I do not count myself as a member of the ripped-sweatshirt fraternity.. Even if Clift himself was already spiraling out of control, playing a character that did the same only amplified the psychological toll. Courtesy Everett Collection Elizabeth was more visible than the publicity-shy Monty. But, in general, his relationships with men had more to do with sex than with a deep emotional connection. While filmingRaintree County, Clift attended a dinner party at Taylors housebut sadly, he didnt make it home in one piece. Moreover? With unprecedented control over the projects he starred in, Clift agreed to do the romantic drama, The Heiress. Every actor was in the midst of fighting their own demons. Making Montgomery Clift is a 2018 American documentary film by directors Robert Anderson Clift and Hillary Demmon chronicling the life of the actor Montgomery Clift till his death in 1966. He told everyone that hed marry when he met the right girl, but that in the meantime, he was simply playing the field. Once, when questioned about his pastimes, he quipped, Yes, women. But where were they? His first two films were smashing successesand for veryimpressive reasons. Taylor immediately stuck her delicate, little hand down his throat and removed the obstruction. A four-time Oscar nominee who died at 45, Montgomery Clift was a bright young talent, a tabloid fixture, and a posthumous gay icon. He had a close friendship with a woman named Myra Letts, whom the gossip columnists tried arduously to frame as a love interest. Sensitive, mysterious, brooding, and suspiciously single. The surgeries led to the use of strong painkillers. Edward Montgomery Clift was born on October 17, 1920, in Omaha, Nebraska. It was a flimsy speculation built on shaky evidence, but with no sign of any real lovemaking in Clifts life, it was all the fan magazines had. So the fan magazines got creative: the August 1949 cover of Movieland, for example, featured a grinning, suited, respectable-looking Clift paired with the tantalizing headline Making Love the Clift Way. But when readers looked inside the magazine, all they found was a two-page spread of stills from The Heiress, featuring Clift in various stages of flirtation with Olivia de Havilland, extrapolating that Clifts kissing style was soft yet possessively brutal; pleading, but demanding all. He also detested the man. When he wasnt reading or preparing for his next role, he took pleasure in visiting the local night court. Montgomery Clift had an encounter with Marlon Brando. His apartment, which he rented for 10 dollars a month, was described by friends as beat up and by him as terrific. He survived on two meals a day, mostly combinations of steak, eggs, and orange juice, and he eschewed nightclubs, instead spending his spare time reading Chekov, classic works of history and economics, and Aristotle, whom he praised for his belief in happiness, or the gentle art of the soul. When he wasnt reading or exhausting himself in preparation for a part, he liked to go to the local night court and attend high-profile court cases just to watch the humanity on display. Ad Choices. Clift had a fraternal twin sister, Roberta, and a brother, William Brooks Clift Jr, who had an illegitimate son with actress Kim Stanley. Oh dear. He wanted to be a free agent, and he did it successfully. The duo eventually got to know each other better, and according to Taylor, they liked each other. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. But 1961 audiences were too close to the day-to-day deterioration of its stars to see the meditative genius of The Misfits. Close friends, such as actor Kevin McCarthy and his wife, tried to get Clift to slow down and dry out, but their pleas . (1936), Ghostwriting Gloria Swanson: The Strange, Sexually Charged Genesis of a Legendary Autobiography, A New Power Generation: Radhika Jones Introduces the 2023 Hollywood Issue, Salma Hayek Pinault Explains How She Got Hollywood to Stop Typecasting Her as Sexy. Clift, however, lived a two-faceted life concerning his sexuality. When Clift became a household name in the movie industry, his romantic life became a widely-discussed subject by the press. With Clift on board, Suddenly, Last Summer morphed into a verifiable mess. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. In 1961, Montgomery Clift went on to star alongside some of Hollywoods greatest legendsMarilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. 