Clift: Red River, The Search, The Heiress. To attract Clift's spirit, Jacobson brought two black and white pictures of the star--one before . Firstly, he didnt even like Hollywood, preferring to stay in New York as much as he could. In 1961, Montgomery Clift went on to star alongside some of Hollywoods greatest legendsMarilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. [48] In nephew Robert Anderson Clift's 2018 documentary, superimposed pages of Clift's own heavily annotated original script show that the actor was actually deliberately and consciously performing with his own rewritten dialogue as opposed to confused improvisation. In 1957 however, he suffered from a terrible car accident and was pulled from the wreck by his friend Eizabeth Taylor.His jawbone and front teeth were smashed, which later affected . McCarthy and Clift had been hanging out at Elizabeth Taylor's home (which she shared with then husband Mike Wilding), and then, McCarthy and Clift got in their cars to drive down the long winding hill. [27], At age 25, Clift's first Hollywood film role was opposite John Wayne in the Western film Red River whose director Howard Hawks was impressed by his recent stage performance and was willing to sign him with no strings attached, which greatly appealed to Clift's sense of independence. He played the adopted son of Wayne's character, and the two brought two different images of maleness to the big screen, as The Guardian newspaper pointed out. Report Save Follow. A short while later, Taylor and some of the others rushed to the scene of the accident. He lived in a pampered bubbleuntil one day, it all came crashing down. He was the son of Ethel "Sunny" Anderson (Fogg; 1888-1988) and William Brooks Clift (1886-1964). Christine Tran is a history buff(ette) and media scholar. Naremore, James (1988) Acting in the Cinema. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. Montgomery Clift's Disastrous Car Wreck Changed His Career Forever. Finally, Clift had a chance to climb out of his slumpbut before he made it over the top, tragedy struck. Quite fittingly, he once said, The closer we come to the negative, todeath, the more we blossom. Even after his passing, his forever friend, Elizabeth Taylor, never forgot him. [93][94] In his memoir, Arthur Laurents suggests that Clift had a fling with Farley Granger. Paramount executive Luigi Luraschi remembered that Taylor, just like many American teenagers, seemed "unmistakably in love" with Clift around the time of filming A Place in the Sun,[59] which commenced soon after their premiere outing. Still, the last half of his 20-year career has been referred to as the "longest suicide in Hollywood history" by acting teacher Robert Lewis because of Clift's subsequent abuse of painkillers and alcohol. In the years since From Here to Eternity, Clift's drinking had spiraled out of control . The autopsy report cited the cause of death as a heart attack brought on by "occlusive coronary artery disease". [62] In a taped telephone conversation with his brother, Clift's mother stated she had known Clift was homosexual early on. - 134.209.105.160. In remembering Clift, McCarthy said, his face was torn awaya bloody pulp. By the age of thirty, Montgomery Clift seemed to have everything: youth, beauty, talent, and the prospect of a lucrative film career with limitless possibilities. 11:50 AM. 2023 Cond Nast. But when he climbed into the room, he discovered something absolutely gut-wrenching. Montgomery Clift. Clift is said to have valued privacy and ambiguity in his personal life, though he was known to be friendly and affectionate, blurring the emotions of platonic love and sexual attraction, particularly with close friend Elizabeth Taylor, as soon as Paramount Pictures arranged her to attend the Los Angeles premiere of The Heiress as Clift's date to generate publicity.[58]. Actor. Okay, if were being totally honest, Montgomery Clifts reserved lifestyle didnt exactly excite the press; it actually kind of stumped them. Clift was also a Hollywood maverick of sorts, choosing to remain independent at a time when most actors were under contract to the movie studios, per Vanity Fair. "Georgia" meant bad, "Florida" very bad, and "Zanzibar" unworkable. The pieces of the puzzle dont quite fit. In the face of such criticism, Clift went ahead and confused the gossip columns even more. Every actor was in the midst of fighting their own demons. Alerted by friend Kevin McCarthy, who witnessed the collision, Taylor found Clift conscious yet bleeding and swelling rapidly under the shattered dashboard. news.AmoMama.com does not support or promote any kind of violence, self-harm, or abusive behavior. Unlike many of his handsome contemporaries, he never had a blonde bombshell hanging off his arm. Clifts recuperation took months, and when he finally returned to set, there was more trouble afoot. Montgomery Clift didnt need much to keep himself happy and entertained. Elizabeth Taylor stuck by her friends, and Montgomery Clift undoubtedly claimed a special spot in her heart. And then there was the physical toll. For the latter, Clift committed to building