Sidney Luft was born on November 2, 1915 in New York City, New York, USA as Michael Sidney Luft. He is known for his work on A Star Is Born (1954), Judy Garland's Hollywood (1997) and Kilroy Was Here (1947). He was married to Camille Keaton, Patti Hemingway, Judy Garland and Lynn Bari. He died on September 15, 2005 in Santa Monica, California, USA.
As a way to cap her live show each night, I had this idea that she should come down to the edge of the stage and sing 'Over the Rainbow'. It worked like a million bucks.
2
[on David Begelman, Garland's manager] He took thousands from Judy, and I tried to warn her. But she wouldn't listen to me. She thought I was just envious. I hated Begelman. When a friend called me and said that the bastard had shot himself, I said, 'Well, he sure as hell shot the right guy.'
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I was no Minnelli, that's for sure. I grew up in a rough New York neighborhood and didn't put up with shit from anyone. I'm a survivor, with the scars to show for it, and I think that appealed to Judy. She needed someone to lean on who wouldn't crack.
4
When we got married in the early '50s, Judy was still very beautiful. She was only 5-foot tall -- just a shrimp of a girl, really -- but she had a very sensuous body, and up close, her skin was like porcelain, pure white. I was crazy about her. She had incredibly kissable lips. -- referring to ex-wife Judy Garland
5
I loved her and didn't want to see her kicked around. If MGM couldn't handle her, that was their problem. But she was so incredibly talented that I knew she could land on her feet if she had some help. So what if the movies didn't want her? She could always sing. I wasn't going to let her fail. -- referring to his part in resurrecting Garland's career via the concert circuit
6
Whatever bad things happened, you don't fall out of love with somebody like her. All I know is that, if anyone tried to save a woman who was breaking apart, I did. I know that I did the best I could do, and it still wasn't enough. -- following Garland's accidental drug death in 1969
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[Said by studio boss Jack L. Warner]: "He's one of the original guys who promised his parents he'd never work a day in his life - and made good."
Launched Custom Motors, a custom car company on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California in the late 1930s.
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Joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940 and later served as a World War II test pilot for Douglas Aircraft. He survived a near-fatal plane crash that caused severe burns to his legs and hands.
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A sometime producer and showman, he once worked as a talent agent in the late 40s.
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The ruggedly handsome and streetwise Luft, who grew up in a tough section of New York, was known for his heavy drinking and barroom brawling. He claims to have broken four noses in various altercations.
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While reviving her career at the London Palladium and the Palace Theatre in the early 1950s, it was his idea to have wife Judy Garland come down to the edge of the stage and sing "Over the Rainbow" for dramatic effect.
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Was not on speaking terms with daughter Lorna Luft after the publishing of her unflattering memoir and the resulting TV-movie "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows" in 2001.
He had two children from his first marriage to actress Lynn Bari. His first, a daughter, was born in August of 1945 but died shortly thereafter. His second child, John Michael, was born on 18 September 1948.
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A Los Angeles U.S. District judge barred him from selling the replacement Juvenile Oscar Judy Garland received for "The Wizard of Oz." He was also ordered to pay nearly $60,000 to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to end their second lawsuit against him for repeatedly trying to sell the statuette. (September 2002)
$850,000
