Close friends, such as actor Kevin McCarthy and his wife, tried to get Clift to slow down and dry out, but their pleas . In fact, the attitudes he and his family held towards his relationships with men were strikingly modern. Lancaster's first wife, June Ernst, was, like her mother before her, a renowned acrobat. He was a great talent but the male counterpart to Monroe, lonely, sad, and pitiful. She once lovingly described how she was in awe of the star actor's perfect facial features. Director Joseph Mankiewicz tried to replace Clift, but Taylor and co-star Katharine Hepburn defended and supported him. 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. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. ", A portrait of Montgomery Clift against a wooden backdrop on 01 January, 1948 | Photo: Getty mages. Edward Montgomery Clift was born on October 17, 1920, in Omaha, Nebraska. James found his patient sitting up in bed and watching his film, The Misfits, but Clift clearly didnt want to be disturbed. She noted that they needed to live a life of equality while being able to get married and adopt kids. Determined to keep his gayness under wraps, Clift made sure that his masculine facade shone onscreen. 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. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. Clift had a rather negative notion about Taylor even before meeting her. Peter Stackpole The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock. I am not one of Americas Angry Young Men. He also didnt want to sign a contract with a studio, then the only viable way into the business. 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). 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? By 15, Clift made his Broadway debut in Cole Porters Jubilee. A young naive woman falls for a handsome young man who her emotionally abusive father suspects is a fortune hunter. Even his diet was rather spartan: orange juice, steak, and eggs. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. There are a few versions that detail the aftermath of Clifts accident, but one has all the drama of a motion picture itself. . Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. Clifts sexuality, like those other 50s idols Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, was carefully concealed from the public. 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. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. He was lonely, yet with the help of his refusal to live in Los Angeles or participate in caf society, he was able to keep his private life private. Director: William Wyler | Stars: Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, Miriam Hopkins Votes: 16,212 4. This would not only show off his range but allow him to sidestep any dangers of typecasting. Something was seriously wrong. He died in 1966 at the age of 45. He had a close friendship with a woman named Myra Letts, whom the gossip columnists tried arduously to frame as a love interest. But that wasnt all. 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?. His injuries included a broken nose and jaw, a fractured sinus, and deep cuts across his face that called for extensive plastic surgery. That said, he kept his sexuality a secret: The prejudices of the time left him no choice. cocksucker, isnt he, Tallulah? Miss Bankhead said: Well, In a new documentary, myths and assumptions about the Oscar-nominated heartthrob who struggled with his sexuality are replaced with the little-known truth. Clift asserts that the actors use of alcohol and prescription drugs stemmed, primarily, from a near-fatal car accident in 1956. 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. 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. When he read the story that criticized his bare-bones wardrobe, the scandalized actor lashed out with a biting response. A portrait of Montgomery Clift acting as Matt Garth in the western film "Red River" on 01 January, 1948 | Photo: Getty Images. The film-makers interviewed Bosworth extensively for the movie, but they contrast her words with old taped conversations she had with the actors brother. 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). He worked on a summer production where his talents blossomed and it opened an auspicious doorone that would seal his fate forever. 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. As to why Bosworth drew on the gay-self-hate narrative, and why that view took hold, the directors blame the homophobia of the time the book was written, in the 1970s. You see, the reason behind Montgomery Clifts barren dating life was rather simple: He was gay. Montgomery Clift (1920-1966) is one of the most tragic figures in Hollywood history. It has a good rating on IMDb: 6.2 stars out of 10. . AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. Montgomery Clift 39 30. Many Hollywood stars have committed versions of the long suicide. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. Sadly, his greatest friend Elizabeth Taylor could only send flowers from Rome. Well, in 1955, he had a chance to reunite with his old friend and co-star, Elizabeth Taylor, in Raintree County. Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. True or not, the resilience of the story is a testimony to what people wanted to believe about the bond between the two stars. (1950), (originally written specifically for him; the story perhaps hitting a little too close to home) and High Noon (1952).His long apprenticeship on stage made him a thoroughly accomplished actor, notable for the intensity with which he researched and approached his roles. 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 sick of being a symbol, a symptom, a testament to something. The Clift picture didn't pan out either, at least with her promised co-star. 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. And even more shocking? The decline continued. 