That, combined with his spiraling alcohol addiction, wrung the youth right out of the handsome actor. Can he still feel?). or 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. Throughout filming, members of the crew came up with code words to alert everyone about the lead actors level of intoxication. However, this was no quick fix. One infamous fact about Montgomery Clift is that he only owned one suit. . 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. He still drank, but not as heavily. 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. Whether morally repulsive or philosophically compelling, The Misfits bombed, only to be recuperated, years later, as a masterpiece of the revisionist genre. A still of Montgomery Clift. Between 1963 and 1966, he faded from public view, emerging only to film a final performance in the French spy thriller The Defector (1966). Monroe and Taylor are shadowed by Montgomery. When it came to the lengthier scenes, the actor just couldnt deliver; they had to be divided into smaller cuts just so he could see them through. 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. 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. Looking back, the film had a legacy of darkness surrounding it: Gable died of a heart attack less than a month after filming; Monroe was only able to attend the films premiere with a pass from her stay at a psychiatric ward. There were questions about the woman in his life and why he was single. The most beautiful young man Ive ever seen. [6] His mother was Ethel Fogg "Sunny" Clift ( ne Anderson; 1888-1988). You couldn't help but come. 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. He played the desperate, the drunken, and the deceived, and the trajectory of his life was as tragic as that in any of his films. Or, as Bosley Crowther, taking the populist slant in The New York Times, explained, the characters were amusing, but they were also shallow and inconsequential, and that is the dang-busted trouble with this film.. Montgomery Clift girlfriend, wife list. Even his diet was rather spartan: orange juice, steak, and eggs. There were no wild outings for this reserved homebody. In the face of such criticism, Clift went ahead and confused the gossip columns even more. 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. At the time of the premiere, Monroe had been admitted to a psychiatric ward and required a day pass just to attend. yo tambien hubiera tenido algo con el claro que si, Monty, I love you. Tellingly, theyre always pitched under working titles like Beautiful Loser and' Tragic Beauty. Next came "The Nutty Professor" as Lewis' student, Stella Purdy, who he is infatuated with. cocksucker, isnt he, Tallulah? Miss Bankhead said: Well, Thanks for your help! Indeed, it was his apparent lack of romantic attachments that confounded the gossip press the most. The Young Lions (film) - Wikipedia 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. The next morning, James returned to Clifts room to rouse him but found the door locked. . Randy Chrisley Is Todd Chrisley's Brother Who Was Diagnosed with Cancer in 2014, Johnny Depp's Weight Gain & Changes in Appearance over the Years, 'Whos the Boss? Picture 1 of 12 . Contact sheet from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpoles shoot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. 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. ufff q hombre tan guapo y atractivo, y grn actor ademas, como me hubiese gustado conocerlo con unos ojos maravillosos. Another confidant said his personal life didnt bother him. A young naive woman falls for a handsome young man who her emotionally abusive father suspects is a fortune hunter. That said, he kept his sexuality a secret: The prejudices of the time left him no choice. His image was, more than anything else, confusingunmalleable to Hollywoods preexisting star categories. Clift asserts that the actors use of alcohol and prescription drugs stemmed, primarily, from a near-fatal car accident in 1956. Of course, by this time, Clifts drinking problems werent much of a secret, making him a liability to the studio. In Clifts eyes, de Havilland imparted nothing of herself into the role. Montgomery Clift may have been one of the most self-aware actors of his day, and he certainly knew the name of the game. Clift's childhood was unconventional. Actor Montgomery Clift, 45, three times nominated for Academy Awards, died early Saturday of a heart attack in his plush East Side townhouse. In fact, the attitudes he and his family held towards his relationships with men were strikingly modern. Login Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in A Place in the Sun. His interests lay elsewhere. Whether this captivating story is real or not remains to be seen. Indiscrecin de una esposa: Dirigido por Vittorio De Sica. Montgomery Clift was in 8 on-screen matchups, including Anne Baxter in I Confess (1953), Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun (1951), Dolores Hart in Lonelyhearts (1958), Donna Reed in From Here to Eternity (1953) and Jennifer Jones in Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953). Realizing that Clift was in mortal danger, McCarthy raced to the scene of the accident. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? 2023 Cond Nast. Elizabeth Taylor stuck by her friends, and Montgomery Clift undoubtedly claimed a special spot in her heart. This year the young man . 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. Thats not what people would expect from a mother in that period.. 