strength and endurance, jogging laps around Hollywood High School as well as learning how to imitate playing the bugle and reading sheet music from trumpeter Mannie Klein for the role of middleweight boxer and bugle-playing soldier Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt. White, Susan (2011) A Surface Collaboration: Hitchcock and Performance, in Thomas Leitch and Leland Poague (eds), A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock. Clift's life was derailed, however, by a terrible car accident in 1956. Universal Studios actuallysued him for the losses they incurred because of his troublesome behavior. Here are some examples: Scenes filmed before the accident involving Montgomery 'Monty' Clift's character of John Wickliff Shawnessy:-Scene with his parents where his dad tells him he is related to Thomas Carlyle-First time John meets Flash Perkins-Photography scene (first time he meets Susannah)-Drinking scene with Flash Perkins-The race-The . He and his private nurse, Lorenzo James, had not spoken much all day. PubMedGoogle Scholar, McNally, K. (2013). Whether this captivating story is real or not remains to be seen. Although Clift and Montgomery were only good friends, their coupling inA Place in the Sunhelped drive its popularity. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. When they left, they got into their . Although the results of Clift's plastic surgeries were remarkable for the time, there were noticeable differences in his facial appearance, particularly the left side of his face, which was nearly immobile. Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press. In 1965, he gave voice to William Faulkner's writings in the television documentary William Faulkner's Mississippi, which aired in April 1965. The film's success at the box office brought numerous awards for screenwriting and directing, but none for Clift himself. But her heroism didnt end there. Clifts undated images depict a more mature Loy, with whom he starred in the 1958 film Lonelyhearts. In addition to lingering effects of dysentery and chronic colitis, an underactive thyroid was later revealed during the autopsy. Before long, photographers began to descend on the gory scene. In . 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. Morira de un ataque al corazn tres meses antes de ser estrenada. Eight-times married Elizabeth Taylor could be cruel to the men in her life, but she cradled Montgomery Clift's shattered face in her hands with the tenderness of a mother caring for an injured . Dean: East of Eden, Rebel Without A Cause, Giant. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. To make matters worse, a late-night car crash in Benedict Canyon in 1957 left his face scarred. 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.. He was in the middle of making "Raintree County," a movie that reunited him with his "A Place in the Sun" co-star Elizabeth Taylor, and his accident took place after Clift had been a guest at Taylor's Beverly Hills home. Clift was there, as were actors Kevin McCarthy and Rock Hudson, and Hudson's wife, Phyllis Gates, per Vanity Fair. Clift, presumably an introvert, would have been super frustrated to know his physical look would be a topic for national speculation. Even the press seemed to unintentionally hit upon the one thing he wanted to keep hidden, with titles like Two Loves Has Monty and Monty Clift: Woman Hater or Free Soul?. And yet, the mystery persists. He had to undergo plastic surgery and increased his intake of alcohol and pain . Clift did the film without pay because he just wanted to tackle this character. Look magazine gave him its Achievement Award and called him "the most promising star on the Hollywood horizon. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. As a result, Clift's health and physical appearance deteriorated. During the interview, Gardner jokingly mentioned that it is "the first and last appearance on a television interview program for Montgomery Clift". I do not count myself as a member of the ripped-sweatshirt fraternity.. One of the few men on this list is actor Montgomery Clift. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 18197. Clift countersued with the assertion that he struggled to keep up with an overwhelming volume of last-minute script revisions and that an accidental blow to both eyes on set gave him cataracts. Montgomery Clift. Along with Marlon Brando and James Dean, Clift was considered one of the original method actors in Hollywood (though Clift distanced himself from the term); he was one of the first actors to be invited to study in the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg and Elia Kazan. The accident disfigured his face, leaving it half paralyzed. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. [72] Clift and Robbins camouflaged their relationship by dating women. All content, including text, and images contained on news.AmoMama.com, or available through news.AmoMama.com is for general information purposes only. James then used the bedroom telephone to call some of Clift's personal physicians and the medical examiner's office before an ambulance arrived.