While he never excelled at school, his extraordinary abilities as an actor showed early. LeMassena remained a close friend to Clift until his death. Clifts undated images depict a more mature Loy, with whom he starred in the 1958 film Lonelyhearts. The crash caused severe damage to his face, and McCarthy noted in a 2018 interview that he thought Clift was dead when he saw the scene. At the 2023 SAG Awards, stars opted to wear gowns in every shade of rose, from soft pastels to neon brights. Clift's body was taken to the city morgue about 2 miles (3.2km) away at 520 First Avenue, and autopsied. 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. Photographer Vincenzo Dimino captures just a bit of the magic, he says, of New York Fashion Week with his Fuji Instax Mini 40 camera. Montgomery Clift is known for his remarkable diversity onset and great looks. 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. A Place in the Sun was critically acclaimed; Charlie Chaplin called it "the greatest movie made about America". Clift died in 1966. The song "The Right Profile" by the English punk rock band The Clash, from their album London Calling, is about the later life of Clift. Why not have a musical about Romeo and Juliet but make it with gangs in New York?' Clift was unhappy with the quality of the script, and reworked it himself. How? 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. It also stresses Clifts crucial role in changing the power balance between actors and studio chiefs in Hollywood, as well as the advancements he brought to film acting. He needed a lot of plastic surgery to repair his face, according to the Los Angeles Times. Then again, nothing about Clifts life was expected. 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. For over 30 years, scripts have floated around Hollywood promising to tell the story of Montgomery Clift, one of the most innovative and handsome actors in history. 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 the morning of July 23, 1966, Montgomery Clift's housemate couldn't wake the actor. He was only 45. 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. Monty brought a different masculinity to the screen, said Demmon. Here, a primer on a little-understood ingredient, plus 15 products that address everything from wrinkles to dark spots. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to The New York Times.[1][2]. Born in 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska, Clift was raised like an aristocrat, with a private tutor and frequent trips to Europe. "Georgia" meant bad, "Florida" very bad, and "Zanzibar" unworkable. After leaving a party at Taylor's house high in the Hollywood Hills and drowsy from two "downers" he'd taken before he left to help him sleep when he got home, Clift crashed into a telephone. At the time, audiences had rarely seen a type of masculinity softened with Clift's . It wasn't long before he made his way to New York City. [6] His mother was Ethel Fogg "Sunny" Clift ( ne Anderson; 1888-1988). Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in a scene from the 1951 movie, "A Place in the Sun." [62] In a taped telephone conversation with his brother, Clift's mother stated she had known Clift was homosexual early on. 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]. 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. The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Above is a photo of American actor Montgomery Clift's automobile after it skidded off a dark road and smashed into a telephone pole. BIPS // Getty Images Monty was also impressed with Elizabeth, at least physically. Paramount Pictures ended up offering him the best of any incoming studio offer (which he accepted): a three-film deal (down from the typical seven-year contract) that came with the freedom to turn down any script and any director, as well as the ability for either himself or the studio to terminate the agreement at any time. The story of Clift's devastating car crash varies somewhat from one account to the next. The song alludes to his car crash and drug abuse, as well as the movies A Place in the Sun, Red River, From Here to Eternity, and The Misfits, before closing with what Rolling Stone magazine describes as "a grudging admiration that becomes unexpectedly and astonishingly moving. The crew of Raintree Country even had code words about his state of intoxication. There' s more to Clift than hiding homosexuality, there s pain and romance and passion and hopelessness . A near-fatal auto accident in 1957 changed his looks and sent him into drug and alcohol addiction. Edward Montgomery Clift was born on October 17, 1920, in Omaha Nebraska. news.AmoMama.com does not support or promote any kind of violence, self-harm, or abusive behavior. [95], Clift was also friends with Marlon Brando, who dropped by his home offering to accompany him to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Published: 20:36 EST . Working with her was like going up and down on an escalator.. [63], Many of Clift's biographers note his relationships with men and some few women based on friends' accounts and interviews. An adopted child, his mother Sunny maintained that Clifts true maternal great-grandfathers were