, slow to anger but possessed of extraordinary valor and endless perseverance.
Decades after Stewart's films came out, they remain among the most beloved in the American movie canon.
He played an idealistic young senator in 1939's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and a suicidal businessman in 1946's "It's a Wonderful Life," his personal favorite.
Stewart won a best actor Academy Award for 1940's "The Philadelphia Story" and was nominated four other times.
In his more than 75 films, Stewart built a body of cinematic work with few equals: movies suffused with nobility and humanity.
Betty Hutton, who starred with Stewart in 1952's "The Greatest Show on Earth," said Stewart was "the most special actor I've ever worked with."
"He was just a great human being," she said. "That same man that you see, that you talk to, that you love every day is the same man that you see on the screen."
A modest guy in real life, Stewart was more likely to credit his directors than himself for his screen performances. "I won't let it get me, but too much praise can turn a fellow's head if he doesn't watch his step," he once said.
His wife often reinforced his humility. At a party one night, he started telling a story in his trademark faltering style. "Now, dear," she chided, "don't talk like Jimmy Stewart."
Former President Ronald Reagan and wife, Nancy, Stewart's close friends who presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985, said in a statement that Stewart's modesty meant he "never really understood the greatness that others saw in him."
Kim Novak, his "Vertigo" co-star, said Stewart was "one-of-a-kind."
"Others would merely be copies. He was my friend, my role model. He taught me that it was possible to remain who you are and not be tainted by your environment," she said.
Born in Indiana, Pa., on May 20, 1908, Stewart's life reflected a small-town, religious upbringing and sense of responsibility. He often returned to help the family hardware store in Pennsylvania, where his Oscar was displayed in the window for 20 years.
"It's a Wonderful Life" cast Stewart as George Bailey, a good and ambitious man who grows despondent after it seems life is passing him by.
Bailey learns life's important lessons from his guardian angel Clarence Odbody: "Each man's life touches so many other lives, and when he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? . . . You see, George, you really had a wonderful life."