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. Clift earned best-actor Oscar nominations for 1951s A Place in the Sun and 1953s From Here to Eternity; both times he lost to older actors (Humphrey Bogart and William Holden, respectively), and established his reputation, alongside Marlon Brando and James Dean, as a young outsider whose talent intimidated Hollywood. "Monty," as the performer was known to family and . There was a nonchalance to Clifts attitude in regards to women. His image was, more than anything else, confusingunmalleable to Hollywoods preexisting star categories. Elizabeth Taylor stuck by her friends, and Montgomery Clift undoubtedly claimed a special spot in her heart. Part of honoring someone is being open to that person not being just one, reductive thing., Making Montgomery Clift is showing at NewFest with a release date yet to be announced, Tab Hunter: how Hollywood's boy next door became a gay icon, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. In this exclusive excerpt from her forthcoming book, Anne. Can he still feel?). Hollywood began to see him as hostile and messy and frugal, and Clift wasnt having it. So finely While driving, he fell asleep at the wheel and the consequences were utterly gruesome. The film went on to win six Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay, and is now hailed as a (flawed) classic. When the duo finally met in Stevens' office, it was pretty magical for Taylor. Christine Tran is a history buff(ette) and media scholar. Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun. She is completing her PhD in Toronto, Canada. One time when he was delivering his line on the set of "The Search," he mistakenly called a boy 'dear' and insisted that the director did a reshoot. Have I said something wrong? The director, John Huston, supposedly brought in Clift because he thought hed have a soothing effect on Monroe, who was deeply embroiled in her own addictions, with her own personal demons. Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 July 23, 1966) was an American actor. But this wasnt the actors first time at the rodeo. I mean, he is a His parents were Quakers and met as students at Cornell University, marrying in 1914. Their unique bond so evident in these pictures made on the Paramount lot during filming of A Place in the Sun, and never published in LIFE, was occasionally deepened even further by disasters visited upon them both through the years. He was the son of Ethel "Sunny" Anderson (Fogg; 1888-1988) and William Brooks Clift (1886-1964). Because of the accident, the studio worried about the success of Raintree County. Clift's brother would later come out to say that the actor was bisexual. For over 30 years, scripts have floated around Hollywood promising to tell the story of Montgomery Clift, one of the most innovative and handsome actors in history. Taylor had married British actor Michael Wilding in 1952, but by 1956, their marriage was in decline. He also helped bring a more natural acting style to film. Finally, Clift had a chance to climb out of his slumpbut before he made it over the top, tragedy struck. Determined to make it better, he made some key changesand they made allthe difference. While on his way back, he had an accident. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Another confidant said his personal life didnt bother him. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. He insisted on maintaining his residence in New York, spending as little time in Hollywood as possible. . 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. Some of the greatest celebrities of the day came out to mourn Clift at his funeral, including Lauren Bacall and Frank Sinatra. His decline was never explicitly evoked, but with his visage in Raintree County, it was there for all to see. Documentary Biography Classic film star and queer icon Montgomery Clift's legacy has long been a story of tragedy and self-destruction. A four-time Academy Award nominee, The New York Times said he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men". In all honesty, his face wasnt horribly changed at all, but there was one shocking difference. Montgomery Clift was in relationships with Sal Mineo, Paul Newman, Henry Willson, Jack Larson, William LeMassena, Libby Holman, Maurice Leonard and Arnold Saint Subber. His mother was born out of wedlock and spent much of her life and the family fortune finding her illustrious southern lineage and raising her children as aristocrats.At age 13, Monty appeared on Broadway ("Fly Away Home"), and chose to remain in the New York theater for over ten years before finally succumbing to Hollywood. Lorenzo came into the picture when Monty was at his lowest. Unlike Rock Hudson, whose affairs were very nearly exposed to the entire nation by Confidential, Clift never made the pages of the scandal rags. American actor Montgomery Clift was spectacular on the big screen for his portrayal of sensitive male characters. Luckily, although the public was out for blood, there was one woman on his side. He is most remembered for A Place In The Sun (1951) & From Here To Eternity (1953).. His zodiac sign is Libra. Firstly, he didnt even like Hollywood, preferring to stay in New York