It was reported that Taylor even tried to help him find a partner. The decline continued. . cocksucker, isnt he, Tallulah? Miss Bankhead said: Well, RIP GEORGOUS MONTY. The actress had read many articles about Clift's acting prowess and thought she would not be the perfect match. He was only 15 years old, but this wasnt just a fun pastimeit was serious business. 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. Dazzling Facts About Elizabeth Taylor, The Queen Of Hollywood, Stabbed In The Back: These Real-Life Betrayals Are Straight Up Brutal, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Plot Twist: These Surprise Endings Made Our Jaws Hit The Floor, These Ultra-Spoiled Brats Made Our Eyes Roll Into Our Heads. However, his worry began to mount when the actor didnt respond to his insistent knocking. His decline was never explicitly evoked, but with his visage in Raintree County, it was there for all to see. 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. All his life, it was misery," said McCarthy. But the drama didn't end there. Hailed as one of Hollywood's first true Method actors, Edward Montgomery Clift was born October 17, 1920, in Omaha, Nebraska. You`ve being alwasy an inspiration for me. 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. In a new documentary, myths and assumptions about the Oscar-nominated heartthrob who struggled with his sexuality are replaced with the little-known truth. Born on October 17, 1920, Edward Montgomery Clift was born into a family with lofty ideals. 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. Clift wasn't one to hide a feeling, which made him a great actor and also a terrible straight man. Although he may not have realized it, Clifts horrific accident sparked the beginning of the end, intensifying his preexisting ailments and sending him down a dark path from which he could never return. Fellow actor Kevin McCarthy was driving ahead of Clift when the horror show went down. Clift was nominated for awards . Determined to make it better, he made some key changesand they made allthe difference. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. His image was, more than anything else, confusingunmalleable to Hollywoods preexisting star categories. He could barely remember his lines and often didnt show up to set. Her interests include the European Renaissance, popular culture, and Internet history. . The truth didnt come out until the 70s. (The director himself never met his famous uncle, having been born eight years after his death). 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. He gained excellent theatrical notices and soon piqued the interests of numerous lovelorn actresses; their advances met with awkward conflict. The revelation of his sexuality did not emerge until the 70s, when two high-profile biographers, one endorsed by his close confidants, revealed as much, rendering him a gay icon within the span of two years. But even though his marred looks never made it to the headlines, for Clift, the horror was far from over. The entire scene was extremely unsettling as Clift still wore his eyeglasses, and had his hands rigidly clenched. 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. His father, William Brooks "Bill" Clift (1886-1964), was the vice-president of Omaha National Trust Company. Upon closer inspection, Clifts career reveals notable clues as to who he genuinely was and the private struggles he faced. My mom never told me how her best friend died. . Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! 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. Jack Larson, famous for playing Jimmy Olsen in the hit 1950s TV series Adventures of Superman, recalled how Clift gave him a full mouth kiss the first time they casually met. However, one salient fact remains: Clifts ruined face never made it to the papersIn fact, not one photograph of that night exists. Of course, Clift didnt walk away unscathed either. He was not worried [about being gay], Larson asserts in the film. There are a few versions that detail the aftermath of Clifts accident, but one has all the drama of a motion picture itself. His injuries included a broken nose and jaw, a fractured sinus, and deep cuts across his face that called for extensive plastic surgery. The results were not pretty. Login "Monty," as the performer was known to family and . To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Of course, Clifts words had always been futile in the face of Hollywood. As he lay wounded in the arms of his dear friend, Clift began choking and pointing to his throat. 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. When he wasnt reading or preparing for his next role, he took pleasure in visiting the local night court. Montgomery Clift as the confused, likable, rather stupid social climber; Shelley Winters as the dowdy working girl; Elizabeth Taylor as the dazzling rich girl. 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. They took a risk on the troubled actorand it endedbadly. 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. Universal Studios actuallysued him for the losses they incurred because of his troublesome behavior. But for Clift, there was just no escape, and it was only going to get worse. This showed in his consciousness of being seen as feminine in any way. Of course, by this time, Clifts drinking problems werent much of a secret, making him a liability to the studio. But this was only the beginning. Suddenly, the Clift family was completely broke and had no choice to move to New York. 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. We bring you all the headlines and gossip in one place! 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. In this exclusive excerpt from her forthcoming book, Anne Helen Petersen recounts the actors lonely life, ferocious talent, and tragic decline. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. 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? 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. Taylor, caught up in filming with Richard Burton in Paris, sent flowers to the funeral. And the cherry on top? And when it came to riotous parties, well, he avoided nightlife like the plague. He had a holistic view.. One infamous fact about Montgomery Clift is that he only owned one suit. . 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. 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 was in relationships with Sal Mineo, Paul Newman, Henry Willson, Jack Larson, William LeMassena, Libby Holman, Maurice Leonard and Arnold Saint Subber. He died. He looked about ten years older than the Montgomery Clift audiences remembered and adored. 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. At the end of the day, Clifts private nurse Lorenzo James checked in on him just after midnight. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. 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. She once lovingly described how she was in awe of the star actor's perfect facial features. 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: . For Clift, The Heiress was a mess from top to bottom, and he even walked out on the films premiere, disgusted with his own performance. . . 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. The film went on to win six Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay, and is now hailed as a (flawed) classic. I am not one of Americas Angry Young Men. There were questions about the woman in his life and why he was single. 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. 