He read books about Montgomery Clift and James Dean, and credited seeing "Taxi Driver" at age 13 with fueling his desire to be in movies. Welcome to Who Is Montgomery Clift?, a page dedicated to showcasing actors & movie makers of the Golden Age of Hollywood. When he first arrived in Hollywood, he didnt sign a contract, waiting until after the success of his first two films to negotiate a three-picture deal with Paramount that allowed him total discretion over projects. Production resumed on Raintree County, which the studio feared would fail following Clifts accident. She developed an intense decade-plus obsession over the young actor, even financing an experimental play, "Mexican Mural" for him. Even his diet was rather spartan: orange juice, steak, and eggs. He was the son of Francis Preston Blair, elder brother of Francis Preston Blair Jr. and cousin of B. Gratz Brown . Clift simply wasnt cut out for school, and unlike his siblings, turned his back on higher education. An inside look at the actors secretive love life. He was, in his words, nothing more than an ordinary, second-class wolf., These anecdotes, and dozens like them, would establish Clift, along with Brando, as the embodiment of 50s youth culture, rebelling against conformity and all that postwar Americans were supposed to embrace. RIP GEORGOUS MONTY. That secret that Clift was gay during an impossible era (the 1930s through the 60s) led many interpreters to conclude that the actor must have led a life riddled with fear and shame. Clift was nominated for awards . Free Postage. "Monty," as the performer was known to family and . Elizabeth Taylor (all of 17 years old) and Montgomery Clift posed together at Paramount Studios during a break in filming A Place in the Sun. Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun. Taylor immediately stuck her delicate, little hand down his throat and removed the obstruction. What happened next is somewhat fuzzy: one version has Hudson pulling Clift from the car and Taylor cradling him in her arms, at which point Clift started choking and motioning to his throat, where, it soon became clear, two of his teeth had lodged themselves after coming loose during the accident. Benign to most but, in hindsight, highly suggestive. He is most remembered for A Place In The Sun (1951) & From Here To Eternity (1953).. His zodiac sign is Libra. Clifts lifestyle had the press slotting him in with non-conformists of the dayright alongside hotshots like Marlon Brandobut the actor didnt respond well to being labeled and defined. That was really frightening to see., Penn Badgley Loves His Wife Too Much to Do Sex Scenes in, I askedSera Gamble, the creator, Can I just do no more intimacy scenes? the former, Oscar-winning producer Dede Gardner looks back at her many groundbreaking awards darlings, from the triumph of. What finally brought him back to the screen? Many of the myths surrounding Clift sprang from two biographies: a salacious one by Robert Laguardia and another flawed work by Patricia Bosworth, titled A Life. But 1961 audiences were too close to the day-to-day deterioration of its stars to see the meditative genius of The Misfits. But the troubled star. In this exclusive excerpt from her forthcoming book, Anne Helen Petersen recounts the actors lonely life, ferocious talent, and tragic decline. is the hero of a long, oppressively powerful movie called A Place in the Sun. Directed by George Stevens for Paramount, it gives three young actors [Shelley Winters brilliantly played the poor girl] the chance to give the most natural performances of their careers. The actress had read many articles about Clift's acting prowess and thought she would not be the perfect match. Apparently, one of Clifts tooths had pierced his tongue, causing him to choke. Lancaster's . Soon, Montgomery Clift became almost impossible to work with. While working in New York in the early 1940s, he met wealthy former Broadway star Libby Holman. And when it came to riotous parties, well, he avoided nightlife like the plague. The next year, Taylor used her status to wrangle an acting part for Clift; she demanded that he be a part ofSuddenly, Last Summer. The next morning, James returned to Clifts room to rouse him but found the door locked. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. When he wasnt reading or preparing for his next role, he took pleasure in visiting the local night court. Contact sheets from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpoles shoot on a Paramount lot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. Hepburn was reportedly so incensed by Mankiewiczs treatment of Clift that when the film officially wrapped, she found the director and spat in his face. You see, when Clift sat down to read through the script for The Search,he was less than enthused with the writing. A portrait of Montgomery Clift acting as Matt Garth in the western film "Red River" on 01 January, 1948 | Photo: Getty Images. Contact sheets from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpole's shoot on a Paramount lot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. But when his nephew dives into the family archives, a much more complicated picture emerges. John Wayne and Montgomery Clift in Red River. They went to London to see Laurence Olivier together, ate together, sat in front of the fire together, Clift said. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. He got him going again. He was sick of being a symbol, a symptom, a testament to something. In order to get him the part, she had to offer up some kind of insurance, and this time, she put her own salary on the line. A documented conversation between two stars, Tallulah Bankhead and Dorothy Parker, during a dinner party also showed that there was knowledge among stars that Clift was gay. He also won a nomination for Best Actor. By 15, Clift made his Broadway debut in Cole Porters Jubilee. