When James “Jimmy” Maitland first moved to Hollywood, his father pushed him to find a wife and have a family, but he had other intentions. The actor was star-struck and had feelings for leading females.

He dated so many women that he gained a reputation as a womanizer until he was in his forties. He dated Norma Shearer, Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore, Olivia de Havilland, Loretta Young, Marlene Dietrich, and others.

Later, James understood that he wanted to settle down and establish roots by marrying the lady he adored. He expressed a desire to establish a family to whom he could return at night.

He eventually settled with a woman who was 31, divorced, and had children from her previous marriage. Gloria Hatrick McLean, a tall and willowy model with black hair, was the lady he fell in love with.

According to Closer Weekly, James’ daughter, Kelly Stewart Harcourt, stated in December 2020 that he met his future wife, Gloria, in 1947 at a Christmas party. Gloria’s daughter remembers her mother as a “good sport” and unassuming person, adding:

“She had an incredible sense of humor and was really beautiful.”

Despite the fact that her father continued to make films, she and her three siblings, Michael Stewart, Judy Stewart-Merrill, and the late Ronald McLean, were the focal point of his life. In an interview in 1985, he stated:

“Gloria and the kids continue to give me a lot of joy.” Overall, it’s been a [expletive] fantastic existence.”

Kelly, like many others, anticipated the annual winter broadcasts of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” That was because her father played George Bailey in it, and James had told her it was his favorite picture.

The actress’s daughter got to relive Bailey’s narrative, about a guy who discovered how much his Bedford Falls neighbors loved him through his worst hours. Kelly’s father always made Christmas memorable for his family.

According to his daughter, James once dressed up as Santa Claus and surprised his girls in their bedroom! In 1958, the family vacationed in Hawaii for Christmas.

Despite the fact that she and her sister soon discovered it was their father in disguise, James never broke character! Kelly remembers poking and patting the late actor on the back, but he remained Santa Claus!

Gloria Hatrick was born in Larchmont in 1918 to Edgar Hatrick and his wife before becoming the mother of two little sons. Her father was the owner of William Randolph Heart’s newsreel company.

Gloria was a clever, tough-minded, elegant, and gorgeous woman who attended Finch College for Women in New York City. Following her schooling, she pursued a part-time modeling career as well as a career in fashion design.

Gloria eventually met Ned McLean, the son of Evelyn Walsh McLean, a socialite, and they married in 1941. They courted by playing golf, with the model preferring the game and outdoor activities due to her athleticism.

The romance revolved around golf excursions until Gloria revealed to her boyfriend that she also ate. She assumed the actor was uninterested in other activities and trips since he was frugal with his money.

Gloria agreed when James proposed marriage. The pair married on August 9, 1949, in front of a large throng that included the actor’s best man, Billy Grady.

James had finally discovered his ideal partner. The actor adopted his wife’s children, and because he now had a big family, he purchased the “Mediterranean Ugly,” his Beverly Hills home, in January 1951.

In the residence, he and Gloria reared their children, Ronald and Michael. James liked the house so much that he grew old in it, and it was also the place where he died.

Gloria and James expanded their family once more on May 7, 1951, when they welcomed twins Judy and Kelly. As a family guy, the actor favored a quieter lifestyle throughout his marriage.

Then, in the fall of 1993, Gloria was unexpectedly diagnosed with lung cancer, when everyone anticipated anything to happen to James first. She’d been smoking two packs of cigarettes every day for fifty years.

Gloria ultimately began chemotherapy after succumbing to her husband’s pleas. She became ill and lost her hair after chemotherapy treatment. Before asking her physicians to be honest about her death, she

The star’s wife was advised that chemotherapy would only marginally lengthen her life, prompting her to discontinue the treatment entirely. Her spouse spent more than two hours by her bedside the night before she died.

According to James’ relatives and friends, he gave a devastating monologue to his dying wife of 45 years. He told her about their 45-year marriage and how Gloria was vital in his life.

On February 16, 1994, the star’s wife died at the age of 75. Gloria was always James’ “rudder, anchor, and helm,” according to John Strauss, and when she died, he was “lost at sea.”

After his wife died, James stopped all public appearances and informed those close to him that his time in the spotlight was over. A year after Gloria died, the actor still spent most of his time in his bedroom.

He only came out to eat when his children came to visit or when his housekeeper pushed. James severed ties with old coworkers, people who had assisted his acting career in any way, and those who lived with him.

As he became more reclusive, he refused to welcome visitors, answer correspondence, make public appearances, or consume meals provided to him. During the Christmas season of 1995, James misstepped, fell, and struck his head on an ornament.

James Stewart experienced a thrombosis in his right leg on June 25, 1997, which resulted in a pulmonary embolism.

He escaped the tragedy unscathed, and he was released from the hospital after only a few days. After coming home, James continued to live semi-reclusively, although people close to him noticed how he’d always been reclusive.

Gloria was probably the major reason he bothered socializing with people, but after she died, James had no need to maintain the charade, and he looked to have lost the desire to live.

James’ work schedule was drastically reduced in the 1960s. The “Airport ’77” actor also appeared on “The Jimmy Stewart Show” in a situation comedy in 1971, but the numbers were dismal.

In 1973, he tried again to resurrect his acting career with the series “Hawkins,” but it was again short-lived. As he grew older, James began to experience health difficulties such as skin cancer, heart illnesses, and the necessity to wear a hearing aid.

In 1989, the actor published a book of poetry he’d written, which sold over 300,000 copies. On June 25, 1997, James had a thrombosis in his right leg, which resulted in a pulmonary embolism.

He died a week later, on June 25, 1997, at the age of 89, at his Beverly Hills, California, residence. He died surrounded by his children, and his final words to them were:

“I’m going to go be with Gloria right now.”

It was determined that he died as a result of a cardiac arrest caused by an embolism. When James was reunited with the love of his life in the afterlife, he hoped to find the spark back in his life.