Somewhere over the rainbow, actress, singer, legend Judy Garland awaits. June10th marks what would have been this Golden Age actress' 99th birthday, so tocelebrate Garland's life and legacy, we'll return to the star who started itall. Photo credit: public domain.Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids,Minnesota. Born to vaudevillian parents, Garland was destined for show businessfrom day one. Indeed – at age two, Garland performed for the first timealongside her two older sisters during a Christmas show at her father's theater.The Gumm Sisters, as the trio came to be called, performed there for the nextfew years, accompanied by their mother on piano. By late 1934, the Gumm Sisters had changed their name to the Garland Sisters.Frances changed her name to "Judy" soon after, inspired by a popular HoagyCarmichael song. After relocating to California, the Garland Sisters caught theattention of Louis B. Mayer, co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. Afterbringing Judy in to hear her sing, the studio immediately signed her on. At thispoint, young Garland was just 13, and the MGM wasn't quite sure how to use hertalents. But just three years later her breakthrough came when she was cast asiconic Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Garland received a special Academy Award forher performance in the film and an immortalized place in the hearts of theAmerican public.Photo credit: tomandlorenzo.com[https://tomandlorenzo.com/2020/07/one-iconic-look-judy-garland-in-the-wizard-of-oz-1939/].Unfortunately, the life of the star wasn't always rosy. In fact, from a youngage, Garland reported that she was constantly prescribed amphetamines in orderto stay awake and keep up with the frantic pace of making one film afteranother. Drug use never quite left the young star, and ultimately led to intensestruggles with mental health later in life. She additionally suffered fromweight and appearance insecurities, often exacerbated by MGM executives. Yet, above all else, Judy Garland was a wildly talented force to be reckonedwith. Despite her personal and professional struggles, Garland's magnetism andpoise electrified any stage or screen which she graced with her presence.Garland starred in many popular movies into her adult life and workedextensively on her singing career. She received an Academy Award nomination forBest Actress for her performance in A Star Is Born (1954) as well as anomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Judgment atNuremberg (1961). And, if that wasn't enough, Garland made record-breakingconcert appearances, released eight studio albums, and hosted her ownEmmy-nominated television series, The Judy Garland Show (1963–1964).Photo credit: Los Angeles Times[https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-judy-garland-19690623-story.html].In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Garland as the eighth-greatestfemale screen legend of classic Hollywood cinema. She remains an icon of thetime period, and one of the first public faces in Hollywood. Today, on her 99thbirthday, celebrate Garland's life and legacy with a revisit of her iconic rolein Wizard of Oz.