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, Hollywood, 1950. .. Actor Montgomery Clift, 45, three times nominated for Academy Awards, died early Saturday of a heart attack in his plush East Side townhouse. Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando were in a . From here on out, however, he plunged even further into his addiction. Elizabeth Taylor (all of 17 years old) and Montgomery Clift posed together at Paramount Studios during a break in filming A Place in the Sun. In 1929, the Wall Street Crash hit Clifts father like a ton of bricks, and his mothers dreams disappeared in an instant. The 42 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time, The 25 Best Shows on Netflix to Watch Right Now, Titled Refueling at Albuquerque, New Mexico, in Clifts handwriting. She had always been there for him, and once said, Monty couldve been the biggest star in the world if he did more movies. But Taylors dedication to her friend went above and beyond. 3.80. He wasnt the only one who challenged such norms at the time. Other testimonies to Clifts gayness abound: early in his film career, he had purportedly been warned that being gay would ruin him; he was so conscious of being seen as feminine or fey in any way that when he ad-libbed a line in The Search, calling a boy dear, he insisted that director Fred Zinnemann reshoot the take. Of course, as unusual as his lifestyle seemed, healso had a number of interesting routines. Adopted at the age of one, his mother was told by a well-intentioned doctor years later that she was the offspring of Southern aristocrats, so she chose to raise her own children accordingly. . In Clifts eyes, de Havilland imparted nothing of herself into the role. However, he became more comfortable with her and eventually found it easy to open up about his sexuality. But even Monroe reported that Clift was the only person I know who is in even worse shape than I am. The pictures from the set are as poignant as they are heartbreaking: its as if all three were meditating on their respective declines, and theres a sad, peaceful resignation at the difference between what their bodies could do and how people wanted to remember them. His injuries included a broken nose and jaw, a fractured sinus, and deep cuts across his face that called for extensive plastic surgery. An interviewer once asked him what his hobbies were, Clift replied, "women. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. Although hed only been away from Hollywood for four and a half years, the handsome Montgomery Clift looked incrediblyoldand the reason was downright heartbreaking. Montgomery Blair. Her interests include the European Renaissance, popular culture, and Internet history. His other side was mostly hidden and only became widely known after he passed on, thanks to his friend and colleague Elizabeth Taylor. He used them to numb his physical pain. But even as Clift consistently took the road less traveled, he still had some biting things to say about the media, especially its desire to pin down his image. Fearful for her friends image, she threatened the press: If they even dared to take one photo of her friend, she would personally ensure the end of their careers. Author Christopher Isherwood tracked Clifts decline in his journals, and by August 1955, he was drinking himself out of a career; on the set of Raintree, the crew had designated words to communicate how drunk Clift was: bad was Georgia, very bad was Florida, and worst of all was Zanzibar. Guided by the key biographies of Clift, they reliably parrot a narrative which paints the actor as a startlingly attractive and prodigiously gifted man who, according to one notably overheated tabloid TV show became a drug-addicted alcoholic living in a self-imposed hell because he had a secret he couldnt live with. But before the film could be released, Clift passed away, wholly without fanfare, at the age of 45, succumbing to years of drug and alcohol abuse. He may have been lonely but the distance he put between his public life and his work life helped keep his mysterious bachelorhood in check. His interests lay elsewhere. Before long, photographers began to descend on the gory scene. He still drank, but not as heavily. The Life and Sad Ending of Montgomery Clift The Life and Sad Ending 182K subscribers Subscribe 2.2K Share 106K views 2 years ago Mini bio of the life of actor Montgomery Clift who is. The unspoken truth was that Clift was gay. Not only would this film win him respect for his impeccable acting performance, but it would also fuel a brand new cycle of romance rumors. But he was handsome and beguiling on-screen, creating an appetite for confirmation of that same Clift off the screen. You`ve being alwasy an inspiration for me. It hardly helped lend nuance to that reading that Clift was a well-known and long-time abuser of pain killers and alcohol, actions which likely sped his death from a heart attack at 45 in 1966. Courtesy Everett Collection Elizabeth was more visible than the publicity-shy Monty. (The director himself never met his famous uncle, having been born eight years after his death). Nope. Making Montgomery Clift, which was co-directed by Clift's nephew Robert Clift (and Robert's wife Hillary. As his eyes drifted closed, Clift suddenly veered off the road and drove straight into a telephone pole. While filming his next picture, Lonelyhearts (1958), Clift lashed out, proclaiming, I am notrepeat nota member of the Beat Generation. Of course, by this time, Clifts drinking problems werent much of a secret, making him a liability to the studio. He was not worried [about being gay], Larson asserts in the film. Taylor, at last free from her long-standing contract with MGM, next used her power as the biggest star in Hollywood to insist that Clift be cast in her new project, Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). Can he still feel?). Montgomery Clift's nephew, co-directing 'Making Montgomery Clift,' an eye-opening documentary about the great movie actor, excavates a treasure trove of family archives. / Montys face is broken on a wheel. . Clift's childhood was unconventional. He died in 1966 at the age of 45. Clift was there, as were actors Kevin McCarthy and Rock Hudson, and Hudson's wife, Phyllis Gates, per Vanity Fair. