George Bailey (It's a Wonderful Life)

George Bailey
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) character
George Bailey (played by James Stewart)
Information
Occupation	Owner of Bailey Building and Loan Association
Spouse(s)	Mary Hatch
Children	Pete, Janie, Tommy, and Zuzu
Relatives	Parents: Peter and Ma Uncle: Billy Brother: Harry Sister-in-law: Ruth Dakin

George Bailey is a fictional character and the main protagonist in Frank Capra's 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life. He occupies slot #9 on the American Film Institute's list of the 50 greatest screen heroes (in its 2003 list entitled AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains). He is played by James Stewart as an adult and Bobby Anderson as a child. He is loosely based on George Pratt, a character in Philip Van Doren Stern's The Greatest Gift.

George Bailey's persona

Throughout the story, George is shown as a selfless person since childhood. He saves his younger brother Harry from drowning, after Harry accidentally sleds down into icy water; rescuing Harry causes George to lose his hearing in his left ear. He also saves his boss, Mr. Gower, from jail time when Gower accidentally puts poison in a customer's medicine capsules. From a young age, George always wanted to go to college and to travel and see the world; however, he keeps having to postpone the fulfillment of these ambitions, time after time.

When his uncle loses $8,000 and George does not know that his rival, Mr. Potter, has it, George is on the verge of committing suicide by jumping from a bridge. However, his guardian angel, Clarence, stops him. Clarence shows George what life in his hometown, Bedford Falls, would be like if George hadn't been born. When George realizes committing suicide would be a mistake, he goes back to the bridge and utters his famous line, "I want to live again." He soon returns to his world, and the citizens of Bedford Falls come to greet him and donate money to replace the missing $8,000.