Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli on the second night of Minnelli’s performance in “Best Foot Forward”.Photo:Bettmann
Bettmann
When it comes to famous mothers and daughters,Judy GarlandandLiza Minnellimay be one of the most iconic pairs. The talented mother-daughter duo grew up together: Garland was 23 when she gave birth to Minnelli, who would later say she was her mom’s best friend.
Minnelli has been open about the ups and downs of her childhood, including periods of financial hardship and her mother’s drug and alcohol addiction. But she has always insisted that she had a great upbringing with Garland.
“One of the biggest misconceptions about my mama is that she didn’t provide me with a happy childhood,” Minnelli toldVogue Arabia.
Here is a look at the special relationship that Liza Minnelli shared with her mother, Judy Garland.
Minnelli was born on March 12, 1946
Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli.Bettmann
Garlandgave birth to Liza May Minnellion March 12, 1946. Garland and her second husband, Vincente Minnelli, hadmarried the year before, on June 15, 1945 — just one year after her first marriage to David Rose ended.
Though it was not reported at the time, Garland was hospitalized for a month following her daughter’s birth. Biographer Gerald Clarke wrote inVanity Fairthat Garland had surgery to correct an issue from her cesarean section; she is also believed to have had postpartum depression.
Eleven months later, Garland and Vincente began shootingThe Pirate.
Minnelli had a happy childhood with her mother
Despite what many believe, particularly due to Garland’s substance use, Minnelli said she had a happy childhood with her mother and her younger siblings,LornaandJoey Luft, whom Garland welcomed with her third husband,Sidney Luft.
“One of the biggest misconceptions about my mama is that she didn’t provide me with a happy childhood,” Minnelli toldVogue Arabia. “There were highs and lows for sure, but I can say I was very happy. If people choose to believe that or not, it’s up to them, but I know I was happy.”
Minnelli first appeared on screen alongside her mother at 14 months old inThe Pirate; she made her first credited appearance inIn the Good Old Summertimewhen she was 3.
Minnelli joinedThe Judy Garland Showin the 1960s
Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli sing a duet on ‘The Judy Garland Show’.CBS Photo Archive/Getty
CBS Photo Archive/Getty
The duo began working together years later when Minnelli performed onThe Judy Garland Show. The two often sang duets, including the medley “We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Together/The Best Is Yet to Come.”
Garland and Minnelli were best friends
Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli in 1964.Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty
Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty
Garland was always supportive of Minnelli entering the industry, and the two became especially close as Minnelli grew up. TheCabaretactress toldVogue Arabia: “My fondest memory of my mama was the conversations we had. As I became a teenager, I became her best friend and confidante. We would laugh and talk for hours. Sometimes in person, sometimes on the phone, depending where we were.”
In 1965, Garland attended Minnelli’s Broadway debut inFlora the Red Menace. On the show’s opening night, Garland was “in a happy daze of awe and wonder,” according toThe Life of Judy Garland, an excerpt of which was published intheNew York Times Book Review. Biographer Gerald Clarke wrote that Garland praised her daughter in a conversation with costume designer Donald Brooks.
“Can you believe that’s Liza up there?” she said, according to Clarke. “We did that! You got her up there looking the way she does. And I got her up there because I’m her mother and conceivably her inspiration — the heck with her motivation.” Minnelli later won the Tony Award for best actress in a musical for her performance.
Minnelli was 23 when Garland died
Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli in 1963.CBS/Getty
CBS/Getty
Minnelli was 23 years old when her mother died in 1969. Garland, at just 47, was found in her home, and her death was attributed to an accidental overdose.
In 1972, Minnelli recalled being the “calm center in the vortex” after her mother’s death. “When she died, I almost knew why,” she toldTIME. “She let her guard down. She didn’t die from an overdose. I think she just got tired. She lived like a taut wire. I don’t think she ever looked for real happiness, because she always thought happiness would mean the end.”
Minnelli also recalled frustration during that period, adding: “Elevator men were falling around me weeping. I was the only one standing up. I got so mad at everybody. I remember yelling at someone: ‘You cried for her when she sang ‘Over the Rainbow’ and ‘The Man That Got Away.’ Now at last she’s at peace. Smile, for God’s sake!’ "
Minnelli had mixed feelings about the filmJudy
Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland in ‘Judy’.David Hindley/BBC Films/Kobal/Shutterstock
David Hindley/BBC Films/Kobal/Shutterstock
In June 2018, Minnelliannounced on Facebookthat she was not involved in the forthcomingRenée ZellwegerfilmJudy(2019). “I have never met nor spoken to Renee Zellweger,” she wrote alongside an article claiming Zellweger spent time with Minnelli in preparation for the film. “I don’t know how these stories get started, but Ido not approve or sanctionthe upcoming film about Judy Garland in any way. Any reports to the contrary are 100% Fiction.”
A year later, she addressed the film in anEntertainment Tonightinterview. “I just hope they don’t do what they always do,” she told the outlet. “That’s all I’ve got to say.”
Minnelli reiterated in a 2020 interview withVarietythat she did not intend to see the movie. “I hope [Zellweger] had a good time making it,” she added.
She celebrated her mom’s 100th birthday in June 2022
Judy Garland with her kids, Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Joey Luft.Bettmann
source: people.com
