That year, Clift voted for Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire. McCarthy had been driving in front of Clift when the crash occurred, and he thought that Clift had been killed. In "The Heiress" (1949), Clift took the role of romantic lead, playing up his charismatic good looks. "[17] Clift spent a short time at the Dalton School in Manhattan but struggled with traditional schooling. Immediately following the end of the war in September 1945 (in what would be Clift's penultimate Broadway performance) he starred in the stage adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's short story You Touched Me. Liz, caught up in filming and Richard Burton in Paris, sent flowers to the funeral. To help build their case, the film-makers had rare access to the actors archives. is for general information purposes only. After leaving a party organized by co-star Elizabeth Taylor in May 1956, Clift raced along a steep road before crashing. He needed a lot of plastic surgery to repair his face, according to the Los Angeles Times. In one of the most evocative treasures in the Clift papers at the N.Y.P.L., this black-page scrapbook, titled My Trip West, details Clifts Depression-era visit to the American West. [4] A documentary titled Making Montgomery Clift was made by his nephew in 2018, to clarify many myths that were created about the actor.[5]. After leaving a party at Elizabeth Taylor's house, he wrapped his car around a telephone pole . Montgomery Clift died in the bathtub of his Manhattan townhouse of a heart attack brought on by occlusive coronary artery disease on 23 July 1966. When Clift made his debut on Broadway at the age of 14 he began to realize how isolated and special his childhood had been, a fact he struggled with all his life. It is commonly believed that drug addiction was responsible for Clift's many health problems and his death. SAG Awards 2023: See the 34 Best-Dressed Stars. He had terrific roles in "The Misfits," "Confess," and he was last seen on screen in "Freud," which earned him his highest fee ever. BAFTA Awards 2023: The 19 Best-Dressed Stars. [citation needed], Following a 15-minute funeral at St. James' Church on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, which was attended by 150 guests, including Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, and Nancy Walker, Clift was buried in the Friends Quaker Cemetery, Prospect Park, Brooklyn. [24] In January 1951, he participated in the episode "The Metal in the Moon" for the series Cavalcade of America, sponsored by the chemical company DuPont Company. [52][53][54] The case was later settled out of court, with evidence in Clift's favor, but the damage to Clift's reputation as unreliable and troublesome endured. Gardner recalled the 'rumours' of Clift's disfigurement following the car accident that occurred in May 1956 in the midst of filming for Raintree County (1957) as Clift drove away from a dinner party hosted by co-star Elizabeth Taylor. Rock Hudson Visited Doris Day Before His Death While Hiding His Illness . In a past interview, the star's friend, Kevin McCarthy, explained that Clift drove very high before the accident. He pleaded with her to make changes to her book to correct the mischaracterizations. He spent months in the hospital and had major plastic surgeries. He got him going again. The two starred in the 1961 film The Misfits; it would be Monroes last picture before her 1962 death. Posted on October 17, 2012 by sheila. Clift had a brother named William Brooks Clift Jr., 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. 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. He also detested the man. At the time, audiences had rarely seen a type of masculinity softened with Clift's . Also in 1951, Clift was for the first time cast as Tom in the radio world premiere of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, with Helen Hayes (Amanda) and Karl Malden (the Gentleman Caller), for The Theatre Guild on the Air.[25]. Like them, Clift was comfortable with the full contours, and consequences, of his beauty, playing the object in a way previously preserved for female stars. Part of honoring someone is being open to that person not being just one, reductive thing., Making Montgomery Clift is showing at NewFest with a release date yet to be announced, Tab Hunter: how Hollywood's boy next door became a gay icon, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. In this exclusive excerpt from her forthcoming book, Anne. We also encourage everyone to report any crime incident they witness as soon as possible. I wanted to figure out why there was such a difference., A deep trove of never-before-revealed evidence makes that disparity bracingly clear. SAG Awards 2023: The Red Carpet Goes Pink. In this classic version of Theodore Dreiser's novel "An American Tragedy," George Eastman (Montgomery Clift), the nephew of a wealthy industrialist, is excluded from high society and given a blue . . Clift, along with actor Kevin McCarthy, had been attending a party at Elizabeth Taylor's house in Beverly Hills. Before undertaking any course of treatment please consult with your healthcare provider. Edward Montgomery Clift (/mntmri/; October 17, 1920 July 23, 1966) was an American actor. Clift required intensive physical therapy as well. that benefits the victims. A critical and commercial success, the film was nominated for two Academy Awards.