as much as he could. It was a huge wager: since everyone knew how much booze and pills Clift was on, he was virtually uninsurable on set. Luckily, his isolated lifestyle gave him an advantage. Indeed, it was his apparent lack of romantic attachments that confounded the gossip press the most. Some sources have the crash occurring when Clift was leaving the event, while others state he was on his way there. Regardless of the veracity of this story, one thing remains true: theres not a single picture of Clifts broken face. Montgomery Clift may have been one of the most self-aware actors of his day, and he certainly knew the name of the game. When the press talked about Clift, they talked about the skill and the beauty, but they also talked about what an offbeat, weird guy he was. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. After the success of 1953sFrom Here to Eternity, Montgomery Clift suddenly stopped making films. I thought he was dead. McCarthy ran to fetch Taylor, Wilding, and Rock Hudson and Hudsons wife, Phyllis Gates, who all raced to the site of the accident. Instead, he bided his time, and thankfully, luck was on his side. 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. Montgomery Clift (1920-1966) is one of the most tragic figures in Hollywood history. 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. Hes never sucked my cock.. Some believe that Clifts romantic leanings were much less of a secret than originally thought. While she sounds apologetic, the changes were never made. Clift simply wasnt cut out for school, and unlike his siblings, turned his back on higher education. A portrait of Elizabeth Taylor And Montgomery Clift from the film "A Place In The Sun", 1951 | Photo: Getty Images. Something was seriously wrong. You see, Clift wasnt just a pretty face, he also had a bunch of quirks that made him incredibly singular in comparison to other leading men. John Wayne and Montgomery Clift in Red River. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. Montgomery Clift made a name for himself in Hollywood with several awards and nominations. It was ironic his relationship with the bisexual middle-aged Holman would be the principal (and likely the last) heterosexual relationship of his life and only cause him further anguish over his sexuality. Clift was so protective of Holman that when offered the plum role of the male lead in Sunset Boulevard, he turned it downreportedly to avoid any suggestion that Libby Holman was his own delusional Norma Desmond, using a handsome young man to pursue her lost stardom. Login to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. 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. 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. "Indiscretion of an American Wife" romance and drama movie produced in Italy and USA and released in 1953. Little did he know, he was always destined for something more. Were always looking for your input! Of course, when it came to his appearance, this gorgeous star really didnt give a hoot. And when it came to riotous parties, well, he avoided nightlife like the plague. Yet Clift would come to hate the image that constrained him, just as he hated the suggestion that he was a slob, unfriendly, or loathed in Hollywood: after the story of his bare closet came out in the Saturday Evening Post, he worked arduously to set the record straight, underlining the ways in which publicity takes a kernel of the truth and expands it into legend. But that wasnt the wildest part of the story. By 15, Clift made his Broadway debut in Cole Porters Jubilee. Yet, according to a new documentary, titled Making Montgomery Clift, the stars substance abuse had nothing at all to do with his sexuality. Like them, Clift was comfortable with the full contours, and consequences, of his beauty, playing the object in a way previously preserved for female stars. Carlo Fiore and Marlon Brando were in . Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Search _ 1948 DVD Montgomery Clift Aline MacMahon Wendell Corey V Rare at the best online prices at eBay! AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. There were even speculations that he was warned about being gay. However, Clift soon realized that you cant always have your cake and eat it too. 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. Montgomery Clift | 20 Gay Hollywood Legends | Purple Clover "I love men in bed, but I really love women," Montgomery Clift is quoted as saying in a 1978 biography. James found his patient sitting up in bed and watching his film, The Misfits, but Clift clearly didnt want to be disturbed. