Hes never sucked my cock.. Allegedly, hed been forewarned that the truth would destroy his career, and as a result, the actor became increasingly wary of appearing feminine in any way. William Brooks Clift (Was A Vice-President Of Omaha National Trust Company. The two met under the big tent where they performed together. A successful man in the business world, Bill nevertheless deferred to this strong-willed, opinionated woman at home. In its May 28, 1951, issue, meanwhile, LIFE magazine wrote of A Place in the Sun: It is easy for an ambitious young man to get himself involved simultaneously with a simple-hearted girl who lives in a cheap boarding house and an extravagant rich girl who gives gay parties. Over the next 10 years, he earned prominent roles in plays by Tennessee Williams and Thornton Wilder, opposite stars like Fredrick March and Tallulah Bankhead. The next year, Taylor used her status to wrangle an acting part for Clift; she demanded that he be a part ofSuddenly, Last Summer. He summoned a doctor, but it was already too late. Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine Hepburn came to Clifts defense when the director tried to get rid of him. But this was only the beginning. Indeed, it was his apparent lack of romantic attachments that confounded the gossip press the most. (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.). Montgomery Clift was an undeniably attractive man, and before long, hed cultivated a rather passionate female fan base. Montgomery Clift was an undeniably attractive man, and before long, he'd cultivated a rather passionate female fan base. Sealed, new. But while Clift certainly seemed like a budding Hollywood heartthrob on the outside, in reality, he wasfar from it. 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. "Indiscretion of an American Wife" is currently available to stream on Fubo TV. 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. Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 July 23, 1966) was an American actor. As such, Taylors intervention only enhances the very real love story that existed between her and Clift. According to Clifts doctors, it was amazing that he was even alive. 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 didnt mean that the gossip press didnt hint at something different, something queer, in the broadest sense of the word, about him. . 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. He was only 15 years old, but this wasnt just a fun pastimeit was serious business. Ad Choices. 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. Contact sheet from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpoles shoot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. He was not worried [about being gay], Larson asserts in the film. She noted that they needed to live a life of equality while being able to get married and adopt kids. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift goofed around during a break in filming A Place in the Sun. In 1951, Clift embarked upon one of his most famous roles as George Eastman inA Place in the Sun. 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! Thats why his work doesnt feel dated, Demmon said. However, this was no quick fix. 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. Production resumed on Raintree County, which the studio feared would fail following Clifts accident. 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. Unlike Rock Hudson, whose affairs were very nearly exposed to the entire nation by Confidential, Clift never made the pages of the scandal rags. Along with Marlon Brando and James Dean, he helped delineate a new paradigm for American cinematic heroes. However, Clift's sexuality was not much of a secret within the movie industry. and his wife, the former Ethel Fogg. The Searchturned out to be a huge hit for Clift. 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. The 'Red River star was then tagged a gay icon. John Wayne and Montgomery Clift in Red River. In 1961, Montgomery Clift went on to star alongside some of Hollywoods greatest legendsMarilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. Peace. That secret that Clift was gay during an impossible era (the 1930s through the 60s) led many interpreters to conclude that the actor must have led a life riddled with fear and shame. She wouldnt die for another year and a half, but Misfits would be her last completed film. The decline continued. It was also a dark, melancholy film: as a review in Variety pointed out, the complex mass of introspective conflicts, symbolic parallels, and motivational contradictions was so nuanced as to seriously confound general audiences, who were likely unable to cope with the philosophical undercurrents of the Arthur Miller script. 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. 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. 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 fact, after the lovers have been separated for good and the young man is in the death house [Clifts character murders Winters after getting her pregnant], the face of the girl comes floating in via double exposure to give him a last unsubstantial peck before he goes out to be executed. Instead, he bided his time, and thankfully, luck was on his side. Determined to keep his gayness under wraps, Clift made sure that his masculine facade shone onscreen. Author Christopher Isherwood tracked Clifts decline in his journals, and by August 1955, he was drinking himself out of a career; on the set of Raintree, the crew had designated words to communicate how drunk Clift was: bad was Georgia, very bad was Florida, and worst of all was Zanzibar. As for Clift, the shoot was incredibly taxing, both mentally and physically: in addition to acquiring a scar across his nose from a stray bulls horn, severe rope burns while attempting to tame a wild horse, and various other rough-and-tumble injuries, he also performed what has widely come to be regarded as one of his best scenes, a stilted, heartbreaking conversation with his mother from a phone booth. 