Humphrey Bogart
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 greatest male star of classic American cinema.
 Bogart in 1940 | |
| Born | Humphrey DeForest Bogart December 25, 1899 New York City, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died | January 14, 1957 (aged 57) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1921–1956 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, including Stephen Humphrey |
| Parents | Maud Humphrey |
Early life and education
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was born on Christmas Day 1899 in New York City, the eldest child of Belmont DeForest Bogart and Maud Humphrey. Belmont was the only child of the unhappy marriage of Adam Welty Bogart, an innkeeper from Canandaigua, New York, and Julia Augusta Stiles, a wealthy heiress. The name "Bogart" derives from the Dutch surname "Bogaert," meaning "orchard." Belmont and Maud married in June 1898. He was a Presbyterian, of English and Dutch descent, and a descendant of Sarah Rapelje, the first European Christian girl born in New Netherland. Maud was an Episcopalian of English heritage and a descendant of Mayflower passenger John Howland. Humphrey was raised Episcopalian but was non-practicing for most of his adult life.
The date of Bogart's birth has been disputed. Clifford McCarty wrote that Warner Bros.' publicity department had altered it to January 23, 1900, "to foster the view that a man born on Christmas Day couldn't be as villainous as he appeared to be on screen." The "corrected" January birth date subsequently appeared and, in some cases, remains in many otherwise-authoritative sources. According to biographers Ann M. Sperber and Eric Lax, Bogart always celebrated his birthday on December 25 and listed it on official records, including his marriage license. Lauren Bacall wrote that Bogart's birthday was always celebrated on Christmas Day, and he joked about being cheated out of a present every year. A birth announcement in the Ontario County Times of January 10, 1900, along with state and federal census records from 1900, confirm a December 25, 1899, birth date. Bogart's birth record also confirms this.
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Belmont, Bogart's father, was a cardiopulmonary surgeon. Maud was a commercial illustrator who received her art training in New York and France, including study with James Abbott McNeill Whistler. She later became art director of the fashion magazine The Delineator and a militant suffragette. Maud used a drawing of baby Humphrey in an advertising campaign for Mellins Baby Food. She earned over $50,000 a year at the peak of her career, considerably more than her husband's $20,000. The Bogarts lived in an Upper West Side apartment, and had a cottage on a 55-acre estate on Canandaigua Lake in upstate New York. When he was young, Bogart's group of friends at the lake would put on plays, fostering early exposure to performance.
He had two younger sisters, Frances ("Pat") and Catherine Elizabeth ("Kay"). Bogart's parents were busy in their careers and frequently fought, showing little emotion towards their children. Maud instructed her offspring to call her "Maud" instead of "Mother" and displayed little, if any, physical affection. When she was pleased, she "clapped you on the shoulder, almost the way a man does," Bogart recalled. "I was brought up very unsentimentally but very straightforwardly. A kiss, in our family, was an event. Our mother and father didn't glug over my two sisters and me."
Bogart was teased as a boy for his curls, tidiness, the "cute" pictures his mother had him pose for, and the Little Lord Fauntleroy clothes in which she dressed him, and for his first name. He inherited from his father a tendency to needle, a fondness for fishing, a lifelong love of boating, and an attraction to strong-willed women.
Bogart attended the private Delancey School until the fifth grade and then attended the prestigious 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.
Naval service and early career
After leaving Phillips Academy, Bogart's life seemed aimless for a time, affecting his academic future. In 1918, close to the end of World War I, he joined the United States Navy. The war ended shortly after he enlisted, so he did not see combat; however, the experience was crucial for him. Naval life introduced him to maritime culture, strict discipline, and a tough, male-dominated environment. All these factors helped shape his personality. This time also sparked his lifelong love for sailing and boating.
When he returned from naval service, Bogart decided to pursue a theater career instead of the traditional profession his family expected. This choice wasn’t entirely random, as his mother had connections in artistic and publishing circles that helped him enter the Broadway theater scene. In his early years, he worked behind the scenes, first as a stage manager and later in small acting roles. This gave him hands-on experience in stage production.
By the early 1920s, Bogart started to land roles on Broadway as romantic young characters. His tall stature, polished look, and aristocratic manner made him a good fit for these parts, even though his acting at that time was often seen as lacking emotional depth. Still, he maintained steady work throughout the decade and slowly built a reputation as a dependable stage actor.
During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Bogart achieved a steady career in theater, but this time was filled with personal struggles. His first marriage to actress Helen Menken was short-lived, and his second marriage to Mary Philips faced challenges due to job insecurity and Bogart's growing reliance on alcohol. His heavy drinking during these years became a defining feature of his personal life, later affecting both his public image and health.
Transition to film and breakthrough
With the emergence of sound films in 1930, Bogart transitioned from stage performances to motion pictures, a move that many Broadway actors of the era were making. He signed a contract with Warner Bros., marking the beginning of his Hollywood career. Despite his stage experience, the studio largely confined him to supporting roles for much of the 1930s. He was most frequently cast as villains or morally complex characters, rarely receiving opportunities to play leading men.
Bogart often portrayed gangsters, hitmen, and hardened criminals—figures defined by physical toughness, cynicism, and limited narrative authority. These characters typically served as obstacles to the film’s protagonists and frequently met violent or tragic ends. Leading roles were usually assigned to other actors whom the studio viewed as more commercially reliable. As a result, Bogart became associated with secondary roles, developing a reputation as a capable but underutilized performer. He grew increasingly frustrated with this typecasting and openly expressed dissatisfaction with the limitations imposed by the studio system.
Nevertheless, Bogart’s extensive work during this period allowed him to refine a distinctive screen presence. His restrained delivery, understated emotion, and ironic detachment gradually set him apart from other character actors. Although these qualities were not immediately recognized as leading-man material, they laid the groundwork for his later success.
Bogart’s career underwent a dramatic transformation in 1941 with the release of High Sierra. In the film, he portrayed Roy Earle, a doomed criminal whose vulnerability and moral complexity distinguished the role from his earlier performances. The film received significant attention and marked the first time Bogart was widely acknowledged as a potential leading actor.
Later the same year, he starred in The Maltese Falcon, portraying private detective Sam Spade. The role proved to be a defining moment in his career. As Spade, Bogart embodied a new kind of screen hero—emotionally restrained, verbally sharp, cynical yet guided by a personal moral code. The performance helped establish the hard-boiled protagonist archetype that became central to film noir.
Following these successes, Bogart was no longer regarded merely as a supporting player but emerged as a major star. His screen persona came to symbolize a distinctly American form of toughness, combining irony, independence, and moral ambiguity. From this point forward, he was widely recognized not just as an actor, but as a defining figure in classical Hollywood cinema.
Later career and death
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Bogart reached the peak of his career, starring in films like To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, Key Largo, and The African Queen. His performance in The African Queen (1951) earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Ironically, after being considered unfit for leading roles for years, he achieved the highest honor in the film industry.
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."