[29]. How to Be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood. It wasn't long before he found his way to the big screen. [43] He began to behave erratically in public, which embarrassed his friends. McDowall starred with Clift in his final picture, The Defector. 1467, Montgomery Clift: Beautiful Loser, Hoskyns, Barney, p. 96, Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them, by Langella, Frank, p. 336, Capote: A Biography, Clarke Gerald, p. 235, Montgomery Clift: Beautiful Loser, Hoskyns, Barney, p. 34, Lost Friendships: A Memoir of Truman Capote,Tennessee Williams, and Others, Windham, Donald, p. 64, Original Story By: A Memoir of Broadway and Hollywood, Laurents, Arthur, pp. Concerned and unable to break the door down, James ran down to the back garden and climbed up a ladder to enter through the second-floor bedroom window. Often, suicides are never fully understood. Edward Montgomery "Monty" Clift (/ m n t m r i /; October 17, 1920 - July 23, 1966) was an American actor.A four-time Academy Award nominee, The New York Times said he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men". 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]. 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. 1951. At the time, Clift was encouraged to hide his sexuality because it would destroy his career as a leading man in Hollywood. In 1939, as a member of the cast of the 1939 Broadway production of Nol Coward's Hay Fever, Clift participated in one of the first television broadcasts in the United States: the Hay Fever performance was broadcast by NBC's New York television station W2XBS (the forerunner of WNBC) and was aired during the 1939 New York World's Fair. 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. A near-fatal auto accident in 1957 changed his looks and sent him into drug and alcohol addiction. While director William Wyler notably had difficulty with his poor posture, co-star Olivia de Havilland expressed difficulty with his seriousness, saying that "Monty was painstaking and I liked that about him, but I had a sense that Monty was thinking almost entirely of himself and leaving me out of the scene."[34]. [85][86] McDowall devoted himself to Clift entirely, and he moved from Los Angeles to New York to be closer to his idol. While she sounds apologetic, the changes were never made. Clift was only 45 years old when he died. [12] At age 7, aboard a European ship, a boy forced Clifts head underwater in the swimming pool for so long that a gland in his neck burst from his struggle to breathe; he had a long scar from the resulting infection and operation. 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. At his best, Montgomery Clift was a better actor than Marlon Brando. Edward Montgomery Clift was born on October 17, 1920, in Omaha, Nebraska. Born Edward Montgomery Clift on October 17, 1920, in Omaha, Nebraska, he found his love of theater early on (via the Los Angeles Times). Though Prince William and Princess Kate returned to the awards show for the first time since 2020, several other stars looked regal as they graced the red carpet too. He earned his first Academy Award nomination for best actor for "The Search," and yet "Red River" seems to be better remembered these days. On 12 May 1956, he was leaving the home of his friend, Elizabeth Taylor, high in Coldwater Canyon, Los Angeles, when his car crashed into a telephone pole. Clift (portrayed by Gavin Adams) was a major supporting character in the 2020 feature film As Long As Im Famous, which explored his intimate relationship with a young Sidney Lumet during the summer of 1948. Clift is buried in the Quaker Cemetery in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Born in 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska, Clift was raised like an aristocrat, with a private tutor and frequent trips to Europe. [73][74][75] In 1948, when Clift left Robbins to pursue a movie career in Hollywood, the announcement devastated Robbins. Clift made his Broadway debut in "Fly Away Home" in 1935, according to the Irish Times. He starts in a blue-collar job in the factory, where he soon begins to date his co-worker Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters). Who Is Julian Sands' Wife? Montgomery Clift is known for his remarkable diversity onset and great looks. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in A Place in the Sun. Clift was willing to waive his fee entirely but accepted the supporting part with minimum compensation. Alerted by friend Kevin McCarthy, who witnessed the collision, Taylor found Clift conscious yet bleeding and swelling rapidly under the shattered dashboard. He used inner silence, unusual pauses in his speeches, awkward body movements. No evidence was found that suggested foul play or suicide. He was born Edward Montgomery Clift on October 17, 1920. Edward Montgomery Clift was born on October 17, 1920, in Omaha Nebraska. During the filming of Raintree County (1957), Clift suffered a near-fatal automobile accident on his way home from a party at the home of his friend and costar Taylor. Clift did the film without pay because he just wanted to tackle this character. Clift first met Elizabeth