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. I wanted to figure out why there was such a difference., A deep trove of never-before-revealed evidence makes that disparity bracingly clear. But he was handsome and beguiling on-screen, creating an appetite for confirmation of that same Clift off the screen. Of course, Clift took one of his greatest secrets to his grave. In fact, after the lovers have been separated for good and the young man is in the death house [Clifts character murders Winters after getting her pregnant], the face of the girl comes floating in via double exposure to give him a last unsubstantial peck before he goes out to be executed. "Indiscretion of an American Wife" is currently available to stream on Fubo TV. Thats why his work doesnt feel dated, Demmon said. Montgomery Clift later resided in . A successful man in the business world, Bill nevertheless deferred to this strong-willed, opinionated woman at home. Contemporaries like James Dean and Marlon Brando also did. Upon closer inspection, Clifts career reveals notable clues as to who he genuinely was and the private struggles he faced. About This made him an A-list actor and a multi-award-winning star. Heres A Mystery: Why Did Arthur Conan Doyles Son Dress Up Like a Knight? However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. Peter Stackpole The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock. 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. A way into the 70s, there was more clarification to his sexuality. She made it known that it all boiled down to love. He looked about ten years older than the Montgomery Clift audiences remembered and adored. / Montys face is broken on a wheel. Indiscrecin de una esposa: Dirigido por Vittorio De Sica. (38) and his wife, Meghan Markle (41), officially . Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? He was not worried [about being gay], Larson asserts in the film. Of course, Clift didnt walk away unscathed either. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, Hollywood, 1950. But the tragedies didnt end there. Clift's childhood was unconventional. Montgomery Clift is American by birth. And so he remains frozen in the popular imagination, circa From Here to Eternitythose high cheekbones, that set jaw, the firm stare: a magnificent, proud, tragically broken thing to behold. A wild exclusive excerpt from the new book, Oscars 2023: Yes, Some Awards Movies Flopped, but Art Matters, How in the F--k Does Anyone Live Here?: Bret Easton Ellis on Life, Art, and What the Hell Happened to Manhattan, Todd Field on 2 Decades of Oscar Campaigns, From, I didnt realize the deadly minefield of a campaign season, the Oscar nominee says in a career-spanning interview. She once lovingly described how she was in awe of the star actor's perfect facial features. Montgomery Clifts sexuality finally emerged with the help of two biographers, and before long, the public turned him into a gay icon. The documentary was released at the Los Angeles Film Festival and . He spent a great deal of time and money on psychiatry.In 1956, during filming of Raintree County (1957), he ran his Chevrolet into a tree after leaving a party at Elizabeth Taylor's; it was she who saved him from choking by pulling out two teeth lodged in his throat. But that wasnt all. His beat-up car was 10 years old, and his best friends were all outside of the movie business. Apparently, Burt Lancaster's From Here to Eternity co-star Montgomery Clift intimidated himso much so that in their first scene together you can see Lancaster shaking. Throughout filming, members of the crew came up with code words to alert everyone about the lead actors level of intoxication. He was only 15 years old, but this wasnt just a fun pastimeit was serious business. They went to London to see Laurence Olivier together, ate together, sat in front of the fire together, Clift said. While he never excelled at school, his extraordinary abilities as an actor. It left him with chronic health issues for the rest of his life. Montgomery Clift, in full Edward Montgomery Clift, (born October 17, 1920, Omaha, Neb., U.S.died July 23, 1966, New York, N.Y.), American motion-picture actor noted for the emotional depth and sense of vulnerability he brought to his roles. Sealed, new. A Place In The Sun (1951) & From Here To Eternity (1953). I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life. All Rights Reserved. Allegedly, Rock Hudson was there to pull Clift from the wreckage and it was Taylor who held the stricken actor in her arms. