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Ad Choices. Help us build our profile of Montgomery Clift! Taylor talked about the need for staunch support for gay people and their rights. He died in 1966 at the age of 45. 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. It also stresses Clifts crucial role in changing the power balance between actors and studio chiefs in Hollywood, as well as the advancements he brought to film acting. Charles Castillo, author of "Elizabeth & Monty: The Untold Story," shared that the actress tried to seduce Clift. That, combined with his spiraling alcohol addiction, wrung the youth right out of the handsome actor. Now were at a historical point in mainstream queer discourse where that story seems less viable., Though the film aims to update, and to fairly contextualize, the actors story, the directors stress that they dont want to simply swap one image of Montgomery Clift for another. 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. Christine Tran is a history buff(ette) and media scholar. While his brother claimed that Clift was bisexual, writer Truman Capotes unpublished work alludes to Clifts gayness quite explicitly. Following The Misfits, Clifts disintegration continued. 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. Carlo Fiore and Marlon Brando were in . But 1961 audiences were too close to the day-to-day deterioration of its stars to see the meditative genius of The Misfits. He could watch the real grit of humanity play out before himthe court a stage for some of the most sensational high-profile cases. Thats why his work doesnt feel dated, Demmon said. Clift detested Waynes antiquated male constraints. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. Taylor, caught up in filming with Richard Burton in Paris, sent flowers to the funeral. 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 advanced a collaborative approach with his directors, working over scripts and making suggestions for edits. I am not one of Americas Angry Young Men. Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 July 23, 1966) was an American actor. 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. Whether this captivating story is real or not remains to be seen. When it came to the lengthier scenes, the actor just couldnt deliver; they had to be divided into smaller cuts just so he could see them through. They seem to have their stories all written out beforehand.. These are just among the many words which have been used to describe Montgomery Clift, the enigmatic heartthrob of the 1950s. What does he inspire anyone to do drink, die young? Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. A bulls horn scarred his nose and his attempt to tame a horse gave him intense rope burnnot to mention all the other scrapes he earned along the way. However, Clift soon realized that you cant always have your cake and eat it too. 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. Unlike many other actors, he didnt jump straight into a contract. 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. In all honesty, his face wasnt horribly changed at all, but there was one shocking difference. Picture 1 of 12 . And then there was the physical toll. In 1966, Clifts stalwart friend, Elizabeth Taylor, came to his aid once again and managed to get him a part in Reflections in a Golden Eye. Montgomery Clift didnt need much to keep himself happy and entertained. . 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. But even the troubled blonde bombshell recognized that her co-star was in dire straits. While on his way back, he had an accident. 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. In his words, I learned that most writers dont need interviews to write about me. Contact sheet from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpoles shoot on a Paramount lot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. Then again, nothing about Clifts life was expected. Montgomery Clift as the confused, likable, rather stupid social climber; Shelley Winters as the dowdy working girl; Elizabeth Taylor as the dazzling rich girl. 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. The accident changed his appearance, and many biographers assumed Clift felt ruined by it and, so, drank more. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. Montgomery Clift made a name for himself in Hollywood with several awards and nominations. and his wife, the former Ethel Fogg. The subject matter, which involved him assisting in the cover-up of a dead mans apparent homosexuality, must have sparked mixed emotions. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. He didnt want the studios to dictate the kinds of roles he would play, his nephew said. Teach, I loved the way how he played in A Place in the Sun. True or not, the resilience of the story is a testimony to what people wanted to believe about the bond between the two stars. 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. The 'Red River star was then tagged a gay icon. . Peter Stackpole The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock. His injuries included a broken nose and jaw, a fractured sinus, and deep cuts across his face that called for extensive plastic surgery. 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. But he was handsome and beguiling on-screen, creating an appetite for confirmation of that same Clift off the screen. According to this version of the story, when photographers arrived, Taylor announced that she knew each and every one of them personally-- and if they took pictures of Clift, who was still very much alive, shed make sure they never worked in Hollywood again. This year the young man . Clift earned best-actor Oscar nominations for 1951s A Place in the Sun and 1953s From Here to Eternity; both times he lost to older actors (Humphrey Bogart and William Holden, respectively), and established his reputation, alongside Marlon Brando and James Dean, as a young outsider whose talent intimidated Hollywood. . On the morning of July 23, 1966, Montgomery Clift's housemate couldn't wake the actor. At the time of the premiere, Monroe had been admitted to a psychiatric ward and required a day pass just to attend. Nothing could have prepared him for what he discovered. 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. Clifts early foray into acting led him to a Broadway debut in 1935. 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! It left him with chronic health issues for the rest of his life. 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. 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. But when hedid get a hankering for a fun excursion, Clift knew exactly where he wanted to be. A car crash in the prime of his career left him in constant pain, and he drank himself to an early death, creating an aesthetic of suffering that has guided the way we think about him today. Nearly all his good looks are gone, Isherwood wrote. Some sources have the crash occurring when Clift was leaving the event, while others state he was on his way there. 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. A portrait of Elizabeth Taylor And Montgomery Clift from the film "A Place In The Sun", 1951 | Photo: Getty Images. According to two A-list biographers, the late star was gay. But if you look at his own words, his testimonies about what acting did to him, youll see the culprit. Clifts recuperation took months, and when he finally returned to set, there was more trouble afoot. She is completing her PhD in Toronto, Canada. The long suicide was complete. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk. 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. TAYLOR ON CLIFT'S SEXUALITY AFTER HIS DEATH. While he never excelled at school, his extraordinary abilities as an actor. Clift's brother would later come out to say that the actor was bisexual. 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. Lancaster's . When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. He still drank, but not as heavily. His other side was mostly hidden and only became widely known after he passed on, thanks to his friend and colleague Elizabeth Taylor. She wouldnt die for another year and a half, but Misfits would be her last completed film. 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. He was such a mess on the set of Freud (1962) that Universal sued him. Like them, Clift was comfortable with the full contours, and consequences, of his beauty, playing the object in a way previously preserved for female stars. In remembering Clift, McCarthy said, his face was torn awaya bloody pulp. There were no wild outings for this reserved homebody. Can he still feel?). What a pity hes a In The Young Lions (1958), released just two years after the accident, the pain and resentment seem almost visible. In fact, Hepburn was so offended by Mankiewicz that she did something outrageous. 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.