Judy Holliday: How the ‘Born Yesterday’ Star Became One of Hollywood’s Funniest Leading Ladies

In the '50s, there were few leading ladies funnier than Judy Holliday. The actress, who was known for her blonde hair, adorable dimples and high-pitched voice, charmed audiences in classics of the era like Born Yesterday and It Should Happen to You .

Holliday’s performances still feel fresh today, and her “dumb blonde” persona proved highly influential (in fact, none other than Madonna cited her as an inspiration !). Sadly, Holliday’s filmography is shorter than many other stars of her era, as she died of cancer in 1965 at just 43 years old. While she only starred in a handful of movies, her sassy yet lovable screen presence will always live on.

Here’s a look back at Holliday’s fascinating life and career.

Judy Holliday: from the nightclub to the big screen

Judy Holliday was born Judith Tuvim in Queens in 1921. As a teenager in the '30s, she formed a comedy troupe, the Revuers, with future comedy screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green and began performing at nightclubs in New York City. Eventually, she started taking bit parts in movies, and had her first credited role in the 1944 film Winged Victory .

In 1945, Holliday made her Broadway debut in the play Kiss Them for Me . The next year, she starred in another Broadway play, Born Yesterday . Her role as Billie Dawn, a seemingly ditsy moll who ultimately proves her savviness, established her as a gifted performer with a distinct comic persona.

Holliday then costarred in the Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy comedy Adam’s Rib in 1949. In 1950, Holliday had her first starring role in the film version of Born Yesterday , and she won an Oscar for her hilarious performance, beating out heavyweights like Bette Davis in All About Eve and Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard .

Riding high off her triumph in Born Yesterday , Holliday next starred in the comedies The Marrying Kind (1952) and It Should Happen to You (1954). It Should Happen to You proved to be a particularly prescient film, as it starred Holliday as a woman who wants to be famous and pays to put her name up on billboards in a bid for public attention. Today, the movie is more relevant than ever, and it’s hard to believe it was made well over 50 years before the rise of influencers!

The same year as It Should Happen to You , Holliday and her costar, fellow midcentury comedy legend Jack Lemmon , acted in another movie together, the quirkily titled Phffft . In 1956, Holliday starred in The Solid Gold Cadillac and Full of Life .

Judy Holliday’s legacy

Tragically, Holliday had only one more film role after her run of '50s comedies. In 1960, she starred opposite Dean Martin in the musical rom-com Bells Are Ringing . It was a full-circle moment, as she originated her part on Broadway in 1956, and the book and lyrics for the musical and screenplay for the film were written by her old collaborators Comden and Green.

Holliday left behind a powerful legacy of witty and wise performances, and her playful persona even helped save her from scandal. In 1950, she was put on a list of suspected Communists during the era of Hollywood blacklisting, and was subpoenaed in 1952. During her questioning, she channeled her Born Yesterday character. Playing dumb worked in her favor, as she got away without naming any names, and unlike many of her Hollywood peers, she emerged with her career and reputation intact.

When Holliday passed away in 1965, the film world lost a singular star. Her influence can be felt in many iconic performances of later decades, from Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan to Alicia Silverstone in Clueless to Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde , and her archetypal role of “dumb blonde who’s actually smarter than she seems” continues to have a major impact. It’s sad that Holliday’s career was cut short, but the performances she gave were true gems.

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