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. 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. Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine Hepburn came to Clifts defense when the director tried to get rid of him. Observers also point out that Clift had sexual relationships with women. Who is Montgomery Clift dating? Montgomery Clift girlfriend, wife But when hedid get a hankering for a fun excursion, Clift knew exactly where he wanted to be. 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. To help build their case, the film-makers had rare access to the actors archives. 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. 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. Of course, as unusual as his lifestyle seemed, healso had a number of interesting routines. 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.. Allegedly, Rock Hudson was there to pull Clift from the wreckage and it was Taylor who held the stricken actor in her arms. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. 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. About She made it known that it all boiled down to love. The next morning, James returned to Clifts room to rouse him but found the door locked. In this exclusive excerpt from her forthcoming book, Anne Helen Petersen recounts the actors lonely life, ferocious talent, and tragic decline. A portrait of Elizabeth Taylor And Montgomery Clift from the film "A Place In The Sun", 1951 | Photo: Getty Images. Finally, Someone Gets Montgomery Clift's Biography Right He could barely remember his lines and often didnt show up to set. Welcome to Who Is Montgomery Clift?, a page dedicated to showcasing actors & movie makers of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Unlike many of his handsome contemporaries, he never had a blonde bombshell hanging off his arm. And then there was the physical toll. But the press will always be the press, and no amount of Montgomery Clifts ire could change that. Many Hollywood stars have committed versions of the long suicide. . Actor Montgomery Clift, 45, three times nominated for Academy Awards, died early Saturday of a heart attack in his plush East Side townhouse. Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando were in a . Determined to make it better, he made some key changesand they made allthe difference. at the best online prices at eBay! Benign to most but, in hindsight, highly suggestive. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. This showed in his consciousness of being seen as feminine in any way. But that didnt mean that the gossip press didnt hint at something different, something queer, in the broadest sense of the word, about him. 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. Ad Choices. 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. By the early 1950s he was exclusively homosexual, though he continued to hide his homosexuality and maintained a number of close friendships with theater women (heavily promoted by studio publicists).His film debut was Red River (1948) with John Wayne quickly followed by his early personal success The Search (1948) (Oscar nominations for this, A Place in the Sun (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953) and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)). Along with Marlon Brando and James Dean, he helped delineate a new paradigm for American cinematic heroes. ), 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. 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. Although Clift and Montgomery were only good friends, their coupling inA Place in the Sunhelped drive its popularity. But the tragedies didnt end there. But the drama didnt end there. Over the next decade, the burgeoning actor dug his heels in and made a name for himself on the stage. July 24, 1966 12 AM PT. (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. . 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. Cesar Romero | 20 Gay Hollywood Legends | Purple Clover Absolutely stunning. But even the troubled blonde bombshell recognized that her co-star was in dire straits. 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. 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. is the hero of a long, oppressively powerful movie called A Place in the Sun. Directed by George Stevens for Paramount, it gives three young actors [Shelley Winters brilliantly played the poor girl] the chance to give the most natural performances of their careers. (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.). Sal Mineo and Montgomery Clift were in a rela Montgomery Clift and Paul Newman were rumored Henry Willson and Montgomery Clift were in a Jack Larson and Montgomery Clift were in a re William LeMassena and Montgomery Clift were i Montgomery Clift and Libby Holman were in a r Maurice Leonard and Montgomery Clift are sepa Arnold Saint Subber and Montgomery Clift were Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando were in a Heart attack (brought on by "occlusive coronary artery disease"), Friends Quaker Cemetery, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York City, New York, USA. In the bathroom, James found Clift in his bathtub, undressed and obviously deceased. Heres A Mystery: Why Did Arthur Conan Doyles Son Dress Up Like a Knight? 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. He also detested the man. The entire experience had a cursed tinge to it, and before long, it left disaster in its wake. But for 12 years, he set Hollywood aflame. 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. (38) and his wife, Meghan Markle (41), officially . Contact sheets from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpoles shoot on a Paramount lot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. Following The Misfits, Clifts disintegration continued. Born Edward Montgomery Clift on Oct. 17, 1920 in Omaha, NE, he was the son of Ethel Fogg and William Brooks Clift, a successful Wall Street stockbroker. Still, his second venture was perhaps even more of an impressive feat. Clift, however, lived a two-faceted life concerning his sexuality. ", A portrait of Montgomery Clift against a wooden backdrop on 01 January, 1948 | Photo: Getty mages. Regardless of the veracity of this story, one thing remains true: theres not a single picture of Clifts broken face. Monroe and Taylor are shadowed by Montgomery. He was the son of Ethel "Sunny" Anderson (Fogg; 1888-1988) and William Brooks Clift (1886-1964). All rights reserved. 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. Their. Documentary Biography Classic film star and queer icon Montgomery Clift's legacy has long been a story of tragedy and self-destruction. The unspoken truth was that Clift was gay. These are just among the many words which have been used to describe Montgomery Clift, the enigmatic heartthrob of the 1950s. Clift was there, as were actors Kevin McCarthy and Rock Hudson, and Hudson's wife, Phyllis Gates, per Vanity Fair. An interviewer once asked him what his hobbies were, Clift replied, "women. Universal Studios actuallysued him for the losses they incurred because of his troublesome behavior. This was entertainment at its finest. The Search _ 1948 DVD Montgomery Clift Aline MacMahon Wendell Corey V His . It turned into John Cassavetes' "Too Late Blues," with Bobby Darrin. He had a holistic view.. Clift was off the Hollywood scene for four years, within which his career declined. What finally brought him back to the screen? Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams.