Humphrey Bogart: Difference between revisions

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'''Humphrey DeForest Bogart''' (December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed '''Bogie''', was an American actor. His performances in [[classic Hollywood cinema]] made him an American [[cultural icon]]. In 1999, the [[American Film Institute]] selected Bogart as the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars|greatest male star]] of classic American cinema.

'''Humphrey DeForest Bogart''' (December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed '''Bogie''', was an American actor. His performances in [[classic Hollywood cinema]] made him an American [[cultural icon]]. In 1999, the [[American Film Institute]] selected Bogart as the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars|greatest male star]] of classic American cinema. <ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=The New York Times|title=Spring Films/Revivals; How One Role Made Bogart Into an Icon.|date=2026-01-25|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/16/movies/spring-films-revivals-how-one-role-made-bogart-into-an-icon.html}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==

[[File:245 W103 St Bogie plaque jeh.JPG|thumb|alt=See caption|Plaque commemorating Bogart's birthplace, 245 W. 103rd St., New York City]]

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Bogart attended the private Delancey School until the fifth grade and then attended the prestigious [[Trinity School (New York City)|Trinity School]]. He was an indifferent, sullen student who showed no interest in after-school activities. Bogart later attended [[Phillips Academy]] in [[Andover, Massachusetts]], a boarding school to which he was admitted based on family connections. Although his parents hoped he would go on to [[Yale University]], Bogart left Phillips in 1918 after one semester, although the Phillips Academy website claims he was in the graduating class of 1920. He failed four out of six classes. Several reasons have been given: according to one, he was expelled for throwing the headmaster or a groundskeeper into Rabbit Pond on campus; another cited smoking, drinking, poor academic performance, and possibly inappropriate comments made to the staff. In a third scenario, Bogart was withdrawn by his father for failing to improve his grades. His parents were deeply disappointed in their failed plans for his future.

== Navy ==

Bogart joined the [[United States Navy]] in the spring of 1918, at the age of eighteen, during the last months of [[World War I]]. Bogart, who had abandoned his education and did not have a professional path in mind, has said that he joined the Navy as an escape and an adventure. In interviews conducted decades later, Bogart remembered the appeal that the war had for young men of his generation, as a chance to see the world and prove their independence from their families.

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During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Bogart achieved a measure of stability in his theatrical career, even as his personal life became increasingly turbulent. His first marriage to actress [[Helen Menken]] ended quickly, and his subsequent marriage to [[Mary Philips]] was strained by professional uncertainty and his growing dependence on alcohol. His heavy drinking during this period became a defining element of his private life, one that would later shape both his public image and long-term health.

== Transition to film and breakthrough ==

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Years of heavy smoking and drinking eventually took a serious toll on his health. In 1956, Bogart was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Despite undergoing several surgeries and treatments, his health quickly declined. He died on January 14, 1957, in Los Angeles, California. True to his well-known humor, a note left with him read, "I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis."

== ~~Navy~~ ==

== References ==

Bogart joined the [[United States Navy]] in the spring of 1918, at the age of eighteen, during the last months of [[World War I]]. Bogart, who had abandoned his education and did not have a professional path in mind, has said that he joined the Navy as an escape and an adventure. In interviews conducted decades later, Bogart remembered the appeal that the war had for young men of his generation, as a chance to see the world and prove their independence from their families.

He received training at the Naval Training Station at Pelham Bay Park in New York before being posted for duty on naval transport ships. After the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|armistice]], Bogart was on ships that were transporting American soldiers back from Europe on the troop transport {{USS|Leviathan|ID-1326|6}}. Though he saw no combat action, his military records indicate that he was a well-disciplined and dependable sailor. He rose to the rank of [[Petty Officer 2nd Class]] before being honorably discharged on June 18, 1919.

Bogart later spoke of his time in the Navy as one of the few periods of organized structure in his youth. It has been observed that the Navy was the first institution in which he was exposed to a strict system of hierarchy, repression of emotions, and a code of masculine stoicism that would later prove so resonant with the screen character he created in Hollywood. His disciplined physicality, clipped dialogue, and repression of emotional expression have often been attributed to this period.

One of the most enduring myths about Bogart’s naval career is the origin of the scar above his upper lip and his well-known lisp. There are a number of conflicting stories. One wartime publicity story had the injury being caused by enemy shelling of the “Leviathan,” though the ship was never shelled and Bogart may not have been at sea before the armistice. A more credible story, as told by Bogart himself and by long-time friend [[Nathaniel Benchley]], took place when Bogart was escorting a handcuffed prisoner to the [[Portsmouth Naval Prison]] in [[Kittery, Maine]] when the prisoner swung his handcuffs and struck Bogart in the mouth during a brief distraction, slashing his lip before making his escape.

Other contemporaries had alternative theories. Actor David Niven would later say that Bogart told him that the scar was from a childhood accident, and the rest were just stories of wartime injuries to flesh out his tough image. There was no mention of a serious lip injury in the medical tests after Bogart left the military, although there were several minor scars. Actress Louise Brooks, who knew Bogart in the early 1920s, said that he already had noticeable scar tissue on his upper lip and that it may have been partially repaired before he made sound films. Brooks also said that the injury did not cause a speech impediment, which meant that Bogart’s lisp was probably affectation.

Whatever its actual source, the scar itself became a characteristic physical trait and a fundamental aspect of Bogart’s movie image. Rather than trying to hide the scar, the studios later capitalized on the flaw, linking it to the persona of the tough, world-weary characters Bogart played. The ambivalence of the scar, its mixture of truth and fiction, reflected the struggle between truth and myth that was a hallmark of Bogart’s public image. Bogart's affinity with life at sea persisted even after his release from service. He became an avid sailor and owned several sailing vessels in his later years, including the yacht ''Santana''. During World War II, he tried to re-enlist in the Navy but was denied due to his age. He then chose to volunteer for the United States Coast Guard Temporary Reserve in 1944, using the ''Santana'' to patrol the coast of California. Although this act was more symbolic than substantive, Bogart spoke of it with great pride, as if it were an extension of the persona he had created for himself during his youth. In retrospect, Bogart’s time in the navy is a small but important part of military history, and an even more important part of the legend that was created around him. It is the source of the lived experience that later combined with the legend to create the archetype that Bogart embodied in his films: disciplined but rebellious, emotionally reserved, questioning of authority, and living in a world that was larger and more brutal than himself.

