How tall was Judy Garland

Comentarista said on 18/Sep/22
152cm

Miss Sandy Cowell said on 10/Jun/20
The magical Judy Garland was born 98 years ago today. She lived to just 47, tragically passing away from a barbiturate overdose shortly after her birthday.

She had 3 children, including Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft.

Judy can have 4ft11.75.

RIP Judy XXX 🕯️💐

rosa said on 16/Jan/20
She might have been 5'0 when younger but 4'11 at 45 seems more than accurate.
The 5'3 claim, not accurate to me.

Michael 5'10", 178 cm said on 16/Dec/18
This is a strange listing, I see her listed as 4'11" everywhere and that's the height she claimed so I don't think she's taller than that unless she had grown. Judy was either 4'11" or 5'0", obviously a very short girl. Most short girls don't downgrade themselves and hate being short, so I thought she was being honest at least at the time. But anyway, she was 4'11"-5'0" and R.I.P. Judy, she died too young. She was great in the Wizard of Oz.

4'11 girl said on 12/Aug/18
i dont thinks she is a full 5ft i give her 4.11.75

Sandy Cowell said on 26/May/18
Whether Judy was 4ft11, 5ft or even slightly over, she got her part in 'The Wizard of Oz' because of her shortness, which nearly always makes a young person look many years younger. She was 21 and still playing a little girl! Maybe she liked that being short gave her younger parts, that being the reason for her declaring 4ft11 for her height rather than 5ft.

There's an advert at the moment, reliant on CGI, in which Judy, as 'Dorothy', along with the others from 'The Wizard of Oz', are approached by the 'Wizard', who's on about mortgage acquisition! Dorothy is told she is 'much too young' for a mortgage, but we know differently, don't we? All she'd have had to do is to produce her birth certificate and take those plaits out!

I'm giving Judy 5ft as I agree she DOES look it!

Arch Stanton said on 10/Oct/16
I don't understand though why she would have claimed 4 ft 11, most women that range are surely wanting to claim 5 ft! Can you correct my guess to 4'11.75?

Arch Stanton said on 10/Oct/16
jtm said on 10/Jul/14
why is she listed 5'0? she claimed 4'11 and that's what she looked.
[Editor Rob: I'm sure she had a 4ft 11 measurement, but I always thought she looked in the 5ft range more than under it when fully grown.]

@Rob, in 1967 though she would have been 45, two years before her death! It wasn't like she claimed that at 15 or something! I agree with you on nearer 5 ft though. At times she can look almost 5 ft 1! I think 4'11.75 is possible and she just went with 4 ft 11. Always looked taller than somebody like Veronica Lake.

Arch Stanton said on 11/Jan/15
Rob can you add Love Finds Andy Hardy, Babes in Arms, Ziegfeld Girl and A Child Is Waiting? With Mickey Rooney in Andy Hardy he was only looking a bit taller overall, in some scenes they could look the same, although she had a bit of footwear advantage. I think she looks taller than some of the ones like Veronica Lake etc.

Sam said on 12/Dec/14
Maybe a picture if you can find one to use, Rob?

jtm said on 10/Jul/14
why is she listed 5'0? she claimed 4'11 and that's what she looked.

Wishbone said on 9/Jul/14
There are certain movies that I label "must have" videos. The Wizard Of Oz is one of these. 5' Judy Garland was the DEFINITIVE Wizard Of Oz Dorothy,but that role is special,too,to her sister 5' Cathy Rigby. (When Cathy did a Wizard Of Oz tour in 1981,she met husband Tommy Mc.Coy!) Judy did great,too,in other MGM musicals,two WB movies,the 1954 A Star Is Born and Gay Purree,and scored great,too,in Judgement At Nuremberg. Then,on her What's My Line 1967 mystery guest appearance,before Bennett Cerf guessed Judy,Phyllis Newman asked Judy about if she did a weekly TV series. (She did in 1963-1964,but the constant format juggling and being up against Bonanza ended the run after 7 months.) But my favorite Oz character was Tin Man ("No heart,all hollow.") Judy's gone,but just like with Yul Brynner,Cathy Rigby,Raymond Burr,Rosalind Russell,and Sir Basil Rathbone,Judy will ALWAYS in my heart be Dorothy from The Wizard Of Oz.

