A Los Angeles U.S. District judge barred him from selling the replacement Juvenile Oscar Judy Garland received for "The Wizard of Oz." He was also ordered to pay nearly $60,000 to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to end their second lawsuit against him for repeatedly trying to sell the statuette. (September 2002)
A sometime producer and showman, he once worked as a talent agent in the late 40s.
Brother-in-law of Mary Jane Gumm and Virginia Gumm.
Father of Lorna Luft
Father of Joey Luft.
Father of John Luft from his first marriage to the actress Lynn Bari.
Former step-father of Liza Minnelli.
Godfather of his daughter Lorna Luft was Frank Sinatra
Grandfather of Vanessa and Jesse Richards
Is portrayed by Victor Garber in Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001) (TV)
Joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940 and later served as a World War II test pilot for Douglas Aircraft. He survived a near-fatal plane crash that caused severe burns to his legs and hands.
Launched Custom Motors, a custom car company on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California in the late 1930s.
The ruggedly handsome and streetwise Luft, who grew up in a tough section of New York, was known for his heavy drinking and barroom brawling. He claims to have broken four noses in various altercations.
Was not on speaking terms with daughter Lorna Luft after the publishing of her unflattering memoir and the resulting TV-movie "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows" in 2001.
While reviving her career at the London Palladium and the Palace Theatre in the early 1950s, it was his idea to have wife Judy Garland come down to the edge of the stage and sing "Over the Rainbow" for dramatic effect.