Jimmy Stewart and Gloria Hatrick McLean’s 45 Year-Long Marriage: ‘The Kind of Girl I Had Always Dreamed of’
Find out how Jimmy Stewart loved his wife until the very end of his life and hoped to reunite with her
“The sunshine of my life” were the words that Jimmy Stewart often used to describe his wife of 45 years, Gloria Hatrick McLean. The beloved Hollywood star adored his bride from the very moment he met her and continued to love her until the very end of his life.
As one of the greatest actors of all time, James Stewart was often paired with Hollywood starlets on screen, but behind the scenes, it was obvious that he was head over heels in love with his wife.
“It’s been a very nice 35 years,” Stewart said in a 1984 interview with Johnny Carson. “Gloria, bless her heart, she made this family for me… she made a home for me to come home to. And she loved the kids.”
Jimmy and Gloria met on a blind date
James “Jimmy” Stewart lived most of his life as a bachelor, earning the nickname “The Great American Bachelor,” but that was mostly just how the public and media saw him. In reality, Stewart was waiting to meet the one.
And he did, eventually. He andHatrick McLean didn’t meet until he was 41, which many considered an “advanced” age to embark on a first marriage.
“By that time, a lot of big Hollywood stars are working on their third or fourth wife,” Stewart’s agent once said. “But that’s not for Jimmy. He’s very old-fashioned about such an important step. Why, even in a movie, he didn’t pop the question until the last reel.”
It wasn’t until the summer of 1948 that Stewart and Hatrick McLean first laid eyes on each other at a dinner party, hosted by his good friend, actor Gary Cooper, and his wife, Rocky. The dinner party ended up being a sort of blind date, as a recently divorced 30-year old Hatrick McLean was there. Stewart himself described the moment as love at first sight, explaining he was charmed by her down-to-earth personality and the fact that she wasn’t affected by the height of his fame.
“I could tell right off that she was a thoroughbred… the kind of girl I had always dreamed of,” Stewart shared of their meeting. “But first I had to woo her dog. I bought him steaks. Patted him. Praised him. It got to be pretty humiliating, but we finally got to be friends. I was free to court Gloria.”
Jimmy and Gloria get married
About one year after their first meeting, Stewart and Hatrick McLean tied the knot on August 9, 1949. They wed at Brentwood Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, and it was an intimate gathering, with only close friends and family in attendance.
About 18 guests were there, including famous friends like Spencer Tracy and David Niven. But outside of the church, there were about 500 fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the new couple.
Following their wedding, Stewart instantly became a father of two to Hatrick McLean’s sons from her previous marriage, Edward and Ronald, who were 3 and 5, respectively. Stewart adopted them and about two years later, the couple welcomed twin daughters of their own, Judy and Kelly, on May 7, 1951.
Together, the two raised their blended family and had what many considered to be one of Hollywood’s most successful marriages. This may have been thanks to Stewart’s ability to keep the cameras and his success outside of the home, allowing him to be a devoted father and husband behind closed doors.
“Dad as a father was great, because he never lectured us on how to be good,” daughter Kelly Stewart Harcourt said. “He taught us by the way he lived. And he never brought his work home. He came through the door and Hollywood stayed out.”
Their secret to 45 years of marriage
Stewart and Hatrick McLean remained a loving couple until the end of their days. In a 1981 interview, alongside Stewart, she shared why she believes their marriage went the distance.
“I know ours [marriage] lasted because Jimmy is such a nice person,” Gloria said. “And if you’re married to a really nice person, you really can’t help but become nice yourself.”
Hatrick McLean sadly passed away in 1994 after a battle with lung cancer and it was devastating for Stewart.
“I think he had just had enough of the world,” Stewart Harcourt said of her father. “Dad was the most stubborn person I’ve ever met and was going to do what he wanted–to hunker down inside his beloved home, with his two dogs. In the end, I believe he appreciated his wonderful life and knew he was loved.”
Just three years later, Stewart died of a heart attack on July 2, 1997, a complication brought on following a pulmonary embolism. He had previously decided not to replace the battery in his pacemaker, allowing for things to unfold how they would, especially after his wife died.
Stewart had hoped he and his wife would be reunited in death and as he passed, according to his family, Stewart’s final words were, “I’m going to see Gloria now.”
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