In 1999 the American Film Institute named Humphrey Bogart the greatest male star of classic American cinema. More than a century after he was born, his trench coat, his world-weary charm and Rick's Cafe in Casablanca still define what a screen legend looks like.
From Broadway bit parts to an Academy Award, this is the story of Bogie. Shop our tribute designs in the silver screen legends collection.
Humphrey Bogart Fact File
| Full name | Humphrey DeForest Bogart |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 December 1899 |
| Place of birth | Manhattan, New York City, USA |
| Died | 14 January 1957, Los Angeles (aged 57) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor, producer |
| Years active | 1921-1956 |
| Studio | Warner Bros. (main studio until 1953) |
| Production company | Santana Productions (founded 1948) |
| Signature role | Rick Blaine in Casablanca (1942) |
| Nickname | Bogie |
Key Films
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | The Petrified Forest | Duke Mantee |
| 1941 | High Sierra | Roy Earle |
| 1941 | The Maltese Falcon | Sam Spade |
| 1942 | Casablanca | Rick Blaine |
| 1944 | To Have and Have Not | Harry "Steve" Morgan |
| 1946 | The Big Sleep | Philip Marlowe |
| 1948 | The Treasure of the Sierra Madre | Fred C. Dobbs |
| 1948 | Key Largo | Frank McCloud |
| 1951 | The African Queen | Charlie Allnut |
| 1954 | The Caine Mutiny | Captain Queeg |
A selection of his best-known films, listed by US release year.
Early Years: Stage to Screen
Humphrey Bogart was born in Manhattan on Christmas Day 1899. He served in the US Navy at the end of the First World War, then found his way into theatre, working on Broadway through the 1920s.
Hollywood came calling in the 1930s, and his performance as gangster Duke Mantee in The Petrified Forest (1936), a role he had played on stage, earned him a contract at Warner Bros.
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Breakthrough: High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon
For years Warner Bros. cast him as tough guys and villains. That changed in 1941. High Sierra gave him a richer, more sympathetic lead, and The Maltese Falcon made him the definitive private eye as Sam Spade.
The film-noir hero, cool, cynical and secretly decent, had found its face.
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Peak: Casablanca and Bogie and Bacall
Casablanca (1942) gave him his first romantic lead as Rick Blaine and earned him his first Oscar nomination. The AFI later ranked the film second on its list of the greatest American movies.
On To Have and Have Not (1944) he met Lauren Bacall, making her film debut. They married in 1945 and starred together again in The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947) and Key Largo (1948).
Later Career: The African Queen and Beyond
He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for The African Queen (1951), opposite Katharine Hepburn, and was nominated again as the troubled Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny (1954).
He also set up his own company, Santana Productions, in 1948. Bogart died in Los Angeles in January 1957, aged 57.
Awards and Honours
Academy Awards
- Best Actor winner for The African Queen
- Best Actor nominations for Casablanca and The Caine Mutiny
American Film Institute
- Greatest male star of classic American cinema (1999)
- Rick Blaine ranked fourth among the greatest screen heroes
- Casablanca ranked second among the greatest American films (1998)
Away From the Spotlight
Bogart enlisted in the US Navy in 1918, and during the Second World War he volunteered for the Coastal Picket Force, patrolling the California coast in his yacht, Santana. He married Lauren Bacall in 1945, and Hollywood's 'Bogie and Bacall' became one of its most famous partnerships.
FAQs
How old was Humphrey Bogart when he died?
He was 57 when he died in Los Angeles on 14 January 1957.
When and where was Humphrey Bogart born?
He was born in Manhattan, New York City, on Christmas Day, 25 December 1899.
Did Humphrey Bogart win an Oscar?
Yes. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for The African Queen (1951), after earlier being nominated for Casablanca. He was nominated again for The Caine Mutiny.
What is Humphrey Bogart's most famous film?
Casablanca (1942), in which he plays Rick Blaine. The AFI ranks it as the second-greatest American film.
How many films did Bogart and Bacall make together?
Four: To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947) and Key Largo (1948).
How many Oscar nominations did Humphrey Bogart get?
He received three Best Actor nominations, for Casablanca, The African Queen and The Caine Mutiny, and won for The African Queen.
Shop the Humphrey Bogart Collection
Both designs are unofficial fan tributes, printed to order in the UK.
See more in our silver screen legends collection and the full movie stars collection. And if you want your own name on the back, design a Custom Name Hoodie.
Part of our Icon Profiles series. Read next: Charlie Chaplin Career Story and Audrey Hepburn Career Story.
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