3.80. But after an initial flurry of coverage, he retreated from public view entirely. . . Contact sheets from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpoles shoot on a Paramount lot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. While his brother claimed that Clift was bisexual, writer Truman Capotes unpublished work alludes to Clifts gayness quite explicitly. 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. His smashed face was rebuilt, he reconciled with his estranged father, but he continued bedeviled by dependency on drugs and his unrelenting guilt over his homosexuality.With his Hollywood career in an irreversible slide despite giving an occasional riveting performance, such as in Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Monty returned to New York and tried to slowly develop a somewhat more sensible lifestyle in his brownstone row house on East 61st Street in Manhattan. The pieces of the puzzle dont quite fit. ), Elizabeth Taylor, Roddy McDowell, Dean Martin, Kevin McCarthy, Marilyn Monroe, Jennifer Jones, Libby Holman, Thornton Wilder, Salka Viertel, Stewart Granger, Jack Larson, Oscar Levant, Pilar Levi, Giuseppe Perrone, Fred Zinnemann, Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Abigail Tommye Adams. Clift was able to appear in more Hollywood movies after he recuperated from the accident, but he was deeply affected by the decline in his career. Sal Mineo and Montgomery Clift had a relationship Montgomery Clift is rumored to have hooked up with Paul Newman Henry Willson and Montgomery Clift had a relationship Jack Larson and Montgomery Clift had a relationship William LeMassena and Montgomery Clift had a relationship Montgomery Clift and Libby Holman had a relationship Maurice Leonard and Montgomery Clift had a relationship Arnold Saint Subber and Montgomery Clift had a relationship Montgomery Clift had an encounter with Marlon Brando shared a link: https://www.allmovie.com/artist/montgomery-clift-p13682, I never used to like him until I saw 'The Heiress' he really was gorgeous, it's such a shame his life was unhappy. On the morning of July 23, 1966, Montgomery Clift's housemate couldn't wake the actor. While filming a 15-minute supporting role as a mentally handicapped victim of the Holocaust in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), he had to ad-lib all of his lines. (The Clash famously referenced that awful scene, which changed the course of Clifts career and set him on a winding path of booze-and-painkiller-fueled decay, in the song The Right Profile from London Calling: I see a car smashed at night. Throughout filming, members of the crew came up with code words to alert everyone about the lead actors level of intoxication. It was unheard of, especially for a young star, but it was a sellers market. When the duo finally met in Stevens' office, it was pretty magical for Taylor. "Indiscretion of an American Wife" romance and drama movie produced in Italy and USA and released in 1953. Monroe and Taylor are shadowed by Montgomery. 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?. "Bobby was a very fine actor, but as you can imagine, he was no Montgomery Clift," she said. 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. This year the young man . Perkins, who once fended off the advances of Brigitte Bardot, later went to a shrink who maintained that homosexuality could be "cured," and in 1973 he married photographer Berry Berenson. It was, however, much olderby the time Raintree County made its way to theaters, hed been off the screen for four and a half years. There were questions about the woman in his life and why he was single. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Taylor immediately stuck her delicate, little hand down his throat and removed the obstruction. Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine Hepburn came to Clifts defense when the director tried to get rid of him. Free Postage. But if you look at his own words, his testimonies about what acting did to him, youll see the culprit. . 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. 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. A Place In The Sun (1951) & From Here To Eternity (1953). Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. While on his way back, he had an accident. Some of the greatest celebrities of the day came out to mourn Clift at his funeral, including Lauren Bacall and Frank Sinatra. Montgomery Blair. While he never excelled at school, his extraordinary abilities as an actor. But when he climbed into the room, he discovered something absolutely gut-wrenching. The documentary was released at the Los Angeles Film Festival and . He hated the criticism and the labels, and eventually, he just couldnt take it anymore. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, Hollywood, 1950. Moments after the accident, actor Kevin McCarthy, driving in front of Clift, ran back to check on him, seeing that his face was torn awaya bloody pulp. 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. By 1950, he was troubled with allergies and colitis (the U.S. Army had rejected him for military service in World War II for chronic diarrhea) and, along with pill problems, he was alcoholic. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, Hollywood, 1950. . John Wayne and Montgomery Clift in Red River. A four-time Oscar nominee who died at 45, Montgomery Clift was a bright young talent, a tabloid fixture, and a posthumous gay icon. Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando were in a . From Scandals of Classic Hollywood: Sex, Deviance, and Drama from the Golden Age of Hollywood Cinema by Anne Helen Petersen, to be published by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC on September 30, 2014 2014 by Anne Helen Petersen. But the drama didn't end there. Montgomery Clift as Noah Ackerman Dean Martin as Michael Whiteacre Hope Lange as Hope Plowman Barbara Rush as Margaret Freemantle May Britt as Gretchen Hardenberg Maximilian Schell as Captain Hardenberg Dora Doll as Simone Lee Van Cleef as First Sergeant Rickett Liliane Montevecchi as Franoise Parley Baer as Sergeant Brandt The results were not pretty. So finely In 1961, Montgomery Clift went on to star alongside some of Hollywoods greatest legendsMarilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. 