Most people remember Judy Garland as Dorothy from the beloved film The Wizard of Oz, yet her career in entertainment stretched far beyond that single role and traces its roots back to the vaudeville circuit. It all began on December 26, 1924, when Garland was just two years old. Her father happened to own the New Grand Theater in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, giving the young girl a natural doorway into the world of performance. She took to the stage billed as "Baby Frances."
That debut was something to behold — the tiny performer sang three songs, tap dancing alongside her sisters the entire time. Her closing number, a solo take on "Jingle Bells," made one thing unmistakable: this toddler was born to entertain and thrived on the crowd's attention. The story goes that once she finished the song, she launched right back into it, singing it over and over and stubbornly refusing to exit the stage. It finally took her father walking out and physically carrying her off to end the show!
From there, Garland kept performing with her sisters all through her childhood years. When she grew older, she earned an audition for film work and secured a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. Beyond her legendary turn in The Wizard of Oz, she delivered acclaimed performances in the musical drama A Star is Born and the legal drama Judgment at Nuremberg. On top of her acting achievements, she became widely celebrated for recording the timeless holiday tune "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Over the course of her career, Garland collected numerous awards honoring both her work on screen and in music.