Sidney Luft
Sidney Luft (
November 2,
1915 â€"
September 15,
2005) was the third husband of iconic Americansinger/actress
Judy Garland.
He is credited with keeping the brilliant, but tormented and difficult Garland alive, well and working, and with setting up a deal with
Warner Brothers to bankroll his wife's triumphant comeback film, a 1954 musical remake of
A Star Is Born plus future projects.
Sid Luft's name is on the film's credits as producer. Although it won ecstatic praise from critics and an
Oscar nomination for Garland, box office receipts proved disappointing. The studio canceled the Luft-Garland contract, which would have starred Judy in two additional Warner films, and given Luft a berth at Warners as a producer.
He was born
Michael Sidney Luft in
New York City, New York to
Jewish immigrants from
Russia and
Germany. His first theatrical job was as secretary to MGM dancer
Eleanor Powell, which gained him a foot in Hollywood's door.
As Powell's movie career foundered, he managed and married
Lynn Bari, a good actress who never managed to achieve filmdom's A-liststatus.
When Bari's career waned, Luft met Garland and became her manager. He is generally referred to as a producer but records show he only produced two B movies, both for the low-tier Monogram, prior to his marriage to Judy Garland, one movie starring Garland, and none thereafter.
He was married four times:
* On
November 28,
1943 he married
Lynn Bari. They had one child, a son, named John. They divorced on
December 26,
1950.
* On
June 8,
1952 he married Judy Garland. They had two children, Joey Luft (a scenic photographer, born
March 29,
1955 in
Los Angeles, California) and
Lorna Luft. They divorced in
1964, but it was not finalized until 1966.
* In
1970 he married
Patti Hemingway, from whom he was later divorced.
* On
March 20,
1993 he married
Camille Keaton, grandniece of
Buster Keaton.
Luft was once an amateur boxer and bar-room brawler and had the nickname
One-Punch Luft. He was a pilot in the
Royal Canadian Air Force and in the early 40s was a test pilot for
Douglas.
Sidney Luft died
September 15,
2005 in
Santa Monica, California of a
heart attack, aged 89.
Kilroy Was Here (1947)
French Leave (1948)
General Electric Theater (TV) (Episode: Judy Garland Musical Special)
A Star Is Born (1954)
Ford Star Jubilee (TV) (Episode: The Judy Garland Special)
Judy Garland's Hollywood (1997)
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* [
1] Sidney Luft
*
AMCTV.COM Sidney Luft
* [
2] Sid Luft: Judy Garland's third husband and producer of her comeback film
* [
3] The Least Worst Man: Sidney Luft (1915-2005)