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. Free Postage. Allegedly, Rock Hudson was there to pull Clift from the wreckage and it was Taylor who held the stricken actor in her arms. Whatever the case may be, Montgomery Clifts life was unbelievably impressive and distressing. 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. In The Young Lions (1958), released just two years after the accident, the pain and resentment seem almost visible. Over the next decade, the burgeoning actor dug his heels in and made a name for himself on the stage. And when it came to riotous parties, well, he avoided nightlife like the plague. Oh dear. 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. From here on out, however, he plunged even further into his addiction. 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. On the set of 1958sLonelyhearts,Clift had a message for those that tried to fit him into a box. There was a nonchalance to Clifts attitude in regards to women. A Place In The Sun (1951) & From Here To Eternity (1953). Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Hitchcock's I CONFESS (DVD, 1953); M CLIFT, A BAXTER. 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. 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?. But just as Clift dove into this exciting new chapter, an unforeseen tragedy changedeverything. However, his worry began to mount when the actor didnt respond to his insistent knocking. He also sunk into alcoholism, of which Taylor and some other friends tried to help him. He was, in his words, nothing more than an ordinary, second-class wolf., These anecdotes, and dozens like them, would establish Clift, along with Brando, as the embodiment of 50s youth culture, rebelling against conformity and all that postwar Americans were supposed to embrace. In the rife, overstuffed annals of Hollywood, few real-life love stories can match that of Liz Taylor and Montgomery Clift. But when his nephew dives into the family archives, a much more complicated picture emerges. 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. Clift cared nothing for appearances: the Los Angeles Times called him the Rumpled Movie Idol; he infamously owned only one suit. Born in 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska, Clift was raised like an aristocrat, with a private tutor and frequent trips to Europe. The unhinged character he played in the film hit too close to home and psychologically drained him. Throughout filming, members of the crew came up with code words to alert everyone about the lead actors level of intoxication. 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. A way into the 70s, there was more clarification to his sexuality. After the success of 1953sFrom Here to Eternity, Montgomery Clift suddenly stopped making films. He knew that people would flock to the cinema just to see his damaged face. Monty brought a different masculinity to the screen, said Demmon. Montgomery Edward "Monty" Clift (October 17, 1920 - July 23, 1966) was an American movie, television, radio, and stage actor who is known for his roles in From Here to Eternity, A Place in the Sun, The Misfits, Red River, and in Judgement at Nuremberg.He was nominated four times for an Academy Award.His great-great-grandfather was politician Francis Preston Blair. / Is he alive? 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. But for Clift, there was just no escape, and it was only going to get worse. Soon, the washed-up actor was completely out of work. Con Jennifer Jones, Montgomery Clift, Gino Cervi, Richard Beymer. There are a few versions that detail the aftermath of Clifts accident, but one has all the drama of a motion picture itself. Clift couldnt get through longer scenes, having to split them up into two or three chunks. Montgomery Clift is American by birth. . He surely wasnt a suave Prince Charming, and yet, on-screen, he was a downright masterpiece. Every actor was in the midst of fighting their own demons. The surgeries led to the use of strong painkillers. 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. 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. Were always looking for your input! Montgomery Clift later resided in . But before the film could be released, Clift passed away, wholly without fanfare, at the age of 45, succumbing to years of drug and alcohol abuse. Montgomery's ancestry was English, as well as more distant Scottish, Dutch, German and French. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? (The director himself never met his famous uncle, having been born eight years after his death). He got him going again. There were even speculations that he was warned about being gay. Clift was nominated for awards . Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift 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. He insisted on maintaining his residence in New York, spending as little time in Hollywood as possible. Actor Montgomery Clift, 45, three times nominated for Academy Awards, died early Saturday of a heart attack in his plush East Side townhouse. Something was seriously wrong. One infamous fact about Montgomery Clift is that he only owned one suit. I am not one of Americas Angry Young Men. Thats not what people would expect from a mother in that period.. Fearful for her friends image, she threatened the press: If they even dared to take one photo of her friend, she would personally ensure the end of their careers. The director, Joseph Mankiewicz, was appalled by this wavering professionalismbut when he tried to fire Clift, two angels intervened. 