He has a ghastly, shattered expression. And it wasnt just in private record: in October 1956, Louella Parsons reported on Clifts very bad health and Holmans attempts to clean him up. Montgomery Clift was certainly one of a kind, and when he landed in Hollywood, it became extremely clear that he was going to do things his own way. After all, his leading lady was none other than the beguiling Elizabeth Taylor, and together, these two stars were pure fire. July 24, 1966 12 AM PT. cocksucker. Then, sweetly, wide-eyed with little girl navet, she Montgomery Clifts sexuality finally emerged with the help of two biographers, and before long, the public turned him into a gay icon. 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. Help us build our profile of Montgomery Clift! Monroe and Taylor are shadowed by Montgomery. Born Edward Montgomery Clift on Oct. 17, 1920 in Omaha, NE, he was the son of Ethel Fogg and William Brooks Clift, a successful Wall Street stockbroker. Moreover? Beautiful man. Realizing that Clift was in mortal danger, McCarthy raced to the scene of the accident. In 1951, Clift embarked upon one of his most famous roles as George Eastman inA Place in the Sun. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. There were questions about the woman in his life and why he was single. 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! A four-time Academy Award nominee, The New York Times said he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men". He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. James found his patient sitting up in bed and watching his film, The Misfits, but Clift clearly didnt want to be disturbed. Hollywood repeatedly came courting, but he put off offers for nearly a decade, even turning down roles in classic films like East of Eden and the co-lead in Sunset Boulevard. 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. Charles Castillo, author of "Elizabeth & Monty: The Untold Story," shared that the actress tried to seduce Clift. 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. A fellow actor asserts that Clift was equally confident in his sexuality. He could barely remember his lines and often didnt show up to set. Will she ride the term to Oscar gold? Picture Information. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. This was entertainment at its finest. If Paramount wanted him, theyd have to give him what he wanteda power differential that would go on to structure the star-studio relationship for the next 40 years. He hated the criticism and the labels, and eventually, he just couldnt take it anymore. Whisked away to the morgue, Clifts body underwent an autopsy that shed some light on his sudden demise. Clift was there, as were actors Kevin McCarthy and Rock Hudson, and Hudson's wife, Phyllis Gates, per Vanity Fair. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Travel back in time with treasured photos and stories, sent right to your inbox. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. 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 after an initial flurry of coverage, he retreated from public view entirely. His leading lady, Olivia de Havilland, disappointed him in every wayand his criticisms were downright brutal. 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. 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. Clifts teacher, Robert Lewis, called his gradual decline the longest suicide in Hollywood history. Although he had problems before filmingRaintree County, Clifts drinking was more pronounced than ever. He also helped bring a more natural acting style to film. 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. 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. He still drank, but not as heavily. Montgomery Clift had passed due to a heart attack, but many assumed that his addictions and various health problems contributed to his early death. It was unheard of, especially for a young star, but it was a sellers market. When he came to visit storied fan-magazine author Elsa Maxwell at her home, she had her maid darn the elbow in his jacket. Instead, he bided his time, and thankfully, luck was on his side. However, Clift soon realized that you cant always have your cake and eat it too. 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. It left him with chronic health issues for the rest of his life. What finally brought him back to the screen? Director Joseph Mankiewicz tried to replace Clift, but Taylor and co-star Katharine Hepburn defended and supported him. Montgomery Clift spent a miserly 10 dollars a month on what his friends referred to as a beat up apartment. Taylor, caught up in filming with Richard Burton in Paris, sent flowers to the funeral. 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?. (38) and his wife, Meghan Markle (41), officially . We want our readers to trust us. . 