Stewart epitomized the "American ideal" in twentieth-century United States. In 1999, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked him third on its list of the greatest American male actors.
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Stewart remained unmarried until his 40s, and was dubbed "The Great American Bachelor" by the press.
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Stewart became the first major American movie star to enlist in the United States Army to fight in World War II.[
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Stewart's screen persona was that of an "everyman", an ordinary man placed in extraordinary circumstances. Audiences could identify with him, in contrast to other Hollywood leading men of the time, such as Cary Grant, who represented what the audience wanted to become.[364] Stewart's screen persona has been compared to those of Gary Cooper and Tom Hanks.[356] Eyman described that Stewart could portray several different characters: "the brother, the sweetheart, [and] the nice guy next door with a bias toward doing the right thing, always decent but never a pushover".[365] In Stewart's early career, Louella Parsons described his "boyish appeal" and "ability to win audience sympathy" as the reason for his success as an actor; Stewart's performances appealed to both young and old audiences.[366] According to film scholar Dennis Bingham, Stewart's essential persona was, "a small-town friendly neighbor, with a gentle face and voice and a slim body that is at once graceful and awkward."[367] Unlike many actors who developed their on-screen persona over time, Stewart's on-screen persona was recognizable as early as Art Trouble (1932), his uncredited debut film role, where Stewart was relaxed and comfortable on-screen.[368] He portrayed this persona most strongly in the 1940s but maintained a classic everyman persona throughout his career.[369][370][371][372]