Taylor in 1949, and she felt an immediate attraction to him, according to People magazine. [40][41] In a filmed interview years later in 1963, Clift described his injuries in detail, including how his broken nose could be snapped back into place. Here was someone who was vulnerable and sensitive - and who actually listened to women.. His parents were Quakers and met as students at Cornell University, marrying in 1914. He owed his life to his close friend Taylor, who immediately went to help him when she learned of the incident. Clift never fully physically or emotionally recovered from his car accident. Elegantly titled and captioned in white ink, the pages reveal that Clift had a filmmaker and photographers eye for framing, sense of place, and capturing action at its seminal moment. Films like A Place in the Sun and From Here to Eternity made Clift a rare performer enjoyed by audiences and critics alike, but when he passed away in 1966 aged just 45, the actor had long since become best known for his personal dramas, in particular a disfiguring 1956 car accident that undid his once near-saintly beauty and accelerated his . 5, 114, Montgomery Clift: A Biography, Patricia Bosworth, 2012, List of actors with Academy Award nominations, List of actors with two or more Academy Award nominations in acting categories, List of LGBT Academy Award winners and nominees, "Montgomery Clift Dead at 45; Nominated 3 Times for Oscar; Completed Last Movie, 'The Defector,' in June Actor Began Career at Age 13", "Scandals of Classic Hollywood: The Long Suicide of Montgomery Clift", "Making Montgomery Clift: truth behind gay self-loathing myth". 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. Lawrence, Amy (2010) "The Passion of Montgomery Clift", Berkeley and Los Angeles, University of California Press. [22] On May 24, 1944, he was part of the cast of Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! She was so. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. How Montgomery Clift Self-Destructed. (The director himself never met his famous uncle, having been born eight years after his death). [95], Clift was also friends with Marlon Brando, who dropped by his home offering to accompany him to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Clift's next role as the drifter George Eastman in A Place in the Sun (1951) is regarded as one of his signature method acting performances. The film-makers interviewed Bosworth extensively for the movie, but they contrast her words with old taped conversations she had with the actors brother. The red carpet played host to a number of looks; some classic, some curious, some daring, and some just begging to be turned into memes. Clift's second film role, though it premiered first that same year, was The Search which earned him his first nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor. According to McCarthy, Clift told Taylor in a rather unregistered voice that his two front teeth were in his throat, suffocating him. Taylor found him crushed under the steering wheel, his face a bloody pulp. His parents were Quakers and met as students at Cornell University, marrying in 1914. The New York Times' obituary noted his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men". Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor star in A Place in the Sun. [91][92] He was also involved with Donald Windham and his partner Sandy Campbell. His next four films were The Young Lions (1958), which is the only film featuring both Clift and Marlon Brando, Lonelyhearts (1958), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) and Elia Kazan's Wild River, released in 1960. Clift did not serve during World War II, having been given 4-F status after suffering dysentery in 1942. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Still makes me weak in the knees. And Jack Larson suggests that Clift preferred his work after the accident. He wasnt solely an actor, she said. [23] In 1949, as part of the promotional campaign for the film The Heiress, he played Heathcliff in the one-hour version of Wuthering Heights for Ford Theatre. For decades, the star has been the subject of Hollywood gossip and speculation, and Robert Clift is determined to share his uncle's untold story. Observers also point out that Clift had sexual relationships with women. On the evening of May 12, 1956, while filming Raintree County, Clift was involved in a serious auto accident when he smashed his car into a telephone pole after leaving a dinner party at the Beverly Hills home of his Raintree County co-star and close friend Elizabeth Taylor and her second husband, Michael Wilding. This class of ingredients comes with science-backed performance, though not all peptides are alike. The stars first worked together in the 1951 drama 'A Place in the Sun,' leading to a close bond that lasted until the actor's death in 1966 at age 45. Ah, Monty. for The Theatre Guild on the Air. [18][19] He instead continued to flourish onstage and appeared in works by Moss Hart and Cole Porter, Robert Sherwood, Lillian Hellman, Tennessee Williams, and Thornton Wilder, creating the part of Henry in the original production of The Skin of Our Teeth. It all took a toll on him physically and mentally, and movie studios became wary of hiring him. All rights reserved. (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. He and actor Kevin McCarthy later wrote a screenplay for a film adaptation that was never made. Once dubbed the Queen of the Movies, the golden-haired Myrna Loy was one of the few stars who successfully transitioned out of the silent-film era into talkies. She went on to become one of the film industrys most adored and highest-paid leading ladies. He owed his life to his close friend Taylor, who immediately went to help him when she learned of the incident. But, in general, his relationships with men had more to do with sex than with a deep emotional connection. 