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Jimmy Stewart
1908-1997
Nominated for Best Actor Oscar 5 times, winning once
Best Actor Nominations:
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
Harvey (1950)
Anatomy of A Murder (1959)
Awarded Best Actor Oscar for The Philidelphia Story (1940)
Awarded Honorary Academy Award for 50 years of performances in over 80 films (1985)

Upon winning the 1940 Academy Award, Stewart promptly mailed the Oscar to his family to be displayed in the window of his father's hardware shop, where the statuette remained for over 25 years.
Meanwhile, World War II raged in Europe, and following his success with The Philadelphia Story, Stewart made history by joining the United States Army - the first Hollywood star to do so. However, he was initially rejected after failing his physical exam (he was 10 pounds underweight). He barely managed to pass the second physical, but, in 1941, prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he was assigned to the U.S. Army Air Corps. With previous flying experience, Stewart served as a flight instructor until November 1943 when he was promoted to commander of a bomber squadron. Stationed in Europe, Stewart flew on over 20 missions and received numerous honors, including the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was promoted to the rank of colonel, and in 1959, he was appointed as a brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve.
During this time, Stewart worked on several films, but it wasn't until after the war that he returned to making movies full-time. In his first notable project following the war, he starred with Donna
Reed in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946).