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. In his eyes, he wasnt a rebel, he was simply an actor who wanted to portray a slice of life. Tired of being boxed in, he stated, I am notrepeat nota member of the Beat Generation. Montgomery Clift - Biography However, Clift's sexuality was not much of a secret within the movie industry. Clifts recuperation took months, and when he finally returned to set, there was more trouble afoot. He died in 1966 at the age of 45. Benign to most but, in hindsight, highly suggestive. And even then, he didnt live a glamorous movie star existence. It left him with chronic health issues for the rest of his life. Instead, he bided his time, and thankfully, luck was on his side. Who is Montgomery Clift dating? Montgomery Clift girlfriend, wife Whisked away to the morgue, Clifts body underwent an autopsy that shed some light on his sudden demise. In a new documentary, myths and assumptions about the Oscar-nominated heartthrob who struggled with his sexuality are replaced with the little-known truth. In all honesty, his face wasnt horribly changed at all, but there was one shocking difference. Little did he know, he was always destined for something more. Because of the accident, the studio worried about the success of Raintree County. A bout five years ago, filmmaking duo Robert Clift and Hillary Demmon Clift decided to make a documentary about Robert's long-dead uncle. 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. The Searchturned out to be a huge hit for Clift. You see, when Clift sat down to read through the script for The Search,he was less than enthused with the writing. . 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?. With his screenwriting suggestions, the film took home an Academy Award. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. . This made him an A-list actor and a multi-award-winning star. When interviewed, the "From Here to Eternity" actor would wave it off, noting that he would be with a woman when he finds the right person. . But right as filming began, he realized that hed made a terrible mistake. 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. 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. He gained excellent theatrical notices and soon piqued the interests of numerous lovelorn actresses; their advances met with awkward conflict. Montgomery Clift Hid His Sexuality for Years but Elizabeth - AmoMama There were even speculations that he was warned about being gay. Clift was there, as were actors Kevin McCarthy and Rock Hudson, and Hudson's wife, Phyllis Gates, per Vanity Fair. 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. The truth didnt come out until the 70s. But the facial reconstruction, heavy painkiller use, and rampant alcohol abuse made it look like hed aged a decade. Making Montgomery Clift, which was co-directed by Clift's nephew Robert Clift (and Robert's wife Hillary. Years before, Clift had battled dysentery, which introduced him to the sinister side effects of pain management. Montgomery Clift (1920-1966) is one of the most tragic figures in Hollywood history. Ad Choices. The film went on to win six Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay, and is now hailed as a (flawed) classic. Woodbury Blair was the son of Montgomery Blair, after whom his great-grandson received his middle name, and wife Mary Elizabeth Woodbury, daughter of Levi Woodbury (1789-1851), United States Supreme Court, and wife Elizabeth Wendell Clapp. During the peak period of his career, the actor and some Hollywood friends were returning from a party held at Taylor's home. They took a risk on the troubled actorand it endedbadly. 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 'Red River star was then tagged a gay icon. Lorenzo was one of the reasons.. We want our readers to trust us. Montgomery Clift Born: 1920-10-17, Omaha, Nebraska, USA Education: NA Ethnicity: Caucasian Death Date:-0001-11-30 Addition Websites. 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. He knew that people would flock to the cinema just to see his damaged face. To help build their case, the film-makers had rare access to the actors archives, as well as to the familys story, courtesy of a special connection: the doc was co-directed by the stars nephew, Robert Clift, and his wife, Hillary Demmon. Jennifer Jones (Actor), Montgomery Clift (Actor), Vittorio De Sica (Director) Format: DVD 127 ratings IMDb 6.2/10.0 $797 Prime Video $0.99 $2.99 Blu-ray $14.99 DVD $7.97 VHS Tape $4.73 See More Frequently bought together + + Total price: $27.95 Add all three to Cart Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Montgomery Clift made a name for himself in Hollywood with several awards and nominations. He was the son of Ethel "Sunny" Anderson (Fogg; 1888-1988) and William Brooks Clift (1886-1964). Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? The view then about queer people was that they would be inherently conflicted or tormented about their sexuality, said Demmon. Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 July 23, 1966) was an American actor. 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. 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. Clift's brother would later come out to say that the actor was bisexual. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. But just as Clift dove into this exciting new chapter, an unforeseen tragedy changedeverything. Of course, Clift didnt walk away unscathed either. I think he was 12 or 13., Its obviously a non-issue for her, co-director Demmon said. Indiscretion Of An American Wife -- (Movie Clip) Open, Rome High-wattage credits in unusual combination, from David O. Selznick's short feature Indiscretion Of An American Wife, 1954, starring Jennifer Jones and Montgomery Clift, directed by Vittorio De Sica, dialogue by Truman Capote. Montgomery Clift | American actor | Britannica Well, in 1955, he had a chance to reunite with his old friend and co-star, Elizabeth Taylor, in Raintree County. Before long, photographers began to descend on the gory scene. Upon closer inspection, Clifts career reveals notable clues as to who he genuinely was and the private struggles he faced. An interviewer once asked him what his hobbies were, Clift replied, "women. He got him going again. Nothing could have prepared him for what he discovered. He lived in a pampered bubbleuntil one day, it all came crashing down. In his words, I learned that most writers dont need interviews to write about me.