Michael Sidney Luft (November 2, 1915 – September 15, 2005) was an American show business figure, the second husband of actress

Lynn Bari Lynn Bari (born Marjorie Schuyler Fisher, December 18, 1919 – November 20, 1989) was a film actress who specialized in playing sultry, statuesque man-killers in roughly 150 films for 20th Century Fox, from the early 1930s through the 1940s. ...

, and later the third husband of actress and singer

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

Early life

Luft was born in New York City, the son of Leonora (Meyers) and Norbert Luft, who were Jewish immigrants from Russia and Germany. His family moved to

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

, where he grew up.

Career

Luft was once an amateur boxer and bar-room brawler and had the nickname "One-Punch Luft". He was a pilot in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

and in the early 1940s was a test pilot for

Douglas Aircraft Company The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer based in Southern California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas; it then operated a ...

. Luft's first Hollywood assignment was as the secretary and manager of dancer

Eleanor Powell Eleanor Torrey Powell (November 21, 1912 – February 11, 1982) was an American dancer and actress. Best remembered for her tap dance numbers in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s, she was one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's top dancing stars du ...

. He is credited with keeping Judy Garland working and with setting up a deal with Warner Bros. to bankroll his wife's comeback film, a 1954 musical remake of '' A Star Is Born'' plus future projects. Luft's name is on the film's credits as producer. ''A Star Is Born'' was a major critical success. During its first release, the picture proved to be very popular with audiences and grossed an enormous amount of money, but it failed to recoup its production costs. This was considered a major factor in Garland not winning the Academy Award that year for Best Actress. As a result, the studio canceled the Luft–Garland contract, which would have starred Judy in two additional Warner films and given Luft a berth at Warner's as a producer.

Personal life

He was married five times: *In December 1940 to aspiring actress MaryLou Simpson. They divorced in 1942. * On November 28, 1943, to actress

. They had two children, a daughter who died shortly after birth and a son named John Michael Luft (born 1948). They divorced on December 26, 1950. * On June 29, 1952, to singer and actress

. They had two children,

Lorna Luft Lorna Luft (born November 21, 1952) is an American actress, author, and singer. She is the daughter of Judy Garland and Sidney Luft and the half-sister of Liza Minnelli. Early life Luft was born on November 21, 1952, at Saint John's Health Cent ...

(born November 21, 1952, in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

) and Joseph Wiley "Joey" Luft (born March 29, 1955, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

). They separated in 1963 and divorced in 1965. Garland accused him of drunkenness and abuse. * In 1970, to Patti Hemingway (sometimes spelled Patty Hemingway). They divorced less than a year later. * On March 20, 1993, to

Camille Keaton Camille Keaton (born July 20, 1947) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Jennifer Hills in the controversial 1978 film ''I Spit on Your Grave''. She began her career in Italy, making her film debut as Solange Beaur ...

Death

Sidney Luft died on September 15, 2005, in

, apparently of a heart attack, at the age of 89.

Filmography

*1947: '' Kilroy Was Here'' *1948: '' French Leave'' *1954: '' A Star Is Born'' *1955: '' Ford Star Jubilee'' (TV) (Episode: "The Judy Garland Special") *1956: ''

General Electric Theater ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition show ...

'' (TV) (Episode: "Judy Garland Musical Special") *1997: ''Judy Garland's Hollywood''

References

External links

*
Sidney Luft movies

* ttps://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200512/sidney-luft The Least Worst Man: Sidney Luft (1915–2005)
Garland's Oscar statue lawsuit

* ttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4723844/I-couldnt-stop-Judy-falling-apart.html Luft's Daily Telegraph interview* ttps://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-09-16-sid-luft-obit_x.htm?POE=LIFISVA Luft USA Today obituary (Associated Press)
Washington Post obituary (Associated Press)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luft, Sidney 1915 births 2005 deaths American film producers American entertainment industry businesspeople Judy Garland Male actors from New York City American people of Russian-Jewish descent American people of German-Jewish descent Businesspeople from New York City Royal Canadian Air Force officers