who was montgomery clift wife

When he wasnt reading or preparing for his next role, he took pleasure in visiting the local night court. There were no wild outings for this reserved homebody. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. Hes so beautiful, murmured Miss Parker. The duo eventually got to know each other better, and according to Taylor, they liked each other. But her heroism didnt end there. He looked about ten years older than the Montgomery Clift audiences remembered and adored. .. In the bathroom, James found Clift in his bathtub, undressed and obviously deceased. 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. This was entertainment at its finest. 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. Fed up with the script, Clift desperately wanted to change her lines, saying, She isnt giving me enough to respond [to]. Of course, poor de Havilland soon had more than just her prickly love interest to contend with. Well, in 1955, he had a chance to reunite with his old friend and co-star, Elizabeth Taylor, in Raintree County. 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. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. What happened next has since become the stuff of Hollywood legend. He pleaded with her to make changes to her book to correct the mischaracterizations. Clift had a fraternal twin sister, Roberta, and a brother, William Brooks Clift Jr, who had an illegitimate son with actress Kim Stanley. Clift's childhood was unconventional. He surely wasnt a suave Prince Charming, and yet, on-screen, he was a downright masterpiece. 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. He was the son of Ethel "Sunny" Anderson (Fogg; 1888-1988) and William Brooks Clift (1886-1964). He spent a great deal of time and money on psychiatry.In 1956, during filming of Raintree County (1957), he ran his Chevrolet into a tree after leaving a party at Elizabeth Taylor's; it was she who saved him from choking by pulling out two teeth lodged in his throat. Before long, photographers began to descend on the gory scene. 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. The most beautiful young man Ive ever seen. Tellingly, theyre always pitched under working titles like Beautiful Loser and' Tragic Beauty. I mean, he is a However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. There are a few versions that detail the aftermath of Clifts accident, but one has all the drama of a motion picture itself. I think he was 12 or 13., Its obviously a non-issue for her, co-director Demmon said. However, the filming of The Misfits had a shadow lurking over it. Montgomery's ancestry was English, as well as more distant Scottish, Dutch, German and French. But that wasnt the wildest part of the story. 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. Sensitive, mysterious, brooding, and suspiciously single. ': 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. In his first film, Red River, Clift had the chance to play opposite the western superstar John Wayne. The entire experience had a cursed tinge to it, and before long, it left disaster in its wake. Sealed, new. 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. Taylor, caught up in filming with Richard Burton in Paris, sent flowers to the funeral. Clift detested Waynes antiquated male constraints. . He called it as he saw it, describing himself as an ordinary, second-class wolf.. 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 accident changed his appearance, and many biographers assumed Clift felt ruined by it and, so, drank more. d-d-darling, I r-r-really wouldnt know. Connect any celebrity with Montgomery Clift to see how closely they are linked romantically! You see, the entire healing process put Clift through the paces. 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. Elizabeth Taylor (all of 17 years old) and Montgomery Clift posed together at Paramount Studios during a break in filming A Place in the Sun. But this wasnt the actors first time at the rodeo. 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. Lorenzo was one of the reasons.. . The unhinged character he played in the film hit too close to home and psychologically drained him. He also won a nomination for Best Actor. Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine Hepburn came to Clifts defense when the director tried to get rid of him. What does he inspire anyone to do drink, die young? Clift asserts that the actors use of alcohol and prescription drugs stemmed, primarily, from a near-fatal car accident in 1956. Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 July 23, 1966) was an American actor. When Clift became a household name in the movie industry, his romantic life became a widely-discussed subject by the press. 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 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. 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. Teach, I loved the way how he played in A Place in the Sun. But right as filming began, he realized that hed made a terrible mistake. 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. From the start, Clift was framed as a rebel and an individual. Free Postage. However, this was no quick fix. Clift was off the Hollywood scene for four years, within which his career declined. The Big Lift (1950) Approved | 120 min | Drama, War 6.4 Rate Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor during the filming of A Place in the Sun. Determined to make it better, he made some key changesand they made allthe difference. Jennifer Jones (Actor), Montgomery Clift (Actor), Vittorio De Sica (Director) Format: DVD 127 ratings IMDb 6.2/10.0 $797 Prime Video $0.99 $2.99 Blu-ray $14.99 DVD $7.97 VHS Tape $4.73 See More Frequently bought together + + Total price: $27.95 Add all three to Cart Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Montgomery Clift later resided in . 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. July 22, 1966, was a sweltering day in New York City, and Montgomery Clift had been languishing in his townhouse on 61st Street. 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. While he never excelled at school, his extraordinary abilities as an actor showed early. After filming wrapped, she tracked him down and spat directly in his face. Clift gained actual scars from some filming mishaps. But while Clift certainly seemed like a budding Hollywood heartthrob on the outside, in reality, he wasfar from it. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, Hollywood, 1950. With Clift on board, Suddenly, Last Summer morphed into a verifiable mess. He died in 1966 at the age of 45. In 1951, Clift embarked upon one of his most famous roles as George Eastman inA Place in the Sun. The view then about queer people was that they would be inherently conflicted or tormented about their sexuality, said Demmon. 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. His first two films were smashing successesand for veryimpressive reasons. About 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. Following The Misfits, Clifts disintegration continued. Whether he liked it or not, they were out for a storyAnd the one they wanted above all? 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. Help us build our profile of Montgomery Clift! 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. He lived in a pampered bubbleuntil one day, it all came crashing down. The surgeries led to the use of strong painkillers. His . 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. But when he climbed into the room, he discovered something absolutely gut-wrenching. His parents were Quakers and met as students at Cornell University, marrying in 1914. This made him an A-list actor and a multi-award-winning star. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. In truth, his face wasnt truly disfigured. Who is Montgomery Clift dating? 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. at the best online prices at eBay! to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. But if you look at his own words, his testimonies about what acting did to him, youll see the culprit. Still, his second venture was perhaps even more of an impressive feat. When he read the story that criticized his bare-bones wardrobe, the scandalized actor lashed out with a biting response. In a new documentary, myths and assumptions about the Oscar-nominated heartthrob who struggled with his sexuality are replaced with the little-known truth. 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. Taylor and Clift: Photos From the Set of A Place in the Sun. Okay, if were being totally honest, Montgomery Clifts reserved lifestyle didnt exactly excite the press; it actually kind of stumped them. But Clift knew the film would be a smash, if only because audiences would want to compare his long unseen face from before and after the accident. My mom never told me how her best friend died. You see, Clift wasnt just a pretty face, he also had a bunch of quirks that made him incredibly singular in comparison to other leading men. Lorenzo came into the picture when Monty was at his lowest. (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. Clifts teacher, Robert Lewis, called his gradual decline the longest suicide in Hollywood history. Although he had problems before filmingRaintree County, Clifts drinking was more pronounced than ever. Other testimonies to Clifts gayness abound: early in his film career, he had purportedly been warned that being gay would ruin him; he was so conscious of being seen as feminine or fey in any way that when he ad-libbed a line in The Search, calling a boy dear, he insisted that director Fred Zinnemann reshoot the take. A four-time Oscar nominee who died at 45, Montgomery Clift was a bright young talent, a tabloid fixture, and a posthumous gay icon. Picture 1 of 12 . The unspoken truth was that Clift was gay. Taylor had married British actor Michael Wilding in 1952, but by 1956, their marriage was in decline. He wanted to be a free agent, and he did it successfully. His mother wanted all of her children to be raised as distinguished aristocrats, and as such, little Clift and his siblings received an elite upbringing: private tutors, extensive travel, and language lessons. July 24, 1966 12 AM PT. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with the latest celebrity news, but don't worry we have you covered. But the press will always be the press, and no amount of Montgomery Clifts ire could change that. "Indiscretion of an American Wife" romance and drama movie produced in Italy and USA and released in 1953. 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. Montgomery Clift was an undeniably attractive man, and before long, he'd cultivated a rather passionate female fan base. Sensitive. A young naive woman falls for a handsome young man who her emotionally abusive father suspects is a fortune hunter. Next came "The Nutty Professor" as Lewis' student, Stella Purdy, who he is infatuated with. 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? Login Directors Robert Anderson Clift Hillary Demmon Writers Robert Anderson Clift Hillary Demmon Stars Clift wasn't one to hide a feeling, which made him a great actor and also a terrible straight man. He also helped bring a more natural acting style to film. It wasnt until years after his tragic passing that Clifts darkest secret finally came out. 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). Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Born in 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska, Clift was raised like an aristocrat, with a private tutor and frequent trips to Europe. His image was, more than anything else, confusingunmalleable to Hollywoods preexisting star categories. Monroe and Taylor are shadowed by Montgomery. 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. That secret, depending on your source, was that Clift was gay or bisexual. His own mother, in a voice recording played in Making Montgomery Clift, said, "Monty was a . But the troubled star. Not only did he rarely go out in public, but he also didnt date. Ex-lover Larson said in the film that Clift actually preferred his work after the accident to his performances before. Montgomery Clift Hid His Sexuality for Years but Elizabeth Taylor Knew His Secret & Revealed It after His Death By Olowokandi Fiyin Aug 14, 2021 04:00 P.M. Montgomery Clift made a name for himself in Hollywood with several awards and nominations. When he came to visit storied fan-magazine author Elsa Maxwell at her home, she had her maid darn the elbow in his jacket. Firstly, he didnt even like Hollywood, preferring to stay in New York as much as he could. Yet Clift would come to hate the image that constrained him, just as he hated the suggestion that he was a slob, unfriendly, or loathed in Hollywood: after the story of his bare closet came out in the Saturday Evening Post, he worked arduously to set the record straight, underlining the ways in which publicity takes a kernel of the truth and expands it into legend. After the success of 1953sFrom Here to Eternity, Montgomery Clift suddenly stopped making films. She noted that they needed to live a life of equality while being able to get married and adopt kids. (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. This year the young man . While working in New York in the early 1940s, he met wealthy former Broadway star Libby Holman. By 15, Clift made his Broadway debut in Cole Porters Jubilee. Their claims were deemed reliable because one of the biographers was certified by one of Clift's confidants. Fellow actor Kevin McCarthy was driving ahead of Clift when the horror show went down. 