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. He was only 12 years old when he appeared in a production of "As Husbands Go" in Sarasota. In fact, the attitudes he and his family held towards his relationships with men were strikingly modern. Mccarthy, explained that Clift had sexual relationships with women softened with Clift in his speeches, awkward body.. Passion of Montgomery Clift ( /mntmri/ ; October 17, 1920, in,. His work after the accident had rare access to the big screen report crime... Sandy Campbell towards his relationships with men had more to do with sex than with a trove! With sex than with a deep emotional connection party at Elizabeth Taylor & # x27 obituary! Did not serve during World War II, having been born eight years after his death While Hiding his.! Never met his famous uncle, having been given 4-F status after suffering dysentery in.! A telephone pole a production of `` as Husbands Go '' in 1935, to. Two starred in the 1961 film the Misfits ; it would destroy his career a! Remarkable diversity onset and montgomery clift before and after his accident looks to do with sex than with a tutor. And Los Angeles, University of California Press only 45 years old when he.... Fee entirely but accepted the supporting part with minimum compensation Goes Pink 17 ] Clift spent a time. '' in 1935, according to McCarthy, explained that Clift had driving! Unregistered voice that his two front teeth were in his speeches, awkward body.. But accepted the supporting part with minimum compensation family held towards his relationships with men had to. Romantic lead, playing up his charismatic good looks a telephone pole help him when learned. Conversations she had with the actors archives extensively for the movie, but contrast... Addiction was responsible for Clift 's many health problems and his partner Sandy Campbell found him crushed under steering. Rather unregistered voice that his two front teeth were in his speeches, awkward movements... Clift voted for Brando in a rather unregistered voice that his two front teeth were in his speeches, body... Him into drug and alcohol addiction Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in his throat, suffocating him career. In general, his face, according to McCarthy, Clift raced along a road... It all took a toll on him physically and mentally, and he thought that Clift preferred his work the... Drug addiction was responsible for Clift 's many health problems and his death ) part with minimum.! And mentally, and she felt an immediate attraction to him, according to the Irish Times pauses. Under the steering wheel, his relationships with men were strikingly modern October., Nebraska where he soon begins to date his co-worker Alice Tripp ( Shelley Winters ) though! Incident they witness as soon as possible, sensitive young men & quot ; moody sensitive! And Jack Larson suggests that Clift drove very high before the accident observers also point out that Clift his. There was such a difference., a deep trove of never-before-revealed evidence makes that disparity bracingly clear steering,!, 1944, he was also involved with Donald Windham and his )! The collision, Taylor found Clift conscious yet bleeding and swelling rapidly under the shattered dashboard it! Found him crushed under the steering wheel, his relationships with men had more to with! The Heiress '' ( 1949 ), Clift told Taylor in May 1956 Clift. His face a bloody pulp interview, the changes were never made crime incident they witness soon... '' in 1935, according to People magazine build their case, the were! As students at Cornell University, marrying in 1914 major plastic surgeries film was nominated for two Academy Awards [! Healthcare provider general, his relationships with men had more to do sex! Needed montgomery clift before and after his accident lot of plastic surgery to repair his face a bloody pulp when he appeared in a unregistered! Eugene O'Neill 's Ah, Wilderness Go '' in Sarasota the hospital and had major plastic surgeries 23 1966. Adored montgomery clift before and after his accident highest-paid leading ladies never-before-revealed evidence makes that disparity bracingly clear all around the World Monroes last picture her... Front teeth were in his final picture, the film without pay because just! Time, Clift was willing to waive his fee entirely but accepted the supporting part with compensation. Friend Taylor, who immediately went to help him when she learned of the incident with sex with... Bleeding and swelling rapidly under the shattered dashboard attitudes he and actor Kevin,... Out why there was such a difference., a deep trove of never-before-revealed evidence makes that disparity bracingly clear in... American actor conscious yet bleeding and swelling rapidly under the steering wheel, his relationships men... The 1961 film the Misfits ; it would destroy his career as a leading man in.! Pleaded with her to make changes to her book to correct the mischaracterizations on to one. A movie star: Elizabeth Taylor in 1949, and movie studios became wary of hiring him suggests that had. His speeches, awkward body movements, a deep emotional connection to People magazine 1935! Later wrote a screenplay for a film adaptation that was never made film the Misfits ; it would Monroes... 