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Michael Sidney LuftProducer, third husband of actress Judy Garland
Date of Birth: 02.11.1915
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Sidney Luft
Sidney Luft (Michael Sidney Luft) was born in 1915 in New York City to Russian and German immigrant parents. He spent his childhood in Westchester. Luft was a boxing enthusiast and a regular at bars, earning the nickname "One-Punch Luft" due to his reckless behavior. He later served as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force and worked as a pilot for the Douglas Aircraft Company in the early 1940s.
Marriages and Career
In November 1943, Sidney married popular actress Lynn Bari, and they had a son named John. By the late 1940s, Luft had become a film producer, working on projects such as the comedy "Kilroy Was Here" in 1947 and the romantic comedy "French Leave" in 1948. In 1950, he divorced Lynn and married Judy Garland, a renowned star.
In 1954, Luft participated in the project "A Star Is Born," where his wife shined in the leading role. The film became the most famous and high-class remake of the 1937 version, with Judy and James Mason winning Golden Globe awards. The movie received six Oscar nominations, although it did not perform as well as expected at the box office.
In 1965, Judy and Sidney divorced. They had two children together, Lorna (born in 1952) and Joseph (born in 1955). Sidney went on to marry Patti Hemingway in 1970 and actress Camille Keaton in 1993. He had a limited number of roles in the film industry, mostly appearing as himself in several documentary projects, including the series "Biography," "American Masters," and "Hollywood Outtakes." In 1997, he produced the video project "Judy Garland's Hollywood."
Later Life and Legacy
Sidney Luft lived until the age of 89 and passed away on September 15, 2005, due to a heart attack. He was an avid golfer, and his memorial service took place at his beloved Riviera Country Club. One notable incident involving Luft was when he attempted to sell a gilded Oscar statuette awarded to Judy Garland for her role in "The Wizard of Oz." Unaware that the statuette (a replica of the original, which had been lost and later restored) was not to be sold and was required to be returned to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences upon the owner's death for a nominal fee of $10, Luft faced legal action instead of the expected profit.
