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. In fact, his doctors considered it amazing that the actor had even pulled through. He called it as he saw it, describing himself as an ordinary, second-class wolf.. He died in 1966 at the age of 45. 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. Thats why his work doesnt feel dated, Demmon said. Nothing could have prepared him for what he discovered. 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. 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. But when hedid get a hankering for a fun excursion, Clift knew exactly where he wanted to be. Montgomery Clift 39 30. All rights reserved. Sealed, new. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. His father made a lot of money in banking but was quite poor during the depression. Unlike Rock Hudson, whose affairs were very nearly exposed to the entire nation by Confidential, Clift never made the pages of the scandal rags. 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. 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. 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. He could watch the real grit of humanity play out before himthe court a stage for some of the most sensational high-profile cases. In the bathroom, James found Clift in his bathtub, undressed and obviously deceased. Well, in 1955, he had a chance to reunite with his old friend and co-star, Elizabeth Taylor, in Raintree County. INDISCRETION OF AN AMERICAN WIFE 1953 DVD PUBLIC DOMAIN FILM MONTGOMERY CLIFT. Montgomery Clift had the most earnest of faces: big, pleading eyes, a set jaw, and the sort of immaculate side part we havent seen since. Sensitive, mysterious, brooding, and suspiciously single. . Montgomery Clift | 20 Gay Hollywood Legends | Purple Clover However, Clift's life was shrouded by a dark secret that became public after his passing, by actress Elizabeth Taylor. 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. 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. With alarm bells screaming in his head, James raced outside to fetch a ladder, climbing up toward Clifts bedroom window. The decline continued. Sensitive. American actor Montgomery Clift was spectacular on the big screen for his portrayal of sensitive male characters. 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.. Her interests include the European Renaissance, popular culture, and Internet history. In truth, his face wasnt truly disfigured. 'The longest suicide in Hollywood history': who was the real Montgomery The unspoken truth was that Clift was gay. 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. Their. 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. Clift detested Waynes antiquated male constraints. Contemporaries like James Dean and Marlon Brando also did. Next came "The Nutty Professor" as Lewis' student, Stella Purdy, who he is infatuated with. But that wasnt the wildest part of the story. 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. After the success of 1953sFrom Here to Eternity, Montgomery Clift suddenly stopped making films. Every actor was in the midst of fighting their own demons. She noted that they needed to live a life of equality while being able to get married and adopt kids. All Rights Reserved. Indiscretion of An American Wife - amazon.com Show details Between 1963 and 1966, he faded from public view, emerging only to film a final performance in the French spy thriller The Defector (1966). Montgomery Clift - Turner Classic Movies As to why Bosworth drew on the gay-self-hate narrative, and why that view took hold, the directors blame the homophobia of the time the book was written, in the 1970s. Montgomery Clift was an undeniably attractive man, and before long, hed cultivated a rather passionate female fan base. More, it analyzes the new view of masculine beauty he helped introduce to the screen. When James offered to join him, the belligerent shot him down immediately, crying, Absolutely not.Sadly, this was Montgomery Clifts final interaction. Allegedly, the director brought Clift on board, thinking hed be a soothing effect for Monroe. Some of the greatest celebrities of the day came out to mourn Clift at his funeral, including Lauren Bacall and Frank Sinatra. Thanks for your time! 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. 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. The surgeries led to the use of strong painkillers. This was entertainment at its finest. But 1961 audiences were too close to the day-to-day deterioration of its stars to see the meditative genius of The Misfits. Login to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. 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. In his eyes, he wasnt a rebel, he was simply an actor who wanted to portray a slice of life. Tired of being boxed in, he stated, I am notrepeat nota member of the Beat Generation. A bout five years ago, filmmaking duo Robert Clift and Hillary Demmon Clift decided to make a documentary about Robert's long-dead uncle. said: Oh. Montgomery Clift had an encounter with Marlon Brando. Picture 1 of 12 . 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. 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. 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. Their claims were deemed reliable because one of the biographers was certified by one of Clift's confidants. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. He could barely remember his lines and often didnt show up to set. The film-makers interviewed Bosworth extensively for the movie, but they contrast her words with old taped conversations she had with the actors brother. Clifts early foray into acting led him to a Broadway debut in 1935. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. 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. But that didnt mean that the gossip press didnt hint at something different, something queer, in the broadest sense of the word, about him. Montgomery Clift - Biography 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. 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. Moreover? The Big Lift (1950) Approved | 120 min | Drama, War 6.4 Rate He still drank, but not as heavily. (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. He summoned a doctor, but it was already too late. Whether this captivating story is real or not remains to be seen. 