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. Whether he liked it or not, they were out for a storyAnd the one they wanted above all? Edward Montgomery Clift (nicknamed 'Monty' his entire life) was born on October 17, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska, just after his twin sister Roberta (1920-2014) and eighteen months after his brother Brooks Clift. The entire experience had a cursed tinge to it, and before long, it left disaster in its wake. But her heroism didnt end there. At the time of the premiere, Monroe had been admitted to a psychiatric ward and required a day pass just to attend. With unprecedented control over the projects he starred in, Clift agreed to do the romantic drama, The Heiress. Montgomery Clifts sexuality finally emerged with the help of two biographers, and before long, the public turned him into a gay icon. Beautiful man. What does he inspire anyone to do drink, die young? He became so known for his tousled appearance that theLos Angeles Times dubbed him the Rumpled Movie Idol. With his ancient, ramshackle car, and a circle of friends outsidethe realm of Hollywood, he certainly didnt fit the mold. He surely wasnt a suave Prince Charming, and yet, on-screen, he was a downright masterpiece. She is completing her PhD in Toronto, Canada. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? After Eternity he dropped out of Hollywood for several years, and signed a three-year contract with MGM in 1955 to make Raintree County, which re-united him with his Place in the Sun co-star Elizabeth Taylor. Lancaster's first wife, June Ernst, was, like her mother before her, a renowned acrobat. Contact sheet from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpoles shoot on a Paramount lot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. In Truman Capotes unpublished novel Answered Prayers, for example, the author imagines a dinner party between Clift, Dorothy Parker, and flamboyant stage actress Tallulah Bankhead: . Determined to keep his gayness under wraps, Clift made sure that his masculine facade shone onscreen. However, the filming of The Misfits had a shadow lurking over it. In 1925 Theodore Dreiser [told such a tale in his] long, oppressively powerful novel, An American Tragedy, which in turn made only a fair movie in 1931. He pleaded with her to make changes to her book to correct the mischaracterizations. He gained excellent theatrical notices and soon piqued the interests of numerous lovelorn actresses; their advances met with awkward conflict. He died. This showed in his consciousness of being seen as feminine in any way. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Following The Misfits, Clifts disintegration continued. Grasping at straws, the media decided to do what little they could to sensationalize the actors non-existent, One of Clifts closest friends was a woman named Myra Letts, and for the ruthless gossip columns, it wasnt a huge leap from friend to girlfriend. Clift didnt entertain this for a second and shot the sordid speculations down immediately, saying that there was zero intimacy between them: those romantic rumors are embarrassing to both of us.. But the tragedies didnt end there. Peter Stackpole The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock. But that wasnt all. It has a good rating on IMDb: 6.2 stars out of 10. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Montgomery Clift spent a miserly 10 dollars a month on what his friends referred to as a beat up apartment. Heres A Mystery: Why Did Arthur Conan Doyles Son Dress Up Like a Knight? Once on stage, Clift truly came into his own. . In 1951, Clift embarked upon one of his most famous roles as George Eastman inA Place in the Sun. During the filming of Raintree County, Clift and Taylor seemed to have rekindled their is-it-or-isnt-it relationship; according to one of Clifts biographers, Some days he would threaten to stop seeing Elizabeth Taylorthen, the thought would make him burst into tears. Other apocryphal legend has Taylor sending Clift piles of love letters, which he then read aloud to his male companion at the time. The Clift picture didn't pan out either, at least with her promised co-star. But the drama didn't end there. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. In 1961, Montgomery Clift went on to star alongside some of Hollywoods greatest legendsMarilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. Of course, Clift took one of his greatest secrets to his grave. There are a few versions that detail the aftermath of Clifts accident, but one has all the drama of a motion picture itself. Montgomery Clift was in relationships with Sal Mineo, Paul Newman, Henry Willson, Jack Larson, William LeMassena, Libby Holman, Maurice Leonard and Arnold Saint Subber. Where were these so-called women? Well, at the very heart of it all, Montgomery Clift hid a dangerous secretone that wouldnt emerge untilyears later. Montgomery Clift didnt need much to keep himself happy and entertained. Clift was unperturbed by his apparent lack of a love life: he told the press that he would get married when he met a girl he wanted to marry; in the meantime, he was playing the field. When another columnist asked him if he had any hobbies, he replied, Yes, women. But as the years passed, it became more and more clear that Clift wasnt just picky. The story of Clift's devastating car crash varies somewhat from one account to the next. Clift asserts that the actors use of alcohol and prescription drugs stemmed, primarily, from a near-fatal car accident in 1956. Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor during the filming of A Place in the Sun. However, his worry began to mount when the actor didnt respond to his insistent knocking. Connect any celebrity with Montgomery Clift to see how closely they are linked romantically! . Some believe that Clifts romantic leanings were much less of a secret than originally thought. He also didnt want to sign a contract with a studio, then the only viable way into the business. The entire scene was extremely unsettling as Clift still wore his eyeglasses, and had his hands rigidly clenched. However, this was no quick fix. But, in general, his relationships with men had more to do with sex than with a deep emotional connection. Edward Montgomery Clift (nicknamed 'Monty' his entire life) was born on October 17, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska, just after his twin sister Roberta (1920-2014) and eighteen months after his brother Brooks Clift. When the duo finally met in Stevens' office, it was pretty magical for Taylor. During her appearance at the GLAAD Media Awards, Taylor openly spoke about her late friends sexuality while she addressed the rights of gay people. He started out in films in the late 1940's and immediately made a name for himself with his good looks and emotionally raw performances. In his words, I learned that most writers dont need interviews to write about me. Login to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. In fact, the attitudes he and his family held towards his relationships with men were strikingly modern. Above all, Clift was perpetually curious. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. For example, in 1956 Taylor likely saved Clifts life when, after he crashed his car leaving a party at her home, she raced to the wreck and literally pulled from his mouth broken teeth on which he had begun to choke. Not only did he rarely go out in public, but he also didnt date. Travel back in time with treasured photos and stories, sent right to your inbox. He was a great talent but the male counterpart to Monroe, lonely, sad, and pitiful. This made him an A-list actor and a multi-award-winning star. He didnt want the studios to dictate the kinds of roles he would play, his nephew said. The script wasnt necessarily that special, but it would give him a chance to re-unite with Elizabeth Taylor, and that, it seemed, was enough to pull him out of semi-retirement. I thought he was dead. He immediately returned to Taylors house to notify the party of the bloody disaster. Hes so beautiful, murmured Miss Parker. Montgomery's ancestry was English, as well as more distant Scottish, Dutch, German and French. From the start, Clift was framed as a rebel and an individual. The surgeries led to the use of strong painkillers. Whatever relationships Clift may have had, he was circumspect. "Monty," as his family called him, was the son of William Clift, a. 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Indiscretion of an American Wife 1953, 1h 3min - Romance , Drama Jennifer Jones is the American housewife on vacation in Italy who must choose between returning home to her husband and family in Philadelphia or her romance with an Italian academic played by Montgomery Clift. Luckily, his isolated lifestyle gave him an advantage. It is a feature-length film with a runtime of 1h 3min. But for 12 years, he set Hollywood aflame. Con Jennifer Jones, Montgomery Clift, Gino Cervi, Richard Beymer. It shows a different side to Clift, portraying him as a man who enjoyed life and love, and was comfortable enough with him being a gay man. In 1966, Clifts stalwart friend, Elizabeth Taylor, came to his aid once again and managed to get him a part in Reflections in a Golden Eye. Now were at a historical point in mainstream queer discourse where that story seems less viable., Though the film aims to update, and to fairly contextualize, the actors story, the directors stress that they dont want to simply swap one image of Montgomery Clift for another. For somewhat mysterious reasons, Robert Clifts father Brooks taped endless conversations with his famous brother, as well as with their mother and other figures relevant to the story. Born on October 17, 1920, Edward Montgomery Clift was born into a family with lofty ideals. A bulls horn scarred his nose and his attempt to tame a horse gave him intense rope burnnot to mention all the other scrapes he earned along the way. James found his patient sitting up in bed and watching his film, The Misfits, but Clift clearly didnt want to be disturbed. TAYLOR ON CLIFT'S SEXUALITY AFTER HIS DEATH. Montgomery Edward "Monty" Clift (October 17, 1920 - July 23, 1966) was an American movie, television, radio, and stage actor who is known for his roles in From Here to Eternity, A Place in the Sun, The Misfits, Red River, and in Judgement at Nuremberg.He was nominated four times for an Academy Award.His great-great-grandfather was politician Francis Preston Blair. Marlon Brando: Portraits of a Charismatic Young Star, 1952, Marilyn, Arthur Miller and More: A Star Producers Spectacular Orbit.
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