And yet, the mystery persists. His leading lady, Olivia de Havilland, disappointed him in every wayand his criticisms were downright brutal. Montgomery Clift made a name for himself in Hollywood with several awards and nominations. Monty brought a different masculinity to the screen, said Demmon. Clift detested Waynes antiquated male constraints. 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. What happened next has since become the stuff of Hollywood legend. Taylor immediately stuck her delicate, little hand down his throat and removed the obstruction. While she sounds apologetic, the changes were never made. Montgomery Clift, Nando Bruno. But 1961 audiences were too close to the day-to-day deterioration of its stars to see the meditative genius of The Misfits. 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). He surely wasnt a suave Prince Charming, and yet, on-screen, he was a downright masterpiece. Not only would this film win him respect for his impeccable acting performance, but it would also fuel a brand new cycle of romance rumors. ), 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. He naturally gravitated to the theater. Above all, Clift was perpetually curious. So finely But for 12 years, he set Hollywood aflame. Oh dear. 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. If you have a story that tracks along that line, that will feel true to people. Their. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. Their claims were deemed reliable because one of the biographers was certified by one of Clift's confidants. . In his words, I learned that most writers dont need interviews to write about me. Montgomery Clift girlfriend, wife list. / Cut the applause and dim the light. Montgomery Clift spent a miserly 10 dollars a month on what his friends referred to as a beat up apartment. Montgomery Clift | American actor | Britannica Who is Marlon Brando dating? Marlon Brando girlfriend, wife Moreover? He pointed out that she just let the director determine her every move. When the duo finally met in Stevens' office, it was pretty magical for Taylor. But if you look at his own words, his testimonies about what acting did to him, youll see the culprit. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Because of the accident, the studio worried about the success of Raintree County. Contemporaries like James Dean and Marlon Brando also did. 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. As such, Taylors intervention only enhances the very real love story that existed between her and Clift. Lancaster's first wife, June Ernst, was, like her mother before her, a renowned acrobat. And then there was the physical toll. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Montgomery Clift - Turner Classic Movies The pieces of the puzzle dont quite fit. 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 image was, more than anything else, confusingunmalleable to Hollywoods preexisting star categories. . Suddenly, the Clift family was completely broke and had no choice to move to New York. Director Joseph Mankiewicz tried to replace Clift, but Taylor and co-star Katharine Hepburn defended and supported him. Itd be his only film with Brando, even though the two barely shared the screen. ", However, it became more eminent that his single status bordered on his sexuality as time went on. Whether he liked it or not, they were out for a storyAnd the one they wanted above all? . 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. July 24, 1966 12 AM PT. Taylor, on the other hand, felt intimidated when she was yet to meet him. I wanted to figure out why there was such a difference., A deep trove of never-before-revealed evidence makes that disparity bracingly clear. Tellingly, theyre always pitched under working titles like Beautiful Loser and' Tragic Beauty. Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor during the filming of A Place in the Sun. This showed in his consciousness of being seen as feminine in any way. A successful man in the business world, Bill nevertheless deferred to this strong-willed, opinionated woman at home. Montgomery Clift later resided in . He was only 15 years old, but this wasnt just a fun pastimeit was serious business. Even if Clift himself was already spiraling out of control, playing a character that did the same only amplified the psychological toll. Montgomery Clift was an undeniably attractive man, and before long, hed cultivated a rather passionate female fan base. 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. 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. 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. Every actor was in the midst of fighting their own demons. In this exclusive excerpt from her forthcoming book, Anne Helen Petersen recounts the actors lonely life, ferocious talent, and tragic decline. The 'Red River star was then tagged a gay icon. I mean, he is a Montgomery Clift had an encounter with Marlon Brando. But for Clift, there was just no escape, and it was only going to get worse. Montgomery Clift was an undeniably attractive man, and before long, he'd cultivated a rather passionate female fan base. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. It wasnt until years after his tragic passing that Clifts darkest secret finally came out. Merv was a sexual predator who once tried to sexually assault Danny Terrio, then threatened to ruin his career if he talked. I think he was 12 or 13., Its obviously a non-issue for her, co-director Demmon said. Montgomery Clift - Biography - IMDb 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. While working in New York in the early 1940s, he met wealthy former Broadway star Libby Holman. He also helped bring a more natural acting style to film. Instead, he bided his time, and thankfully, luck was on his side. But that wasnt all. 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. 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. All rights reserved. and his wife, the former Ethel Fogg. Whether platonic or not, these two actors shared an undeniable bond that was undeniably strengthened by this one unfortunate event. 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. She noted that they needed to live a life of equality while being able to get married and adopt kids. A Place In The Sun (1951) & From Here To Eternity (1953). He became so known for his tousled appearance that theLos Angeles Times dubbed him the Rumpled Movie Idol. With his ancient, ramshackle car, and a circle of friends outsidethe realm of Hollywood, he certainly didnt fit the mold. Clift was nominated for awards . Apparently, one of Clifts tooths had pierced his tongue, causing him to choke. Making Montgomery Clift, which was co-directed by Clift's nephew Robert Clift (and Robert's wife Hillary. The most beautiful young man Ive ever seen. "Monty," as his family called him, was the son of William Clift, a. He wanted to be a free agent, and he did it successfully. Sealed, new. Whatever the case may be, Montgomery Clifts life was unbelievably impressive and distressing. But right as filming began, he realized that hed made a terrible mistake. 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. 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. He was such a mess on the set of Freud (1962) that Universal sued him. The next morning, James returned to Clifts room to rouse him but found the door locked. Monroe and Taylor are shadowed by Montgomery. Actor Montgomery Clift, 45, three times nominated for Academy Awards, died early Saturday of a heart attack in his plush East Side townhouse. While he never excelled at school, his extraordinary abilities as an actor showed early. 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. 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. Not only did he rarely go out in public, but he also didnt date. INDISCRETION OF AN AMERICAN WIFE 1953 DVD PUBLIC DOMAIN FILM MONTGOMERY CLIFT. (1936), Ghostwriting Gloria Swanson: The Strange, Sexually Charged Genesis of a Legendary Autobiography, A New Power Generation: Radhika Jones Introduces the 2023 Hollywood Issue, Salma Hayek Pinault Explains How She Got Hollywood to Stop Typecasting Her as Sexy. However, one salient fact remains: Clifts ruined face never made it to the papersIn fact, not one photograph of that night exists. While he never excelled at school, his extraordinary abilities as an actor. 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. 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 15, Clift made his Broadway debut in Cole Porters Jubilee. Although Clift and Montgomery were only good friends, their coupling inA Place in the Sunhelped drive its popularity. He didnt want the studios to dictate the kinds of roles he would play, his nephew said. Still, unlike other notable gay actors, any affairs Montgomery Clift had were secured behind a lock and key. "Monty," as the performer was known to family and .