Clift was there, as were actors Kevin McCarthy and Rock Hudson, and Hudson's wife, Phyllis Gates, per Vanity Fair. They took a risk on the troubled actorand it endedbadly. Nearly all his good looks are gone, Isherwood wrote. Allegedly, Rock Hudson was there to pull Clift from the wreckage and it was Taylor who held the stricken actor in her arms. Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor during the filming of A Place in the Sun. . You see, the reason behind Montgomery Clifts barren dating life was rather simple: He was gay. Sensitive. Director: William Wyler | Stars: Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, Miriam Hopkins Votes: 16,212 4. In remembering Clift, McCarthy said, his face was torn awaya bloody pulp. 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 Searchturned out to be a huge hit for Clift. Luckily, over time, they clawed their way back to financial security. In Clifts eyes, de Havilland imparted nothing of herself into the role. He used them to numb his physical pain. However, the filming of The Misfits had a shadow lurking over it. "Bobby was a very fine actor, but as you can imagine, he was no Montgomery Clift," she said. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. However, this was no quick fix. We want our readers to trust us. 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. Clift's brother would later come out to say that the actor was bisexual. 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. She developed an intense decade-plus obsession over the young actor, even financing an experimental play, "Mexican Mural" for him. Montgomery Clift's full name is Edward Montgomery Clift and his nickname is Montgomery Clift. Although Clift and Montgomery were only good friends, their coupling inA Place in the Sunhelped drive its popularity. I Confess - Hitchcock - His Life in Pictures Magazine Pictorial [United Kingdom] (June 2022), Montgomery Clift - Retro Magazine Pictorial [Poland] (May 2022), Montgomery Clift - Pani domu Magazine Pictorial [Poland] (August 2011). Of course, by this time, Clifts drinking problems werent much of a secret, making him a liability to the studio. (He never won an Academy Award, although most movie aficionados feel he deserved at least one, for his unforgettable turn as the tortured Robert E. Lee Prewitt in From Here to Eternity.). However, he became more comfortable with her and eventually found it easy to open up about his sexuality. She made it known that it all boiled down to love. 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 truth didnt come out until the 70s. 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. It was a huge wager: since everyone knew how much booze and pills Clift was on, he was virtually uninsurable on set. Taylor had married British actor Michael Wilding in 1952, but by 1956, their marriage was in decline. When the duo finally met in Stevens' office, it was pretty magical for Taylor. When he read the story that criticized his bare-bones wardrobe, the scandalized actor lashed out with a biting response. He also detested the man. Another confidant said his personal life didnt bother him. Nope. While his brother claimed that Clift was bisexual, writer Truman Capotes unpublished work alludes to Clifts gayness quite explicitly. cocksucker, isnt he, Tallulah? Miss Bankhead said: Well, Contact sheet from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpoles shoot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. His leading lady, Olivia de Havilland, disappointed him in every wayand his criticisms were downright brutal. Not only are you not allowed to be smart, but you were not allowed to be funny in the 90s, the actor said of her career. However, one salient fact remains: Clifts ruined face never made it to the papersIn fact, not one photograph of that night exists. Picture Information. He didnt want the studios to dictate the kinds of roles he would play, his nephew said. 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. Clift, of course, knew better. In Montgomery Clift: A Biography, author Patricia Bosworth describes Monty's father Bill as passive, good-natured, and very dependent on his charismatic wife, Sunny. Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 July 23, 1966) was an American actor. 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. . It has a good rating on IMDb: 6.2 stars out of 10. By the early 1950s he was exclusively homosexual, though he continued to hide his homosexuality and maintained a number of close friendships with theater women (heavily promoted by studio publicists).His film debut was Red River (1948) with John Wayne quickly followed by his early personal success The Search (1948) (Oscar nominations for this, A Place in the Sun (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953) and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)). 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. 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. 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. But the documentary notes Clift made as many movies after the accident as before, and that those projects included some of his most acclaimed performances. Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. 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. and his wife, the former Ethel Fogg. 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. The two met under the big tent where they performed together. Travel back in time with treasured photos and stories, sent right to your inbox. 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. His perpetual question to himself, as he once scribbled in his journal, was, How to remain thin-skinned, vulnerable, and still alive? For Clift, the task proved impossible. Merv was a sexual predator who once tried to sexually assault Danny Terrio, then threatened to ruin his career if he talked. Clift gained actual scars from some filming mishaps. But after an initial flurry of coverage, he retreated from public view entirely. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. Montgomery Clift had passed due to a heart attack, but many assumed that his addictions and various health problems contributed to his early death. Montgomery Clift Born: 1920-10-17, Omaha, Nebraska, USA Education: NA Ethnicity: Caucasian Death Date:-0001-11-30 Addition Websites. Clift and Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor first became acquainted when they played counterparts on George Stevens's "A Place in the Sun." While they may not make old-timers forget the Greta Garbo-John Gilbert embraces of the 20s, Miss Taylor and Mr. Clift lose no chance to show why they are considered two of the hottest juveniles in Hollywood. 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. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. He advanced a collaborative approach with his directors, working over scripts and making suggestions for edits. 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 wasnt all. According to two A-list biographers, the late star was gay. He also didnt want to sign a contract with a studio, then the only viable way into the business. But the tragedies didnt end there. The actress had read many articles about Clift's acting prowess and thought she would not be the perfect match. Con Jennifer Jones, Montgomery Clift, Gino Cervi, Richard Beymer. Of course, Clifts words had always been futile in the face of Hollywood. He surely wasnt a suave Prince Charming, and yet, on-screen, he was a downright masterpiece. But even though his marred looks never made it to the headlines, for Clift, the horror was far from over. Many of the myths surrounding Clift sprang from two biographies: a salacious one by Robert Laguardia and another flawed work by Patricia Bosworth, titled A Life. The entire experience had a cursed tinge to it, and before long, it left disaster in its wake. This made him an A-list actor and a multi-award-winning star. There was a nonchalance to Clifts attitude in regards to women. . The results were not pretty. 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. ), William Brooks Clift, Jr. (19191986) (Aged 66 Or 67) (Who Had An Illegitimate Son With Actress Kim Stanley And Was Later Married To Political Reporter Eleanor Clift. Observers also point out that Clift had sexual relationships with women. But he was handsome and beguiling on-screen, creating an appetite for confirmation of that same Clift off the screen. But when hedid get a hankering for a fun excursion, Clift knew exactly where he wanted to be. While filmingRaintree County, Clift attended a dinner party at Taylors housebut sadly, he didnt make it home in one piece. . I am not one of Americas Angry Young Men. Of course, when it came to his appearance, this gorgeous star really didnt give a hoot. His parents were Quakers and met as students at Cornell University, marrying in 1914. Hailed as one of Hollywood's first true Method actors, Edward Montgomery Clift was born October 17, 1920, in Omaha, Nebraska. Edward Montgomery Clift was born on October 17, 1920, in Omaha, Nebraska. Clift had a fraternal twin sister, Roberta, and a brother, William Brooks Clift Jr, who had an illegitimate son with actress Kim Stanley. However, Clift's sexuality was not much of a secret within the movie industry. Ex-lover Larson said in the film that Clift actually preferred his work after the accident to his performances before. . Help us build our profile of Marlon Brando! Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in A Place in the Sun. But for 12 years, he set Hollywood aflame. After his accident, Clift had an arduous road to recovery. The director, Joseph Mankiewicz, was appalled by this wavering professionalismbut when he tried to fire Clift, two angels intervened. 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 couldnt get through longer scenes, having to split them up into two or three chunks. In the rife, overstuffed annals of Hollywood, few real-life love stories can match that of Liz Taylor and Montgomery Clift. Grasping at straws, the media decided to do what little they could to sensationalize the actors non-existent, One of Clifts closest friends was a woman named Myra Letts, and for the ruthless gossip columns, it wasnt a huge leap from friend to girlfriend. Clift didnt entertain this for a second and shot the sordid speculations down immediately, saying that there was zero intimacy between them: those romantic rumors are embarrassing to both of us..

Hells Angels Australia President, Powerpanel Personal Unable To Establish Communication With Ups, Articles W