littlesue said on 11/May/14
I have a pic of her with Natalie Wood and Liz Talor, she about an inch smaller than Natalie and 3 inch shorter than Liz which would be right as:
Judy 4ft 11.5
Natalie - 5ft 0.5
Liz 5ft 2.5

Arch Stanton said on 6/May/14
She didn't look under it to me either, although 4'11.5 is possible. She was robbed of an Oscar in 1954, I can't believe Grace Kelly's performance in The Country Girl was considered superior to Garland's in A Star is Born!! One of the worst Oscar decisions ever! Still, they got it right the next year at least with the actress in The Rose Tattoo.

ribeye said on 20/Apr/14
In the Barbara Walters interview, available on YouTube, Walters says how surprised she is to see Garland is so short. Walters has Garland stand up and Garland herself says, "I'm only four feet eleven". This is from Garland herself! Interview is found on YouTube; search "Walters interview Judy Garland"

judymad said on 3/Feb/14
I think from comments and looking at her she was roughly around 4 f 11in cause I am 5 foot 3in and that doesn't look very tall

Arch Stanton said on 27/Dec/13
And classics like Arsenic and Old Lace, Cover Girl and The Uninvited (which spawned one of my favourite jazz standards Stella by Starlight) etc. 1944 was definitely a great year in films.

Arch Stanton said on 27/Dec/13
Nice one but can you add Meet Me in St. Louis too, I'd say that's probably her second best known film after Oz, followed by Easter Parade. It was the film in which she met Vincente Minnelli and let to the gorgeous Miss Liza Minnelli... Meet Me in St Louis was the second highest grossing film of 1944 after Going My Way. Enjoyed both, but Gaslight, Laura, and Double Indemnity were also very fine films of that year and among the best of the 40s. 1939, 1959 and 1962 had the highest number of great films though IMO.

Arch Stanton said on 26/Dec/13
Rob can you add US Actress best remembered for The Wizard of Oz, Meet me in St Louis, Easter Parade, Babes in Arms, A Star is Born and Judgement at Nuremberg? She was more than a one tricky pony! Obviously though The Wizard of Oz is her definitive role.

Arch Stanton said on 26/Dec/13
Got to say she does look as low as 4'11.5" in Meet Me in St Louis.

little sue said on 21/Oct/13
Judy was 4ft 11.5. I listened to an interview with Liza Minelli and she said her Mom was only 4ft 11. Edith Head, the Hollywood Dress designer in the 40's and 50's has her down at 4ft 11.5 on her dress statistics

Arch Stanton said on 19/Oct/13
Mmm in A Star is Born she's briefly barefoot next to James Mason in shoes and doesn't really look over 5 ft. I think this is about right.

Arch Stanton said on 19/Oct/13
She actually looks 5'2" next to James Mason in A Star is Born.I think 5'1" is nearer.

Arch Stanton said on 27/Aug/13
She looks easily 5 ft 1 next to Billie Burke in Wizard Of Oz, although I don't know if the red slippers gave her height advantage. Burke was supposedly 5 ft 3, but if say she was 5'2.5" and that would make Garland 5'0.5". I'm not even sure Burke had even quite 2 inches on her but it was near that. Either way I agree with Rob that 4'11" seems impossible next to Burke unless Burke herself was 5'1" range. She looked small in wizard of oz 5'0-5'2" but didn't look sub 5 ft tiny. I mean compare her on screen to say Mary Pickford who looked much smaller IMO.

Arch Stanton said on 27/Aug/13
She seems about 5 ft in the Wizard of Oz.

MarkyMark said on 7/Jun/13
She doesn't seem that short in the wizard of oz. She was wonderful !

Brad said on 23/Jan/12
4 feet 11. Robert Walker had her by over a foot.

jtm said on 2/Jan/12
i think liza is correct.

little sue said on 31/Dec/11
I was listening to an interview with Liza once and she mentioned how her Mother had such a big voice for someone 4ft 11. She could have just been exagerating her shortness for the story with the big voice/short statue

Jenna said on 30/Dec/11
Bruce, what a sweet story!
Judy's always been an inspiration of mine, despite the tragidy that ended her life. It's kinda neat to know that she's the same height as me. :>

Feyish said on 30/Nov/11
What an amazing story! Thanks for sharing!