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. He was a great talent but the male counterpart to Monroe, lonely, sad, and pitiful. Another confidant said his personal life didnt bother him. In his words, I learned that most writers dont need interviews to write about me. 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. 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. Taylor and Clift: Photos From the Set of A Place in the Sun. When The Heiress came out, Clift's loyal fanatics came with their claws out and wrote vicious letters to Olivia de Havilland for rejecting Clift's character in the film. They took a risk on the troubled actorand it endedbadly. While driving, he fell asleep at the wheel and the consequences were utterly gruesome. The old Hollywood system was breaking apart and he was a major part of that., The first role Clift took, opposite John Wayne in Red River in 1948, offered a stark contrast in masculine presentations. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! I thought he was dead. He immediately returned to Taylors house to notify the party of the bloody disaster. After Eternity he dropped out of Hollywood for several years, and signed a three-year contract with MGM in 1955 to make Raintree County, which re-united him with his Place in the Sun co-star Elizabeth Taylor. But the troubled star. There were questions about the woman in his life and why he was single. Nobody wanted to deal with him anymore, and for four years, he couldnt land a single role. . ), 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. 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. Directors Robert Anderson Clift Hillary Demmon Writers Robert Anderson Clift Hillary Demmon Stars Clift's childhood was unconventional. "Monty," as his family called him, was the son of William Clift, a. Once on stage, Clift truly came into his own. 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. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk. Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), Columbia Pictures, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Larger Than Life Facts About Milton Berle, The King Of TV, Vulgar Facts About Lenny Bruce, Stand-Up Comedys Virtuous Villain, Daring Facts About Gina Lollobrigida, Golden Hollywoods Last Survivor, Stunning Facts About Yvonne De Carlo, The Technicolor Queen. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. ), 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. His image was, more than anything else, confusingunmalleable to Hollywoods preexisting star categories. I wanted to figure out why there was such a difference., A deep trove of never-before-revealed evidence makes that disparity bracingly clear. Clift was off the Hollywood scene for four years, within which his career declined. Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Clift's brother would later come out to say that the actor was bisexual. This made him an A-list actor and a multi-award-winning star. 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. A still of Montgomery Clift. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. His parents were Quakers and met as students at Cornell University, marrying in 1914. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. It shows a different side to Clift, portraying him as a man who enjoyed life and love, and was comfortable enough with him being a gay man. True or not, the resilience of the story is a testimony to what people wanted to believe about the bond between the two stars. In 1929, the Wall Street Crash hit Clifts father like a ton of bricks, and his mothers dreams disappeared in an instant. She continued to stand by his memory by supporting gay rights and speaking out against homophobia. .. Itd be his only film with Brando, even though the two barely shared 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. By the time they shared the screen together for the first time, in the classic murder-romance-melodrama, A Place in the Sun (1951), both were bona fide box-office draws: Taylor had been onscreen since she was 10, and Clift a soulful, introverted Method actor who influenced countless others who came after him had already garnered the first of his four career Oscar nominations. Montgomery Clift (1920-1966) is one of the most tragic figures in Hollywood history. A four-time Oscar nominee who died at 45, Montgomery Clift was a bright young talent, a tabloid fixture, and a posthumous gay icon. 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. . Sensitive. RIP GEORGOUS MONTY. An inside look at the actors secretive love life. Above all, Clift was perpetually curious. By 15, Clift made his Broadway debut in Cole Porters Jubilee. While filmingRaintree County, Clift attended a dinner party at Taylors housebut sadly, he didnt make it home in one piece. Free shipping for many products! While on his way back, he had an accident. He didnt want the studios to dictate the kinds of roles he would play, his nephew said. Montgomery Clift as the confused, likable, rather stupid social climber; Shelley Winters as the dowdy working girl; Elizabeth Taylor as the dazzling rich girl. 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 year the young man . In fact, the attitudes he and his family held towards his relationships with men were strikingly modern.
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