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-'''Humphrey DeForest Bogart''' (December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed '''Bogie''', was an American actor. His performances in [[classic Hollywood cinema]] made him an American [[cultural icon]]. In 1999, the [[American Film Institute]] selected Bogart as the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars|greatest male star]] of classic American cinema.
+'''Humphrey DeForest Bogart''' (December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed '''Bogie''', was an American actor. His performances in [[classic Hollywood cinema]] made him an American [[cultural icon]]. In 1999, the [[American Film Institute]] selected Bogart as the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars|greatest male star]] of classic American cinema. <ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=The New York Times|title=Spring Films/Revivals; How One Role Made Bogart Into an Icon.|date=2026-01-25|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/16/movies/spring-films-revivals-how-one-role-made-bogart-into-an-icon.html}}</ref>
 == Early life and education ==
 [[File:245 W103 St Bogie plaque jeh.JPG|thumb|alt=See caption|Plaque commemorating Bogart's birthplace, 245 W. 103rd St., New York City]]
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 Bogart attended the private Delancey School until the fifth grade and then attended the prestigious [[Trinity School (New York City)|Trinity School]]. He was an indifferent, sullen student who showed no interest in after-school activities. Bogart later attended [[Phillips Academy]] in [[Andover, Massachusetts]], a boarding school to which he was admitted based on family connections. Although his parents hoped he would go on to [[Yale University]], Bogart left Phillips in 1918 after one semester, although the Phillips Academy website claims he was in the graduating class of 1920. He failed four out of six classes. Several reasons have been given: according to one, he was expelled for throwing the headmaster or a groundskeeper into Rabbit Pond on campus; another cited smoking, drinking, poor academic performance, and possibly inappropriate comments made to the staff. In a third scenario, Bogart was withdrawn by his father for failing to improve his grades. His parents were deeply disappointed in their failed plans for his future.
 == Navy ==
 Bogart joined the [[United States Navy]] in the spring of 1918, at the age of eighteen, during the last months of [[World War I]]. Bogart, who had abandoned his education and did not have a professional path in mind, has said that he joined the Navy as an escape and an adventure. In interviews conducted decades later, Bogart remembered the appeal that the war had for young men of his generation, as a chance to see the world and prove their independence from their families.
@@ Line 61: / Line 62: @@
 During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Bogart achieved a measure of stability in his theatrical career, even as his personal life became increasingly turbulent. His first marriage to actress [[Helen Menken]] ended quickly, and his subsequent marriage to [[Mary Philips]] was strained by professional uncertainty and his growing dependence on alcohol. His heavy drinking during this period became a defining element of his private life, one that would later shape both his public image and long-term health.
 == Transition to film and breakthrough ==
@@ Line 81: / Line 81: @@
 Years of heavy smoking and drinking eventually took a serious toll on his health. In 1956, Bogart was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Despite undergoing several surgeries and treatments, his health quickly declined. He died on January 14, 1957, in Los Angeles, California. True to his well-known humor, a note left with him read, "I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis."
-== Navy ==
+== References ==
-Bogart joined the [[United States Navy]] in the spring of 1918, at the age of eighteen, during the last months of [[World War I]]. Bogart, who had abandoned his education and did not have a professional path in mind, has said that he joined the Navy as an escape and an adventure. In interviews conducted decades later, Bogart remembered the appeal that the war had for young men of his generation, as a chance to see the world and prove their independence from their families.
+<references />
-He received training at the Naval Training Station at Pelham Bay Park in New York before being posted for duty on naval transport ships. After the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|armistice]], Bogart was on ships that were transporting American soldiers back from Europe on the troop transport {{USS|Leviathan|ID-1326|6}}. Though he saw no combat action, his military records indicate that he was a well-disciplined and dependable sailor. He rose to the rank of [[Petty Officer 2nd Class]] before being honorably discharged on June 18, 1919.
-Bogart later spoke of his time in the Navy as one of the few periods of organized structure in his youth. It has been observed that the Navy was the first institution in which he was exposed to a strict system of hierarchy, repression of emotions, and a code of masculine stoicism that would later prove so resonant with the screen character he created in Hollywood. His disciplined physicality, clipped dialogue, and repression of emotional expression have often been attributed to this period.
-One of the most enduring myths about Bogart’s naval career is the origin of the scar above his upper lip and his well-known lisp. There are a number of conflicting stories. One wartime publicity story had the injury being caused by enemy shelling of the “Leviathan,” though the ship was never shelled and Bogart may not have been at sea before the armistice. A more credible story, as told by Bogart himself and by long-time friend [[Nathaniel Benchley]], took place when Bogart was escorting a handcuffed prisoner to the [[Portsmouth Naval Prison]] in [[Kittery, Maine]] when the prisoner swung his handcuffs and struck Bogart in the mouth during a brief distraction, slashing his lip before making his escape.
-Other contemporaries had alternative theories. Actor David Niven would later say that Bogart told him that the scar was from a childhood accident, and the rest were just stories of wartime injuries to flesh out his tough image. There was no mention of a serious lip injury in the medical tests after Bogart left the military, although there were several minor scars. Actress Louise Brooks, who knew Bogart in the early 1920s, said that he already had noticeable scar tissue on his upper lip and that it may have been partially repaired before he made sound films. Brooks also said that the injury did not cause a speech impediment, which meant that Bogart’s lisp was probably affectation.
-Whatever its actual source, the scar itself became a characteristic physical trait and a fundamental aspect of Bogart’s movie image. Rather than trying to hide the scar, the studios later capitalized on the flaw, linking it to the persona of the tough, world-weary characters Bogart played. The ambivalence of the scar, its mixture of truth and fiction, reflected the struggle between truth and myth that was a hallmark of Bogart’s public image. Bogart's affinity with life at sea persisted even after his release from service. He became an avid sailor and owned several sailing vessels in his later years, including the yacht ''Santana''. During World War II, he tried to re-enlist in the Navy but was denied due to his age. He then chose to volunteer for the United States Coast Guard Temporary Reserve in 1944, using the ''Santana'' to patrol the coast of California. Although this act was more symbolic than substantive, Bogart spoke of it with great pride, as if it were an extension of the persona he had created for himself during his youth. In retrospect, Bogart’s time in the navy is a small but important part of military history, and an even more important part of the legend that was created around him. It is the source of the lived experience that later combined with the legend to create the archetype that Bogart embodied in his films: disciplined but rebellious, emotionally reserved, questioning of authority, and living in a world that was larger and more brutal than himself.