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. Clift simply wasnt cut out for school, and unlike his siblings, turned his back on higher education. Help us build our profile of Marlon Brando! Nobody wanted to deal with him anymore, and for four years, he couldnt land a single role. Whatever relationships Clift may have had, he was circumspect. Once on stage, Clift truly came into his own. Soon, Montgomery Clift became almost impossible to work with. 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. Allegedly, the director brought Clift on board, thinking hed be a soothing effect for Monroe. Elizabeth Taylor at Paramount Studios, 1950. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. He died. 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. Montgomery Clift is a member of the following lists: American film actors, Actors Studio alumni and Bisexual actors. Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun. 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. But 1961 audiences were too close to the day-to-day deterioration of its stars to see the meditative genius of The Misfits. Between 1963 and 1966, he faded from public view, emerging only to film a final performance in the French spy thriller The Defector (1966). While filming his next picture, Lonelyhearts (1958), Clift lashed out, proclaiming, I am notrepeat nota member of the Beat Generation. 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. . Contemporaries like James Dean and Marlon Brando also did. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. d-d-darling, I r-r-really wouldnt know. Clift's brother would later come out to say that the actor was bisexual. However, one salient fact remains: Clifts ruined face never made it to the papersIn fact, not one photograph of that night exists. Still, his second venture was perhaps even more of an impressive feat. Then again, nothing about Clifts life was expected. The entire scene was extremely unsettling as Clift still wore his eyeglasses, and had his hands rigidly clenched. But he was handsome and beguiling on-screen, creating an appetite for confirmation of that same Clift off the screen. 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. ': What Happened to the Stars of the Iconic Series through the Years, Debbie Reynolds Called Elizabeth Taylor's Phone Yet Her Own Husband Eddie Fisher Picked Up, Rock Hudson & Jim Nabors Never Spoke Again after They Were Reportedly Seen Getting Married, Elizabeth Taylor Proposed to an Actor 20 Years Her Senior & Replaced Him with 25-Year Older Man. If you have a story that tracks along that line, that will feel true to people. Sensitive, mysterious, brooding, and suspiciously single. Months of surgeries, rebuilding, and physical therapy followed. Of course, Clift didnt walk away unscathed either. Whether he liked it or not, they were out for a storyAnd the one they wanted above all? Universal Studios actuallysued him for the losses they incurred because of his troublesome behavior. The long suicide was complete. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. They took a risk on the troubled actorand it endedbadly. / Cut the applause and dim the light. 2023 Cond Nast. Will she ride the term to Oscar gold? 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. Montgomery Clift was in relationships with Sal Mineo, Paul Newman, Henry Willson, Jack Larson, William LeMassena, Libby Holman, Maurice Leonard and Arnold Saint Subber. But that didnt mean that the gossip press didnt hint at something different, something queer, in the broadest sense of the word, about him. Montgomery Clift Born: 1920-10-17, Omaha, Nebraska, USA Education: NA Ethnicity: Caucasian Death Date:-0001-11-30 Addition Websites. 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. The surgeries led to the use of strong painkillers. [view couple] # 8 Carlo Fiore 12 28. Another confidant said his personal life didnt bother him. 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. All his life, it was misery," said McCarthy. 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. One infamous fact about Montgomery Clift is that he only owned one suit. Allegedly, Rock Hudson was there to pull Clift from the wreckage and it was Taylor who held the stricken actor in her arms. 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! He was the son of Ethel "Sunny" Anderson (Fogg; 1888-1988) and William Brooks Clift (1886-1964). Montgomery Clift later resided in . Contact sheet from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpoles shoot on a Paramount lot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. Oh dear. A seeming exception was one in his final years with a man named Lorenzo who had been hired to help him. 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. 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. Apparently, one of Clifts tooths had pierced his tongue, causing him to choke. 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. In his first film, Red River, Clift had the chance to play opposite the western superstar John Wayne. 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. You couldn't help but come. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. [6] His mother was Ethel Fogg "Sunny" Clift ( ne Anderson; 1888-1988). 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. Their. His body was found by his live-in personal secretary/companion Lorenzo James, who found Clift lying nude on top of his bed, dead from what the autopsy called "occlusive coronary artery disease."