Born in New York City (USA) on 25 December 1899. Humphrey Bogart was preparing for medical school at Yale when he was kicked out of Phillips Academy in Massachusetts. He joined the Navy but the war ended before he saw action. It was during this time that he received the scar on his lip that created his distinctive speaking style. The most commonly accepted story is that he was escorting a prisoner to the brig when the prisoner asked for a smoke. When Bogie looked for a match the prisoner hit him with his handcuffs and escaped.
After his time in the Navy, Humphrey Bogart returned to New York and began acting. In 1930, he signed a contract with Fox. He did some shorts but Fox released him from his contract after 2 years. He continued stage work and minor roles until Warner Bros. began preparing to film The Petrified Forest (1936). Leslie Howard, who was later in Gone with the Wind (1939) insisted that his old stage partner, Bogart be cast in the film. Following the success of this film, Bogart was given a long-term contract with Warner Bros. These controls forced actors to take the roles they were offered. From 1936 to 1940 Bogart was in 28 films.
George Raft turned down the role of High Sierra (1941) and Humphrey Bogart was heading to the top. Bogart also made The Maltese Falcon (1941) playing the part of Sam Spade. This was followed by Casablanca (1942) where Bogie brought the cynical Rick to life in the fight against Nazi terror. This was followed by such films as Sahara (1943) where American tank and 10 allies guard an important well, To Have and Have Not (1944) where he met Lauren Bacall.
After three troubled marriages, Bogart found lasting happiness when he wed Bacall in 1945. Their rapport was evident in their memorable onscreen pairings in subsequent movies The Big Sleep (1946), Dead Reckoning (1947) and Key Largo (1948). They teamed again for a well-received television adaptation of The Petrified Forest (1955). In 1951, Bogart won an Oscar for his appearance in The African Queen (1951). His final movie before his death was the boxing classic The Harder They Fall (1956). Bogart passed away on 14 January 1957, aged 57.
Humphrey Bogart was given a passing nod, along with George Raft and James Cagney, in There Goes A Tenner.