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with the latest celebrity news, but don't worry we have you covered. For us, it seemed there was this big difference between what people thought about Monty in the public sphere and what people that knew him would say, said Clift. Contact sheets from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpole's shoot on a Paramount lot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. Welcome to Who Is Montgomery Clift?, a page dedicated to showcasing actors & movie makers of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Clift was there, as were actors Kevin McCarthy and Rock Hudson, and Hudson's wife, Phyllis Gates, per Vanity Fair. But while his siblings enrolled in prestigious schools, Montgomery Clift went hurtling in a completely different direction. Which gives that narrative a lot of traction. In fact, Hepburn was so offended by Mankiewicz that she did something outrageous. What a pity hes a Thats not what people would expect from a mother in that period.. 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. Free Postage. It was reported that Taylor even tried to help him find a partner. To help build their case, the film-makers had rare access to the actors archives. 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. An interviewer once asked him what his hobbies were, Clift replied, "women. In the face of such criticism, Clift went ahead and confused the gossip columns even more. There are a few versions that detail the aftermath of Clifts accident, but one has all the drama of a motion picture itself. In his words, I learned that most writers dont need interviews to write about me. In one tape made by his father in the 1960s, we hear the stars mother tell him, with untroubled candor, that Monty was a homosexual early. And the cherry on top? And even more shocking? But for 12 years, he set Hollywood aflame. But Clifts rebuttal was firm, emphasizing that they were neither in love nor engagedtheyd known each other for 10 years, she helped him with his work, and those romantic rumors are embarrassing to both of us. He was also close with stage actress Libby Holman, 16 years his senior, who had become a notorious feature in the gossip columns following the suspicious death of her wealthy husband, rumors of lesbianism, and her general practice of dating younger men. You see, the reason behind Montgomery Clifts barren dating life was rather simple: He was gay. He hated the criticism and the labels, and eventually, he just couldnt take it anymore. Even the press seemed to unintentionally hit upon the one thing he wanted to keep hidden, with titles like Two Loves Has Monty and Monty Clift: Woman Hater or Free Soul?. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. After filming wrapped, she tracked him down and spat directly in his face. The unspoken truth was that Clift was gay. at the best online prices at eBay! Show details He was a great talent but the male counterpart to Monroe, lonely, sad, and pitiful. Montgomery Clift is a member of the following lists: American film actors, Actors Studio alumni and Bisexual actors. But while Clift certainly seemed like a budding Hollywood heartthrob on the outside, in reality, he wasfar from it. What finally brought him back to the screen? Its impossible for us to know what happenedor if the two even had a relationship that went beyond the platonicbut it was returning from a party at Taylors house, mid-filming for Raintree County, that he smashed his car into a telephone pole. In remembering Clift, McCarthy said, his face was torn awaya bloody pulp. Their claims were deemed reliable because one of the biographers was certified by one of Clift's confidants. The film-makers interviewed Bosworth extensively for the movie, but they contrast her words with old taped conversations she had with the actors brother. Following The Misfits, Clifts disintegration continued. He got him going again. Observers also point out that Clift had sexual relationships with women. In Clifts eyes, de Havilland imparted nothing of herself into the role. Montgomery Clift was in relationships with Sal Mineo, Paul Newman, Henry Willson, Jack Larson, William LeMassena, Libby Holman, Maurice Leonard and Arnold Saint Subber. The director, Joseph Mankiewicz, was appalled by this wavering professionalismbut when he tried to fire Clift, two angels intervened. He summoned a doctor, but it was already too late. Curtis's relationship to the term nepo baby has evolved over the last few months. . But for Clift, there was just no escape, and it was only going to get worse. Today, its impossible to know the specifics of Clifts sexuality: his brother, Brooks, would later claim that his brother was bisexual, while various writings from within Hollywood indicate that Clifts sexuality wasnt entirely a secret. 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. Taylor talked about the need for staunch support for gay people and their rights. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. 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. Before long, photographers began to descend on the gory scene. This showed in his consciousness of being seen as feminine in any way. His injuries included a broken nose and jaw, a fractured sinus, and deep cuts across his face that called for extensive plastic surgery.