Humphrey Bogart was born on either January 23, 1899 or December 25, 1899 (Warner later publicity changed his birthdate to December 25, 1900 persuading to foster the view that a man born on Christman Day couldn't really be a villainous as he appeared on the screen) to Dr. Belmont DeForest Bogart, a distinguished surgeon, and Maud Humphrey Bogart, a noted magazine illustrator. Maud, as referred to by everyone, including the children, named Humphrey after her family's name.

Bogart was brought up in a big brownstone house just off of West End Avenue in New York City. After attending Trinity School in New York, Bogart was sent to Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, in preparation for Yale and eventually for Medical School. His independent spirit, among supposed "pranks" led him to the expellment of his schooldays at Phillips Academy.

He then proceeded to the United States Navy, where two stories coincide to his origin of the famous lisp. One story claims he received a wood splinter from serving on the troopship Leviathan, providing partial palarisis of his upper lip as well as a distinguished scar, among the lisp, which did not effect his career. The second story claims that while he was transporting a Navy prisoner on a train switch, the prisoner struck Bogart on the face with his hancuffs while Bogart was looking for a match. With his lip half ripped off, Bogart proceeded to use his .45 on the prisoner and knocked him down only a few yards away.

After WWI, Bogart approached his neighbor, William A. Brady, a theatrical producer, for work. At first, Bogart was an "office boy," later upgrading to assistant company manager, and then later stage manager. This is where Bogart got his interests into acting. In one incident, Brady was producing a picture called Life . After Brady discharged the director, he told Bogart to finish it up. "I did a fine job," Bogart recalled. "There were some beautiful shots of people walking along the streets, with me in the window making wild gestures. There was an automobile chase scene in which a car ran into itself. So Mr. brady stepped in and directed the rest to himself."*

Next, Bogart was on the road for company manager at fifty dollars a week for the Ruined Lady , where he made his initial stage appearance in 1920. Later on, Brady convinced Bogart to become an actor full-time. His first role was in 1922 in Drifting. In total of seventy-five featured films, averaging one picture every two months in his busiest period, from 1936 to 1940, he became a legendary icon after his death in 1957. With many Academy Award nominations, Bogart did win one, for The African Queen.

One of Bogart's well known part of his life was his four marriages, all to actresses throughout his life, first to Helen Menken (1926-1927), Mary Phillips (1928-1937), Mayo Methot (1938-1945), and finally his match, the sixteen years younger Lauren (Betty) Becall in 1945.

In March, 1956, as his last film, The Harder They Fall , went into release, Bogart went into surgery for cancer of the esophagus. He later died among Bacall, and his two children, Stephen Humphrey, and Leslie, at his beside in Los Angeles on January 14, 1957.

His triumphent career provided much influence in the world after he left in 1957.

Biography influenced and quoted (*) by Bogey, The films of Humphrey Bogart