Garland was in vaudeville with her two older sisters. She was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a teenager. She made more than two dozen MGM movies. Nine of these movies co-starred Mickey Rooney. Her most famous MGM movie was The Wizard of Oz of 1939. She worked with MGM for 15 years. She went on to make record-breaking concert appearances.
Garland had personal problems throughout her life. She did not like the way she looked. Her feelings were made worse by movie executives who told her she did not look good. They changed the way she looked physically in movies. She also had financial problems. She often owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes. She married five times. Her first four marriages ended in divorce. She had a long struggle with alcohol and drug use during most of her career. She died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 47. She had three children. They are Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Joey Luft.