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. That was really frightening to see., Penn Badgley Loves His Wife Too Much to Do Sex Scenes in, I askedSera Gamble, the creator, Can I just do no more intimacy scenes? the former, Oscar-winning producer Dede Gardner looks back at her many groundbreaking awards darlings, from the triumph of. Thats why his work doesnt feel dated, Demmon said. Hes so beautiful, murmured Miss Parker. His own mother, in a voice recording played in Making Montgomery Clift, said, "Monty was a . Montgomery Clift made a name for himself in Hollywood with several awards and nominations. Firstly, he didnt even like Hollywood, preferring to stay in New York as much as he could. Woodbury Blair was the son of Montgomery Blair, after whom his great-grandson received his middle name, and wife Mary Elizabeth Woodbury, daughter of Levi Woodbury (1789-1851), United States Supreme Court, and wife Elizabeth Wendell Clapp. He has a ghastly, shattered expression. And it wasnt just in private record: in October 1956, Louella Parsons reported on Clifts very bad health and Holmans attempts to clean him up. For Clift, The Heiress was a mess from top to bottom, and he even walked out on the films premiere, disgusted with his own performance. Finally, Clift had a chance to climb out of his slumpbut before he made it over the top, tragedy struck. But 1961 audiences were too close to the day-to-day deterioration of its stars to see the meditative genius of The Misfits. He also sunk into alcoholism, of which Taylor and some other friends tried to help him. He is most remembered for A Place In The Sun (1951) & From Here To Eternity (1953).. His zodiac sign is Libra. But he was handsome and beguiling on-screen, creating an appetite for confirmation of that same Clift off the screen. Now were at a historical point in mainstream queer discourse where that story seems less viable., Though the film aims to update, and to fairly contextualize, the actors story, the directors stress that they dont want to simply swap one image of Montgomery Clift for another. Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. Until it sinks into a sentimental quagmire the end, the second movie excels first in being remarkably faithful to Dreisers tale of three pitiful youngsters and in telling the story with the same earnestness and breadth that have made the novel survive as a classic. This made him an A-list actor and a multi-award-winning star. Eyebrows were raised when the actor shared in an article he authored that he liked it "lonely. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. In the rife, overstuffed annals of Hollywood, few real-life love stories can match that of Liz Taylor and Montgomery Clift. On the set of 1958sLonelyhearts,Clift had a message for those that tried to fit him into a box. ", However, it became more eminent that his single status bordered on his sexuality as time went on. After the success of 1953sFrom Here to Eternity, Montgomery Clift suddenly stopped making films. 3.80. Merv Griffin's Sexual Relations with Rock Hudson, Marlon - Queerty However, Clift's sexuality was not much of a secret within the movie industry. The Searchturned out to be a huge hit for Clift. And when it came to riotous parties, well, he avoided nightlife like the plague. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Marlon Brando: Portraits of a Charismatic Young Star, 1952, Marilyn, Arthur Miller and More: A Star Producers Spectacular Orbit. Montgomery Clift (1920-1966) is one of the most tragic figures in Hollywood history. That secret, depending on your source, was that Clift was gay or bisexual. A wild exclusive excerpt from the new book, Oscars 2023: Yes, Some Awards Movies Flopped, but Art Matters, How in the F--k Does Anyone Live Here?: Bret Easton Ellis on Life, Art, and What the Hell Happened to Manhattan, Todd Field on 2 Decades of Oscar Campaigns, From, I didnt realize the deadly minefield of a campaign season, the Oscar nominee says in a career-spanning interview. The true story of Montgomery Clift, as told by his youngest nephew Making Montgomery Clift explodes the myths surrounding the Hollywood star and queer icon. Whisked away to the morgue, Clifts body underwent an autopsy that shed some light on his sudden demise. Just look at the fan magazine titles: Making Love the Clift Way, Two Loves Has Monty, Montgomery Clifts Tragic Love Story, Is It True What They Say About Monty? Who Is Monty Kidding? Hes Travelin Light, The Lurid Love Life of Montgomery Clift, and, perhaps most flagrantly, Monty Clift: Woman Hater or Free Soul?. The movie, which plays at the LGBTQ movie festival NewFest in New York, refutes scores of oft-repeated assumptions about Clifts life, from his motivations as an actor, to his relationship with his mother to the characterization of his later years. The Search _ 1948 DVD Montgomery Clift Aline MacMahon Wendell Corey V Clift was nominated for awards . A portrait of Montgomery Clift acting as Matt Garth in the western film "Red River" on 01 January, 1948 | Photo: Getty Images. With unprecedented control over the projects he starred in, Clift agreed to do the romantic drama, The Heiress. Clifts lifestyle had the press slotting him in with non-conformists of the dayright alongside hotshots like Marlon Brandobut the actor didnt respond well to being labeled and defined. He knew that people would flock to the cinema just to see his damaged face. 