Born Jacob Julius Garfinkel in New York City. Jules, as he was known, was raised by his father after his mother's death in 1920. Sent to a special school for problem children, where he was introduced to boxing and drama. Won a scholarship to Maria Ouspenskaya's drama school. Joined the Civic Repertory Theatre in 1932, changing his name to Jules Garfield and making his Broadway debut in that company's Counsellor- at-Law. Joined the Group Theater, winning acclaim for his role in Awake and Sing. Embittered over being passed over for the lead in Golden Boy, which was written for him, he signed a contract with Warner Brothers, which changed his name to John Garfield. He entered films in 1938 and brought a fiery intensity to a number of memorable roles over the next 15 years. Garfield's background as a slum-raised immigrant helped contribute to his image as an anti-hero, and he excelled at playing tough urban figures in socially conscious dramas such as BODY AND SOUL (1947) and FORCE OF EVIL (1948). Both of these films were produced by Enterprise Productions, which Garfield co-founded in 1946 in an attempt to encourage work by left-leaning artists. He ran afoul of the House Un-American Activities Committee, which couldn't find enough evidence to accuse him of being a Communist but managed to taint him just enough to get him blacklisted. (His left-wing political sympathies, a holdover from his Group Theatre days, were sufficiently suspicious for Hollywood executives.) A year later, he died of a heart attack that was considered to have been partially triggered by his blacklisting. His funeral was mobbed by thousands of fans, in the largest funeral attendance for an actor since Rudolph Valentino. His 13-year filmography includes FOUR DAUGHTERS (1938), THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL, BLACKWELL'S ISLAND, JUAREZ, DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS, DUST BE MY DESTINY and FOUR WIVES (all 1939), CASTLE ON THE HUDSON, SATURDAY'S CHILDREN, FLOWING GOLD and EAST OF THE RIVER (all 1940), THE SEA WOLF, OUT OF THE FOG and DANGEROUSLY THEY LIVE (all 1941), TORTILLA FLAT (1942), AIR FORCE, THE FALLEN SPARROW, SHOW BUSINESS AT WAR, THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS and DESTINATION TOKYO (all 1943), BETWEEN TWO WORLDS and HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN (both 1944), THE HORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT and PRIDE OF THE MARINES (both 1945), THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, NOBODY LIVES FOREVER and HUMORESQUE (all 1946), BODY AND SOUL, GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT and DAISY KENYON (uncredited cameo) (all 1947), FORCE OF EVIL and ANNI DIFFICLI ("Difficult Years," narrator - American version) (both 1948), WE WERE STRANGERS and JIGSAW (uncredited cameo) (both 1949), UNDER MY SKIN and THE BREAKING POINT (both 1950) and HE RAN ALL THE WAY (1951, also uncredited producer).  Nominated for Supporting Actor 1938: FOUR DAUGHTERS  Nominated for Actor 1947: BODY AND SOUL 2 nominations