James Stewart ’28 Featured on United States Postal Service Stamp

James Stewart ’28, whose billing as an American cinematic icon will endure for ages, is featured on a United States Postal Service stamp. As the 13th stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, Stewart’s image was designed from a publicity still from the 1949 film The Stratton Story.

Stewart, a native of Indiana, Pennsylvania, graduated from Princeton in 1932. He made his film debut two years later and received his first Oscar nomination in 1939 for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Two years later, he won an Academy Award for his performance in The Philadelphia Story.

Following military service as a pilot during World War II (he flew bombing raids over Berlin), Stewart returned to the silver screen for one of his most beloved roles: the portrayal of George Bailey in the holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). He garnered his third Oscar nomination for the film, and went on to pick up two more for Harvey (1951) and Anatomy of a Murder (1960).