Bruce said on 3/Jan/11
In June of 1967, I met Judy Garland in New York City. We had lunch one afternoon and in the following two weeks, we had dinner twice. The first time we were together, I actually was hiding her next to me and covering her with my jacket, to keep her out of public view. The next two times, I had hugged her and held her close to me. I am a fraction over six feet tall and can tell you, she appeared to be right around 5' to maybe 5' 1/2" tall. The first and second times we met, she was wearing high heels, which I am guessing were agout 3" high. The third time we met, she was wearing heels, but as the evening progressed, she took her shoes off. Based on how she stood next to me, and, the fact that in later years, my wife, who was about 5'3" stood next to me, my estimate of her height has to be accurate with 1/2". Up until the time we met, I had only see her in The Wizard Of Oz, and, A Star Is Born. I was never really a fan of hers. I was actually shocked that she was so small and petite. What I will tell you is that once she got to know you, she was a very lovely and friendly lady. Her life was a true tragedy ;-( When I met her, she had just turned 45 years old and I was 22. She remarked that I was only something like 3 months older than her daughter (Liza Minelli,) yet I could have fallen in love with that lady in a heartbeat.

Anonymous said on 1/Mar/09
Im not sure. She looked 5'something in the W.O.O but that might just be because she had shoes on but i would say around 5'

Charles Triplett said on 7/Nov/08
I own several of Garland's movie costumes and TV series gowns plus personal couture from 1941 to 1969. They are super tiny and the one gown from 1964 has a 19 and half inch waist. From all I can tell I feel she was right at 4' 11 1/2 inches tall.

chris said on 17/Sep/08
youtube judy garland and barbra streisand. barbra appeared to be 3.5 inches taller than judy. if barbra is 5-4 or 5-5(says on her bio), judy should be 5-1 or 5-2 inches. and i'm sure she was taller when she was young.

Russ said on 15/Jul/08
4'11? This would make Gene Kelly about 5'3!

Josephine said on 12/Jul/08
I don't think she was quite 5 feet tall. Just look at her tiny arms and legs. Tiny torso too.I bet she stopped growing right after the Wizard of Oz. She was born in 1922, it wasn't uncommon for women her generation to be as short as she was.

Anon said on 15/Jun/08
On the judy garland show, obvs haha, she is singing a song with jane powell, the jitterbug i think haha, and they stand dead straight back to back in the song, and they are dead on the same height (same shoes on). Jane Powell was 5 and a half foot. But I think judy garland shrunk a lot in her life. xox

Richard said on 17/May/08
They said in her biography on the Biography Channel that she was 4'11"

hi said on 1/May/08
I know for a fact that Judy was 4 ft 11 because my grandmother used to sing with her and my gramma was 5ft 0in. Gramma said that Judy was a little shorter than her which makes Judy 4ft 11in!

Observer said on 13/Jan/08
She probably was 4'11 or 5'. She wore size 5 shoes. That size is about right for that height. 4'9 seems to short. That's one inch under a technical dwarf.

volpe said on 21/May/07
my cinema textbook lists her at 4'9'' and 180 lbs. at the age of 28--
Gianetti, Louis. Understanding Movies. 10th Edition P239

Brad said on 24/Aug/06
5' in '62. I don't remember meeting her, but I did. My parents said she drank like a fish and really couldn't shut up. "She was like a typewriter that kept going by itself".

A. said on 31/May/06
Liza (5'4) mentioned once in an interview for a Judy documentary during the 80's that her mother "was a little thing, I mean when you see her, she was tiny!"

I suppose she had to be pretty small to give Liza that impression, considering she isnt overly tall herself. So probably 4'11.5 to a solid 5' max would be reasonable.

[Editor Rob: I changed my mind on her after watching some older movies...]

libs said on 11/Nov/05
most websites have her down as 4"11 1/2, and she looked pretty small in the wizard of oz (compared to the average size characters!) and she was wearing high shoes most the way through so 4"11 1/2 is believable