Judy Garland was an American actress, singer, and dancer. She attained international stardom and critical acclaim as an actress in both musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Renowned for her versatility, she received a Golden Globe Award, a Special Tony Award and was one of twelve people in history to receive an Academy Juvenile Award.
Garland began performing as a child, with her two elder sisters, in a vaudeville group, The Gumm Sisters, and was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a teenager. She appeared in more than two dozen films for MGM, including The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Harvey Girls, Easter Parade, and Summer Stock. Garland was a frequent on-screen partner of both Mickey Rooney and Gene Kelly, and regularly collaborated with director Vincente Minnelli, her second husband. In 1950, after 15 years with MGM, she was released from her contract with the studio amid a series of personal struggles that prevented her from fulfilling the terms of her contract.