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. A bout five years ago, filmmaking duo Robert Clift and Hillary Demmon Clift decided to make a documentary about Robert's long-dead uncle. And yet, the mystery persists. "Indiscretion of an American Wife" romance and drama movie produced in Italy and USA and released in 1953. Until it sinks into a sentimental quagmire the end, the second movie excels first in being remarkably faithful to Dreisers tale of three pitiful youngsters and in telling the story with the same earnestness and breadth that have made the novel survive as a classic. A portrait of Elizabeth Taylor And Montgomery Clift from the film "A Place In The Sun", 1951 | Photo: Getty Images. Their. Apparently, one of Clifts tooths had pierced his tongue, causing him to choke. He worked on a summer production where his talents blossomed and it opened an auspicious doorone that would seal his fate forever. 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. However, Clift soon realized that you cant always have your cake and eat it too. A year and a half away from her own tragic end, Marilyn Monroe described Clift as the only person I know who is in even worse shape than I am. Together, this cast truly reflected a band of withering misfits. Directors Robert Anderson Clift Hillary Demmon Writers Robert Anderson Clift Hillary Demmon Stars According to two A-list biographers, the late star was gay. The true story of Montgomery Clift, as told by his youngest nephew Making Montgomery Clift explodes the myths surrounding the Hollywood star and queer icon. He was such a mess on the set of Freud (1962) that Universal sued him. 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That Clift was gay made little difference in the intensity and duration of the two stars adoration of one another: here, after all, were two talented, passionate artists who met at a young age (she was in her teens; he was in his late twenties) and immediately discovered that they were, for lack of a better phrase, soul mates. In fact, Hepburn was so offended by Mankiewicz that she did something outrageous. ), 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. Login to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. 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. This made him an A-list actor and a multi-award-winning star. After all, his leading lady was none other than the beguiling Elizabeth Taylor, and together, these two stars were pure fire. Marlon Brando: Portraits of a Charismatic Young Star, 1952, Marilyn, Arthur Miller and More: A Star Producers Spectacular Orbit. 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. Making Montgomery Clift, which was co-directed by Clift's nephew Robert Clift (and Robert's wife Hillary. Along with Marlon Brando and James Dean, he helped delineate a new paradigm for American cinematic heroes. That said, he kept his sexuality a secret: The prejudices of the time left him no choice. But this wasnt the actors first time at the rodeo. 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. A still of Montgomery Clift. The movie, which plays at the LGBTQ movie festival NewFest in New York, refutes scores of oft-repeated assumptions about Clifts life, from his motivations as an actor, to his relationship with his mother to the characterization of his later years. 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. Regardless of the veracity of this story, one thing remains true: theres not a single picture of Clifts broken face. 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). 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. . The two met under the big tent where they performed together. 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. said: Oh. And even more shocking? What does he inspire anyone to do drink, die young? A four-time Academy Award nominee, The New York Times said he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men". Still, his second venture was perhaps even more of an impressive feat. His first two films were smashing successesand for veryimpressive reasons. Clift gained actual scars from some filming mishaps. This year the young man . He believed that the media often, and easily, twisted the truth until it disappeared entirely: I learned that most writers dont need interviews to write about me. Montgomery's ancestry was English, as well as more distant Scottish, Dutch, German and French. Montgomery Clift made a name for himself in Hollywood with several awards and nominations. Observers also point out that Clift had sexual relationships with women. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. A young naive woman falls for a handsome young man who her emotionally abusive father suspects is a fortune hunter. The Searchturned out to be a huge hit for Clift. Sealed, new. Lorenzo came into the picture when Monty was at his lowest. Taped interviews with his brother reveal that the actor felt those roles werent quite right for him and he didnt want to make the wrong first impression. Ad Choices. Montgomery Clift is a member of the following lists: American film actors, Actors Studio alumni and Bisexual actors. The director, Joseph Mankiewicz, was appalled by this wavering professionalismbut when he tried to fire Clift, two angels intervened. TAYLOR ON CLIFT'S SEXUALITY AFTER HIS DEATH. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. 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.. Born in 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska, Clift was raised like an aristocrat, with a private tutor and frequent trips to Europe. He served in the Lincoln administration cabinet as Postmaster-General from 1861 to 1864, during the Civil War. 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. They seem to have their stories all written out beforehand., Clifts private life was boringhe didnt date, he didnt flirt, he didnt hang out in public. 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 Okay, if were being totally honest, Montgomery Clifts reserved lifestyle didnt exactly excite the press; it actually kind of stumped them. But the press will always be the press, and no amount of Montgomery Clifts ire could change that. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. Lorenzo was one of the reasons.. Sensitive, mysterious, brooding, and suspiciously single. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. But that wasnt all. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. Whether platonic or not, these two actors shared an undeniable bond that was undeniably strengthened by this one unfortunate event. True or not, the resilience of the story is a testimony to what people wanted to believe about the bond between the two stars. ", A portrait of Montgomery Clift against a wooden backdrop on 01 January, 1948 | Photo: Getty mages. I do not count myself as a member of the ripped-sweatshirt fraternity. He wasnt a young rebel, an old rebel, a tired rebel, or a rebellious rebelall he cared about was re-creating a slice of life on the screen. 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. Clift and Taylor would star again in another 1950s film, the Civil War-era drama, Raintree Countythe movie they were making when Clift almost died in the car wreck outside Taylors homeand would remain deeply attached to one another until Clifts death, at the too-young age of 45, in New York City in 1966. That, combined with his spiraling alcohol addiction, wrung the youth right out of the handsome actor. But the tragedies didnt end there. 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. He still drank, but not as heavily. / Is he alive? However, the filming of The Misfits had a shadow lurking over it. She developed an intense decade-plus obsession over the young actor, even financing an experimental play, "Mexican Mural" for him.