the US postmaster-general Montgomery Blair as well as Union commander Robert Anderson, a part of her lineage that was clarified to her (when she came of age) by Dr. Edward Montgomery, the family doctor who delivered her. Another adaptation of the novel had been filmed once before, as An American Tragedy, in 1931. [16] Close to a year later, around the time the family moved again, settling in New York City, Clift debuted on Broadway at 14 years old as Harmer Masters in the comedy Fly Away Home which ran from January to July 1935 at the 48th Street Theatre. Over the next decade, the burgeoning actor dug his heels in and made a name for himself on the stage. It all took a toll on him physically and mentally, and movie studios became wary of hiring him. [96], Clift supported Adlai Stevenson in the 1952 United States presidential election.[97]. When he took his final curtain call, Clift was just 45 years old. [91][92] He was also involved with Donald Windham and his partner Sandy Campbell. After leaving a party organized by co-star Elizabeth Taylor in May 1956, Clift raced along a steep road before crashing. 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. 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. Alerted by friend Kevin McCarthy, who witnessed the collision, Taylor found Clift conscious yet bleeding and swelling rapidly under the shattered dashboard. Behind the Scenes at New York Fashion Week 2023. 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"Elizabeth Taylor at the 11th Annual GLAAD Media Awards", "TCM Fest: West Side Story's Queer Origins and Other LGBTQ+ Highlights", "Montgomery Clift's Pedigreed Upper East Side Townhouse Could Be Yours", "A Star Is Born Is the Ultimate Hollywood Horror Story, and Lady Gaga Might Be Perfect Casting", "Clift Takes Role in Columbia Film: Will Portray Paul Morel in Adaptation of Lawrence's Novel, 'Sons and Lovers', "The 21st Academy Awards (1949) Nominees and Winners", Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, "The 24th Academy Awards (1952) Nominees and Winners", "The 26th Academy Awards (1954) Nominees and Winners", "The 34th Academy Awards (1962) Nominees and Winners", New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Montgomery Clift papers, Additions, 19291969, Montgomery Clift: better than Brando, more tragic than Dean, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Montgomery_Clift&oldid=1140258718, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2023, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2022, Internet Off-Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata, TCMDb name template using non-numeric ID from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Ah, Monty. [3] He also executed a rare move by not signing a contract after arriving in Hollywood, only doing so after his first two films were a success. Clift had shown an interest in acting and theatrics as a child living in Switzerland and France but did not take the initiative to go out for a part in a local production until age 13, when his family was forced to downsize and relocate from Chicago to Sarasota, Florida. Montgomery Clift (1920-1966) is one of the most tragic figures in Hollywood history. [22] On May 24, 1944, he was part of the cast of Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! Clift was recovering from a car accident during the movies shoot (the actor was dying on his feet, according to one biography), but Hepburn treated him with great kindness. Hollywood repeatedly came courting, but he put off offers for nearly a decade, even turning down roles in classic films like East of Eden and the co-lead in Sunset Boulevard. Clift, along with actor Kevin McCarthy, had been attending a party at Elizabeth Taylor's house in Beverly Hills. [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]. Clift was born in Omaha, Nebraska, a son . I think he was 12 or 13., Its obviously a non-issue for her, co-director Demmon said. [38] She pulled a hanging tooth that was cutting into his tongue, before accompanying him into the ambulance.[39]. "[17] Clift spent a short time at the Dalton School in Manhattan but struggled with traditional schooling. Sadly the star got involved in a car crash that ruined his face and impacted his life and career. His 15 minute funeral was at attended by 150 mourners, including Lauren Bacall and Sinatra. [71], Clift was deeply and intensely involved with Broadway choreographer Jerome Robbins; very few associates were aware of how intimate and emotionally charged the relationship between the pair was. American actor Montgomery Clift (1920 - 1966), circa 1950. 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 used inner silence, unusual pauses in his speeches, awkward body movements. [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. He used them to numb his physical pain. (1) Mann, William J. Elizabeth Taylor used her clout to get Clift cast on "Suddenly, Last Summer" (1959) with mixed results. Clift would appear in one last film, The Defector, before dying, apparently in his sleep, in 1966, at the age of 45 a culmination of years of drug and alcohol abuse. 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. 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