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. He died in 1966 at the age of 45. But something of the old talent remainedor at least enough to earn Clift a nomination for best-supporting actor, playing, in the words of film critic David Thomson, a victim irretrievably damaged by suffering. Plans for Clift to play the lead in the film adaptation of Carson McCullerss The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter fell through, in large part due to his uninsurability on set, and promises of a fourth collaboration with Taylor, this time with producer Ray Stark, never came to pass. It was a huge wager: since everyone knew how much booze and pills Clift was on, he was virtually uninsurable on set. A successful man in the business world, Bill nevertheless deferred to this strong-willed, opinionated woman at home. . In truth, his face wasnt truly disfigured. Even his diet was rather spartan: orange juice, steak, and eggs. Montgomery Clift later resided in . Montgomery Clift had the most earnest of faces: big, pleading eyes, a set jaw, and the sort of immaculate side part we havent seen since. The entire scene was extremely unsettling as Clift still wore his eyeglasses, and had his hands rigidly clenched. Author Christopher Isherwood aptly illustrated Montgomery Clifts shocking transformation: Nearly all his good looks are goneHe has a ghastly, shattered expression. But remember, Clift was never one to dwell on his looks, and it must have been frustrating that everyone else cared so much. The film went on to win six Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay, and is now hailed as a (flawed) classic. Just look at the fan magazine titles: Making Love the Clift Way, Two Loves Has Monty, Montgomery Clifts Tragic Love Story, Is It True What They Say About Monty? Who Is Monty Kidding? Hes Travelin Light, The Lurid Love Life of Montgomery Clift, and, perhaps most flagrantly, Monty Clift: Woman Hater or Free Soul?. He worked on a summer production where his talents blossomed and it opened an auspicious doorone that would seal his fate forever. As his eyes drifted closed, Clift suddenly veered off the road and drove straight into a telephone pole. Finally, Clift had a chance to climb out of his slumpbut before he made it over the top, tragedy struck. Montgomery Clift had an encounter with Marlon Brando. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? But the drama didn't end there. When The Heiresscame out, Clifts loyal fanatics came with their claws out and wrote vicious letters to Olivia de Havilland for rejecting Clifts character in the film. While his brother claimed that Clift was bisexual, writer Truman Capotes unpublished work alludes to Clifts gayness quite explicitly. Quite fittingly, he once said, The closer we come to the negative, todeath, the more we blossom. Even after his passing, his forever friend, Elizabeth Taylor, never forgot him. Documentary Biography Classic film star and queer icon Montgomery Clift's legacy has long been a story of tragedy and self-destruction. Contemporaries like James Dean and Marlon Brando also did. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk. About a month afterThe Misfitswrapped, Gable suffered a heart attack and passed. According to two A-list biographers, the late star was gay. But her heroism didnt end there. Soon, the washed-up actor was completely out of work. 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. Of course, Clifts words had always been futile in the face of Hollywood. While filmingRaintree County, Clift attended a dinner party at Taylors housebut sadly, he didnt make it home in one piece. But the tragedies didnt end there. Sealed, new. Of course, when it came to his appearance, this gorgeous star really didnt give a hoot. Clift, however, lived a two-faceted life concerning his sexuality. And thus began what Robert Lewis, Clifts teacher at the Actors Studio, called the longest suicide in Hollywood history. Even before Raintree, the decline had been visible. Sensitive, mysterious, brooding, and suspiciously single. One infamous fact about Montgomery Clift is that he only owned one suit. She would wield considerable influence over the early part of his film career, advising him in decisions to decline lead roles in Sunset Blvd. Taylor had married British actor Michael Wilding in 1952, but by 1956, their marriage was in decline. Taylor and Clift: Photos From the Set of A Place in the Sun. 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. Montgomery Blair (May 10, 1813 - July 27, 1883) was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. All rights reserved. Tellingly, theyre always pitched under working titles like Beautiful Loser and' Tragic Beauty. Some sources have the crash occurring when Clift was leaving the event, while others state he was on his way there. Monty brought a different masculinity to the screen, said Demmon. He pleaded with her to make changes to her book to correct the mischaracterizations. Whether morally repulsive or philosophically compelling, The Misfits bombed, only to be recuperated, years later, as a masterpiece of the revisionist genre. [6] His mother was Ethel Fogg "Sunny" Clift ( ne Anderson; 1888-1988). 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. 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. Many Hollywood stars have committed versions of the long suicide. It wasnt until years after his tragic passing that Clifts darkest secret finally came out. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. Following The Misfits, Clifts disintegration continued. Elizabeth Taylor stuck by her friends, and Montgomery Clift undoubtedly claimed a special spot in her heart. He was a great talent but the male counterpart to Monroe, lonely, sad, and pitiful.
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