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. Yet, according to a new documentary, titled Making Montgomery Clift, the stars substance abuse had nothing at all to do with his sexuality. Luckily, over time, they clawed their way back to financial security. But for Clift, there was just no escape, and it was only going to get worse. Biographies of Clift posit that he drank because he couldnt be his true self, because homosexuality was the shame he had to shelter within. . Ad Choices. They seem to have their stories all written out beforehand.. There were questions about the woman in his life and why he was single. 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. But right as filming began, he realized that hed made a terrible mistake. Clift's childhood was unconventional. 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. Of course, Clift didnt walk away unscathed either. His father, William Brooks "Bill" Clift (1886-1964), was the vice-president of Omaha National Trust Company. So finely Montgomery Clift was in 8 on-screen matchups, including Anne Baxter in I Confess (1953), Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun (1951), Dolores Hart in Lonelyhearts (1958), Donna Reed in From Here to Eternity (1953) and Jennifer Jones in Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953). 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. A documented conversation between two stars, Tallulah Bankhead and Dorothy Parker, during a dinner party also showed that there was knowledge among stars that Clift was gay. Determined to keep his gayness under wraps, Clift made sure that his masculine facade shone onscreen. "Monty," as his family called him, was the son of William Clift, a. He pleaded with her to make changes to her book to correct the mischaracterizations. But he was handsome and beguiling on-screen, creating an appetite for confirmation of that same Clift off the screen. With his screenwriting suggestions, the film took home an Academy Award. But while his siblings enrolled in prestigious schools, Montgomery Clift went hurtling in a completely different direction. 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. A young naive woman falls for a handsome young man who her emotionally abusive father suspects is a fortune hunter. Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. 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! Nope. cocksucker. Then, sweetly, wide-eyed with little girl navet, she Clift cared nothing for appearances: the Los Angeles Times called him the Rumpled Movie Idol; he infamously owned only one suit. 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. After filming wrapped, she tracked him down and spat directly in his face. Just look at the fan magazine titles: Making Love the Clift Way, Two Loves Has Monty, Montgomery Clifts Tragic Love Story, Is It True What They Say About Monty? Who Is Monty Kidding? Hes Travelin Light, The Lurid Love Life of Montgomery Clift, and, perhaps most flagrantly, Monty Clift: Woman Hater or Free Soul?. He had a holistic view.. His . Montgomery Clift was an undeniably attractive man, and before long, he'd cultivated a rather passionate female fan base. The Tragedy of Montgomery Clift - TCM Message Boards Charles Castillo, author of "Elizabeth & Monty: The Untold Story," shared that the actress tried to seduce Clift. Clift's brother would later come out to say that the actor was bisexual. Determined to make it better, he made some key changesand they made allthe difference. After all, his leading lady was none other than the beguiling Elizabeth Taylor, and together, these two stars were pure fire. Horrified, James immediately called for help, but of course, it was already too late. If Paramount wanted him, theyd have to give him what he wanteda power differential that would go on to structure the star-studio relationship for the next 40 years. Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 July 23, 1966) was an American actor. (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. 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. Will she ride the term to Oscar gold? When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. With Clift on board, Suddenly, Last Summer morphed into a verifiable mess. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. An inside look at the actors secretive love life. This made him an A-list actor and a multi-award-winning star. But when his nephew dives into the family archives, a much more complicated picture emerges. / Is he alive? ufff q hombre tan guapo y atractivo, y grn actor ademas, como me hubiese gustado conocerlo con unos ojos maravillosos. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Soon, Montgomery Clift became almost impossible to work with. Unlike many of his handsome contemporaries, he never had a blonde bombshell hanging off his arm. While she sounds apologetic, the changes were never made. Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine Hepburn came to Clifts defense when the director tried to get rid of him. [view couple] # 8 Carlo Fiore 12 28. Of course, when it came to his appearance, this gorgeous star really didnt give a hoot. Montgomery Clift - Hollywood Walk of Fame However, he became more comfortable with her and eventually found it easy to open up about his sexuality. Montgomery Clift is a member of the following lists: American film actors, Actors Studio alumni and Bisexual actors. 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. 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. . Nearly all his good looks are gone, Isherwood wrote. As he lay wounded in the arms of his dear friend, Clift began choking and pointing to his throat. Months of surgeries, rebuilding, and physical therapy followed. But this wasnt the actors first time at the rodeo. When he read the story that criticized his bare-bones wardrobe, the scandalized actor lashed out with a biting response. 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 simply wasnt cut out for school, and unlike his siblings, turned his back on higher education. Hitchcock's I CONFESS (DVD, 1953); M CLIFT, A BAXTER. Sealed, new And so he remains frozen in the popular imagination, circa From Here to Eternitythose high cheekbones, that set jaw, the firm stare: a magnificent, proud, tragically broken thing to behold. 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. A portrait of Montgomery Clift acting as Matt Garth in the western film "Red River" on 01 January, 1948 | Photo: Getty Images.
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