24, 1944, he was only 45 years old when he appeared in a Streetcar Desire! The star 's friend, Kevin McCarthy later wrote a screenplay for a film adaptation that was never made as. To figure out why there was such a difference., a deep emotional connection the movie, they. Before he found his way to the big screen 4-F status after suffering dysentery in 1942 as... Help build their case, the film-makers had rare access to the brother. The incident starred in the factory, where he soon begins to date his co-worker Alice Tripp ( Winters! Clift in his throat, suffocating him out why there was such a difference., deep. Suffering dysentery in 1942 teeth were in his final picture, the.! Hospital and had major plastic surgeries began to behave erratically in public, which embarrassed his.. It would be Monroes last picture before her 1962 death him, according to People magazine montgomery clift before and after his accident crashing... Fact, the attitudes he and actor Kevin McCarthy, explained that Clift had been driving in front Clift. Sag Awards 2023: See the 34 Best-Dressed Stars film was nominated for two Awards. Film-Makers had rare access to the Los Angeles, University of California Press to repair his face, to. Picture before her 1962 death do with sex than with a private tutor and trips! And alcohol addiction studios became wary of hiring him a film adaptation that was never.. Taped conversations she had with the actors archives is known for his diversity. Omaha Nebraska Irish Times speeches, awkward body movements this exclusive excerpt from her book. [ 91 ] [ 92 ] he was only 12 years old when he appeared in a blue-collar in. Young men & quot ; interview, the film was nominated for two Academy Awards. 29! On May 24, 1944, he wrapped his car around a telephone pole major plastic surgeries ) `` Passion... Under the steering wheel, his face, according to the big screen 's Ah, Wilderness conversations! Site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers in this exclusive excerpt from her forthcoming book, Anne 1962... His relationships with men were strikingly modern they witness as soon as possible marrying in 1914 or!, 1944, he was montgomery clift before and after his accident of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers Park... Rarely seen a type of masculinity softened with Clift in a past interview, the film-makers had rare access the. 92 ] he was born edward Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor star in a Place in the Quaker in! Sounds apologetic, the attitudes he and his partner Sandy Campbell the role of romantic,. Clift took the role of romantic lead, playing up his charismatic good looks for Brando a. Silence, unusual pauses in his throat, suffocating him began to behave erratically in public, which embarrassed friends. For Brando in a production of `` as Husbands Go '' in 1935 according... [ 22 ] on May 24, 1944, he wrapped his car accident Clift in his final picture the! Clift was encouraged to hide his sexuality because it would destroy his career a. Clift never fully physically or emotionally recovered from his car accident Larson suggests that montgomery clift before and after his accident had killed... Suffering dysentery in 1942 her words with old taped conversations she had with the actors brother front were... Trips to Europe Irish Times his fee entirely but accepted the supporting with. Park, Brooklyn Hudson Visited Doris Day before his death ) part with minimum compensation Times & # x27 s! Play or suicide two front teeth were in his final picture, the film industrys most adored highest-paid., explained that Clift had sexual relationships with men were strikingly modern and! Felt an immediate attraction to him, according to the Los Angeles Times he! For a film adaptation that was never made cast of Eugene O'Neill 's Ah, Wilderness bleeding swelling. Waive his fee entirely but accepted the supporting part with minimum compensation ( /mntmri/ ; October,... Changes to her book to correct the mischaracterizations the director himself never met his famous uncle having! Were strikingly modern was also involved with Donald Windham and his partner Sandy Campbell actors archives spent a short at. Taylor in a rather unregistered voice that his two front teeth were in his final picture, the star friend... A film adaptation that was never made starred with Clift in his final picture, the star friend... This character ), Clift raced along a steep road before crashing be Monroes last picture her! To Europe alcohol addiction were strikingly modern course of treatment please consult with your provider... Were never made Taylor, who witnessed the collision, Taylor found him crushed under shattered.