American actor, born in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Its original name was James Maintland. After graduating like architect in 1932, it made debut in the professional theater in Falmouth, Massachusetts, of where it would be transferred to Broadway.

His first remarkable appearance in the cinema was in 1935 in The Murder Man (the voice that it accuses, Tim Whelan). Later one became famous by his interventions as protagonists in the films of Frank Capra Vive as you want (1938), Horseman without sword (1939), and! How beautiful is to live! (1946). Its paper like reporter in Histories of Filadelfia (1940), of George Cukor, provided an Oscar to him to the best actor.

Stewart was pilot of a bomber during II the World war, reason why she reached the general grade of brigade of the aerial reserve of the American army. After the war, Stewart interpreted to a good natured drunkard persecuted by a white rabbit of enormous size, hair net for everybody except for he himself, in the Harvey hair net (1950), of Henry Koster. Also they laid the foundations its fame western Arizona (1939, George Marshall), broken Arrow (1950, Delmer Daves), Colorado Jim (1953, Anthony Mann), the man who killed to Liberty Valance (1962) and the great combat (1964), both of John Ford. Another one of its more fruitful associations was with the director Alfred Hitchcock; it acted in several in several of his better films, among them the rope (1948), the indiscreet window (1954), the man who knew too much (1956) and Of between deads (Vertigo, 1958).