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?. Ad Choices. Can he still feel?). You see, Clift wasnt just a pretty face, he also had a bunch of quirks that made him incredibly singular in comparison to other leading men. Elizabeth Taylor (all of 17 years old) and Montgomery Clift posed together at Paramount Studios during a break in filming A Place in the Sun. I am not one of Americas Angry Young Men. "Bobby was a very fine actor, but as you can imagine, he was no Montgomery Clift," she said. Soon, Montgomery Clift became almost impossible to work with. That Clift was gay made little difference in the intensity and duration of the two stars adoration of one another: here, after all, were two talented, passionate artists who met at a young age (she was in her teens; he was in his late twenties) and immediately discovered that they were, for lack of a better phrase, soul mates. Clift was so protective of Holman that when offered the plum role of the male lead in Sunset Boulevard, he turned it downreportedly to avoid any suggestion that Libby Holman was his own delusional Norma Desmond, using a handsome young man to pursue her lost stardom. During her appearance at the GLAAD Media Awards, Taylor openly spoke about her late friends sexuality while she addressed the rights of gay people. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. Teach, I loved the way how he played in A Place in the Sun. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. When James offered to join him, the belligerent shot him down immediately, crying, Absolutely not.Sadly, this was Montgomery Clifts final interaction. 5 talking about this. (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 was certainly one of a kind, and when he landed in Hollywood, it became extremely clear that he was going to do things his own way. Montgomery's ancestry was English, as well as more distant Scottish, Dutch, German and French. By 15, Clift made his Broadway debut in Cole Porters Jubilee. He was, in his words, nothing more than an ordinary, second-class wolf., These anecdotes, and dozens like them, would establish Clift, along with Brando, as the embodiment of 50s youth culture, rebelling against conformity and all that postwar Americans were supposed to embrace. But the press will always be the press, and no amount of Montgomery Clifts ire could change that. But this wasnt the actors first time at the rodeo. Tellingly, theyre always pitched under working titles like Beautiful Loser and' Tragic Beauty. We want our readers to trust us. But while Clift certainly seemed like a budding Hollywood heartthrob on the outside, in reality, he wasfar from it. Montgomery Clift Hid His Sexuality for Years but Elizabeth - AmoMama Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando were in a . He insisted on maintaining his residence in New York, spending as little time in Hollywood as possible. 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. Author Christopher Isherwood aptly illustrated Montgomery Clifts shocking transformation: Nearly all his good looks are goneHe has a ghastly, shattered expression. But remember, Clift was never one to dwell on his looks, and it must have been frustrating that everyone else cared so much. . It was reported that Taylor even tried to help him find a partner. I wanted to figure out why there was such a difference., A deep trove of never-before-revealed evidence makes that disparity bracingly clear. However, one salient fact remains: Clifts ruined face never made it to the papersIn fact, not one photograph of that night exists. 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. Montgomery Clift was an undeniably attractive man, and before long, hed cultivated a rather passionate female fan base. Montgomery Blair. There were even speculations that he was warned about being gay. Clift detested Waynes antiquated male constraints. . 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. His parents were Quakers and met as students at Cornell University, marrying in 1914. In his words, I learned that most writers dont need interviews to write about me. Montgomery Blair - Wikipedia But, in general, his relationships with men had more to do with sex than with a deep emotional connection. He surely wasnt a suave Prince Charming, and yet, on-screen, he was a downright masterpiece. I am not one of Americas Angry Young Men. I thought he was dead. He immediately returned to Taylors house to notify the party of the bloody disaster. .. That, combined with his spiraling alcohol addiction, wrung the youth right out of the handsome actor. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, Hollywood, 1950. After all, his leading lady was none other than the beguiling Elizabeth Taylor, and together, these two stars were pure fire. Dazzling Facts About Elizabeth Taylor, The Queen Of Hollywood, Stabbed In The Back: These Real-Life Betrayals Are Straight Up Brutal, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Plot Twist: These Surprise Endings Made Our Jaws Hit The Floor, These Ultra-Spoiled Brats Made Our Eyes Roll Into Our Heads. There are a few versions that detail the aftermath of Clifts accident, but one has all the drama of a motion picture itself. . Clift cared nothing for appearances: the Los Angeles Times called him the Rumpled Movie Idol; he infamously owned only one suit. But if you look at his own words, his testimonies about what acting did to him, youll see the culprit. Although Clift and Montgomery were only good friends, their coupling inA Place in the Sunhelped drive its popularity. His first two films were smashing successesand for veryimpressive reasons. Contemporaries like James Dean and Marlon Brando also did. But when he climbed into the room, he discovered something absolutely gut-wrenching. Next came "The Nutty Professor" as Lewis' student, Stella Purdy, who he is infatuated with. Connect any celebrity with Montgomery Clift to see how closely they are linked romantically! He also detested the man. Montgomery Clift - Turner Classic Movies She developed an intense decade-plus obsession over the young actor, even financing an experimental play, "Mexican Mural" for him. In fact, the attitudes he and his family held towards his relationships with men were strikingly modern. Christine Tran is a history buff(ette) and media scholar. They seem to have their stories all written out beforehand.. