Humphrey Bogart
“The weary, principled tough guy whose voice and presence defined screen cool for generations.”
In 1941, after a decade playing gangsters and supporting heavies, Humphrey Bogart broke through as a leading man with 'High Sierra' and 'The Maltese Falcon,' redefining himself as the world-weary, morally complex hero. A year later 'Casablanca' made him an immortal screen icon.
New York Beginnings
Born on Christmas Day to a prominent Manhattan family, Bogart drifted into acting after a stint in the Navy. He spent the 1930s typecast as gangsters and villains in Warner Bros. crime films.
The Reluctant Hero
Roles in 'High Sierra,' 'The Maltese Falcon,' and 'Casablanca' transformed him into the definitive tough-but-tender antihero. His clipped delivery and weary cynicism became one of cinema's most imitated styles.
Bogie and Bacall
He met Lauren Bacall filming 'To Have and Have Not' and married her in 1945, forming a legendary screen and real-life partnership. He won his Oscar for 'The African Queen' before dying of cancer in 1957.
Career Timeline
- 1899Born Humphrey DeForest Bogart in New York City
- 1918Serves in the U.S. Navy during WWI
- 1930Makes early film appearances for Fox
- 1936Breakthrough villain role in 'The Petrified Forest'
- 1941Stars as Sam Spade in 'The Maltese Falcon'
- 1942Plays Rick Blaine in 'Casablanca'
- 1944Meets Lauren Bacall on 'To Have and Have Not'
- 1945Marries Lauren Bacall
- 1948Stars in 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'
- 1951Wins Best Actor Oscar for 'The African Queen'
- 1957Dies of cancer in Los Angeles
Biggest Hits
- The American Film Institute named him the greatest male star of classic American cinema in 1999.
- His marriage to Lauren Bacall, 25 years his junior, became one of Hollywood's most famous romances.
The Moment You Remember
On the foggy airport tarmac at the close of <em>Casablanca</em>, Bogart's Rick tells Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa to board the plane, delivering lines that became among the most quoted in film history.
Portrait: Warner Bros. (publicity photo) · Public domain (PD-US-not renewed) · via Wikimedia Commons