[99]. As such, the story that unfolds in Making Montgomery Clift . Midway through filming, Clift was in a near-fatal car accident. One sign of how much Hollywood has changed: Clift's close friend Elizabeth Taylor matter-of-factly identified him as gay while accepting a . At the end of the day, Clifts private nurse Lorenzo James checked in on him just after midnight. Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), Columbia Pictures, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Tormented Facts About Edvard Munch, The Man Behind The Scream, Shameless Facts About Cleo De Merode, The First Celebrity, Calamitous Facts About Sharon Stone, Hollywoods Unlucky Star, Surprising Facts About Phil Hartman, The Tragic Comedian. A Place in the Sun was critically acclaimed; Charlie Chaplin called it "the greatest movie made about America". However, Clift soon realized that you cant always have your cake and eat it too. When he made The Misfits in 1960, he was in such bad shape, no film company would insure him. Her romantic interest in him evolved into an intense friendship after he revealed her that he was gay (some sources say he was bisexual). (1936), Clift with a sultry Marilyn Monroe in a souvenir photograph taken at San Franciscos Fairmont Hotel, which once boasted a variety of alluringly named nightspots, including the Venetian Room, the Squire Room, and the Tonga Room. Skolsky, Sidney (1957) The New Look in Hollywood Men, Photoplay, Vol. The story of Clift's devastating car crash varies somewhat from one account to the next. [28] Although filmed in 1946, the film was delayed release until August 1948. He also won a nomination for Best Actor. After the car accident, it was evident that Clift would need to adjust to his new limitations. [49][50] On a taped phone call, Clift said that he played the character in a way that "holds onto himself, in spite of himself" with dignity.[51]. He spoke so quietly that at times he was practically inaudible. [63], Many of Clift's biographers note his relationships with men and some few women based on friends' accounts and interviews. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution. Life once described them as soul mates, and added: That Clift was gay made little difference in the intensity and duration of the two stars adoration of one another. The pair first starred together in the 1951 film A Place in the Sun; Clifts early nickname for the actress was Bessie Mae. They also appeared together in Raintree County (1957) and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). Clift gained actual scars from some filming mishaps. July 22, 1966, was a sweltering day in New York City, and Montgomery Clift had been languishing in his townhouse on 61st Street. They starred together as romantic leads in a total of three films throughout the 1950s: A Place in the Sun, where, in their romantic scenes, they received considerable acclaim for their naturalness and their appearance, Raintree County and Suddenly, Last Summer, and remained close until his death. Clift was unhappy with the quality of the script, and reworked it himself. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. Thus, as long as Clift's father was able to pay for it, he and his siblings were privately tutored, travelled extensively in America and Europe, became fluent in German and French, and led a protected life, sheltered from the destitution and communicable diseases which became legion following the First World War. However, this changed after Clift's car accident that left his face in a terrible condition. 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. Votes: 23,513. Sprawled across The Metropolitan Museum of Arts iconic steps, the Met Gala 2023 red carpet welcomed a bevy of fashionable attendees to fashions biggest night. He was found dead in bed in his New York apartment the morning of July 23, 1966; he was 45. He pleaded with her to get them out, and gently, she managed to relieve him of the teeth. But even the troubled blonde bombshell recognized that her co-star was in dire straits. Part of Springer Nature. The following summer in 1949, Clift shot The Big Lift in Berlin: intended to be more of a semi-documentary, pro-America wartime film and less of an acting vehicle,[35] but still a welcome opportunity to portray a U.S. soldier. Hollywood Stars. Hollywood Icons. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his work, displaying some of his old acting chops. A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Clift got his start on Broadway as a teen and, after turning down film roles for nearly a decade, finally accepted a part in 1948's . Upon closer inspection, Clifts career reveals notable clues as to who he genuinely was and the private struggles he faced. 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. With his next two films, The Misfits (1961) and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Clift pivoted to somewhat smaller supporting or cameo roles that required less overall screen time while still delivering demanding performances.
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