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska on 1920-10-17. Elizabeth Taylor Tried to Seduce Montgomery Clift - Peoplemag Indeed, it was his apparent lack of romantic attachments that confounded the gossip press the most. Its impossible for us to know what happenedor if the two even had a relationship that went beyond the platonicbut it was returning from a party at Taylors house, mid-filming for Raintree County, that he smashed his car into a telephone pole. For example, in 1956 Taylor likely saved Clifts life when, after he crashed his car leaving a party at her home, she raced to the wreck and literally pulled from his mouth broken teeth on which he had begun to choke. In fact, his doctors considered it amazing that the actor had even pulled through. Free Postage. He got him going again. By the time they shared the screen together for the first time, in the classic murder-romance-melodrama, A Place in the Sun (1951), both were bona fide box-office draws: Taylor had been onscreen since she was 10, and Clift a soulful, introverted Method actor who influenced countless others who came after him had already garnered the first of his four career Oscar nominations. He had a close friendship with a woman named Myra Letts, whom the gossip columnists tried arduously to frame as a love interest. He started out in films in the late 1940's and immediately made a name for himself with his good looks and emotionally raw performances. Picture 1 of 12 . Years before, Clift had battled dysentery, which introduced him to the sinister side effects of pain management. A year and a half away from her own tragic end, Marilyn Monroe described Clift as the only person I know who is in even worse shape than I am. Together, this cast truly reflected a band of withering misfits. Who is Montgomery Clift dating? He called it as he saw it, describing himself as an ordinary, second-class wolf.. and his wife, the former Ethel Fogg. Montgomery Clift Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family 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. 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. 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. 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. Of course, by this time, Clifts drinking problems werent much of a secret, making him a liability to the studio. Their unique bond so evident in these pictures made on the Paramount lot during filming of A Place in the Sun, and never published in LIFE, was occasionally deepened even further by disasters visited upon them both through the years. On the morning of July 23, 1966, Montgomery Clift's housemate couldn't wake the actor. But that wasnt the wildest part of the story. But even as Clift consistently took the road less traveled, he still had some biting things to say about the media, especially its desire to pin down his image. According to this version of the story, when photographers arrived, Taylor announced that she knew each and every one of them personally-- and if they took pictures of Clift, who was still very much alive, shed make sure they never worked in Hollywood again. 42 Dark Facts About Montgomery Clift, The Original - Factinate Elizabeth Taylor stuck by her friends, and Montgomery Clift undoubtedly claimed a special spot in her heart. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. From the Archives: Montgomery Clift, 45, Dies of Heart Attack in New Free delivery for many products! made. The director, John Huston, supposedly brought in Clift because he thought hed have a soothing effect on Monroe, who was deeply embroiled in her own addictions, with her own personal demons. She wouldnt die for another year and a half, but Misfits would be her last completed film. "Monty," as his family called him, was the son of William Clift, a. Taylor immediately stuck her delicate, little hand down his throat and removed the obstruction. Free shipping for many products! Montgomery Clift had passed due to a heart attack, but many assumed that his addictions and various health problems contributed to his early death. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. Even if Clift himself was already spiraling out of control, playing a character that did the same only amplified the psychological toll. While working in New York in the early 1940s, he met wealthy former Broadway star Libby Holman. Horrified, James immediately called for help, but of course, it was already too late. Montgomery Clift - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Taylor, on the other hand, felt intimidated when she was yet to meet him. d-d-darling, I r-r-really wouldnt know. She once lovingly described how she was in awe of the star actor's perfect facial features. But even though his marred looks never made it to the headlines, for Clift, the horror was far from over. Randy Chrisley Is Todd Chrisley's Brother Who Was Diagnosed with Cancer in 2014, Johnny Depp's Weight Gain & Changes in Appearance over the Years, 'Whos the Boss? If you have a story that tracks along that line, that will feel true to people. . Montgomery Clift - Wikipedia 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. Liz Taylor, Montgomery Clift: Rare Photos, 'A Place in the Sun,' 1950 at the best online prices at eBay! Before long, photographers began to descend on the gory scene. Even his diet was rather spartan: orange juice, steak, and eggs.
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