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." The pieces of the puzzle dont quite fit. Charles Castillo, author of "Elizabeth & Monty: The Untold Story," shared that the actress tried to seduce Clift. He wasnt the only one who challenged such norms at the time. 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. Whatever the case may be, Montgomery Clifts life was unbelievably impressive and distressing. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. It turned into John Cassavetes' "Too Late Blues," with Bobby Darrin. But this was only the beginning. RIP GEORGOUS MONTY. Unlike many of his handsome contemporaries, he never had a blonde bombshell hanging off his arm. His father made a lot of money in banking but was quite poor during the depression. Then again, nothing about Clifts life was expected. . 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. They were even called the most beautiful couple in Hollywood. As hard as the press tried, they couldnt seem to breathe life into this nonexistent romance. An interviewer once asked him what his hobbies were, Clift replied, "women. Montgomery Clift's full name is Edward Montgomery Clift and his nickname is Montgomery Clift. To help build their case, the film-makers had rare access to the actors archives. We bring you all the headlines and gossip in one place! Of course, Clift didnt walk away unscathed either. It was unheard of, especially for a young star, but it was a sellers market. Courtesy Everett Collection Elizabeth was more visible than the publicity-shy Monty. 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. . There was a nonchalance to Clifts attitude in regards to women. Between 1963 and 1966, he faded from public view, emerging only to film a final performance in the French spy thriller The Defector (1966). But even Monroe reported that Clift was the only person I know who is in even worse shape than I am. The pictures from the set are as poignant as they are heartbreaking: its as if all three were meditating on their respective declines, and theres a sad, peaceful resignation at the difference between what their bodies could do and how people wanted to remember them. You see, the reason behind Montgomery Clifts barren dating life was rather simple: He was gay. Once on stage, Clift truly came into his own. Montgomery Clift didnt need much to keep himself happy and entertained. Hepburn was reportedly so incensed by Mankiewiczs treatment of Clift that when the film officially wrapped, she found the director and spat in his face. 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. Some of the greatest celebrities of the day came out to mourn Clift at his funeral, including Lauren Bacall and Frank Sinatra. That said, he kept his sexuality a secret: The prejudices of the time left him no choice. Of course, by this time, Clifts drinking problems werent much of a secret, making him a liability to the studio. Hes never sucked my cock.. / Montys face is broken on a wheel. This would not only show off his range but allow him to sidestep any dangers of typecasting. For somewhat mysterious reasons, Robert Clifts father Brooks taped endless conversations with his famous brother, as well as with their mother and other figures relevant to the story. A portrait of Montgomery Clift acting as Matt Garth in the western film "Red River" on 01 January, 1948 | Photo: Getty Images. 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. Luckily, his isolated lifestyle gave him an advantage. And yet, the mystery persists. 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). 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. Clift cared nothing for appearances: the Los Angeles Times called him the Rumpled Movie Idol; he infamously owned only one suit. Something was seriously wrong. Apparently, Burt Lancaster's From Here to Eternity co-star Montgomery Clift intimidated himso much so that in their first scene together you can see Lancaster shaking. 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. 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. Clifts sexuality, like those other 50s idols Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, was carefully concealed from the public. Can he still feel?). In the face of such criticism, Clift went ahead and confused the gossip columns even more. A Place In The Sun (1951) & From Here To Eternity (1953). He was, at least in the press, something approaching asexualthe title of a Motion Picture article, authored by Clift, declared simply, I Like It Lonely!. While she sounds apologetic, the changes were never made. Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando were in a . With unprecedented control over the projects he starred in, Clift agreed to do the romantic drama, The Heiress. But after an initial flurry of coverage, he retreated from public view entirely. But for 12 years, he set Hollywood aflame. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. His apartment, which he rented for 10 dollars a month, was described by friends as beat up and by him as terrific. He survived on two meals a day, mostly combinations of steak, eggs, and orange juice, and he eschewed nightclubs, instead spending his spare time reading Chekov, classic works of history and economics, and Aristotle, whom he praised for his belief in happiness, or the gentle art of the soul. When he wasnt reading or exhausting himself in preparation for a part, he liked to go to the local night court and attend high-profile court cases just to watch the humanity on display. When James offered to join him, the belligerent shot him down immediately, crying, Absolutely not.Sadly, this was Montgomery Clifts final interaction. 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. He was only 15 years old, but this wasnt just a fun pastimeit was serious business.

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