In Truman Capotes unpublished novel Answered Prayers, for example, the author imagines a dinner party between Clift, Dorothy Parker, and flamboyant stage actress Tallulah Bankhead: . He read books about Montgomery Clift and James Dean, and credited seeing "Taxi Driver" at age 13 with fueling his desire to be in movies. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. But after an initial flurry of coverage, he retreated from public view entirely. The two met under the big tent where they performed together. Moreover? said: Oh. Taylor and Clift: Photos From the Set of A Place in the Sun. However, Clift's life was shrouded by a dark secret that became public after his passing, by actress Elizabeth Taylor. Free Postage. Clift had a rather negative notion about Taylor even before meeting her. He naturally gravitated to the theater. About To help build their case, the film-makers had rare access to the actors archives. The 'Red River star was then tagged a gay icon. She continued to stand by his memory by supporting gay rights and speaking out against homophobia. Not only are you not allowed to be smart, but you were not allowed to be funny in the 90s, the actor said of her career. I am not one of Americas Angry Young Men. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Search _ 1948 DVD Montgomery Clift Aline MacMahon Wendell Corey V Rare at the best online prices at eBay! INDISCRETION OF AN AMERICAN WIFE 1953 DVD PUBLIC DOMAIN FILM MONTGOMERY CLIFT. As he lay wounded in the arms of his dear friend, Clift began choking and pointing to his throat. This year the young man . But the drama didnt end there. Thanks for your time! Montgomery Blair (May 10, 1813 - July 27, 1883) was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. "Monty," as the performer was known to family and . The film-makers interviewed Bosworth extensively for the movie, but they contrast her words with old taped conversations she had with the actors brother. In his first film, Red River, Clift had the chance to play opposite the western superstar John Wayne. That secret, depending on your source, was that Clift was gay or bisexual. His beat-up car was 10 years old, and his best friends were all outside of the movie business. You see, the reason behind Montgomery Clifts barren dating life was rather simple: He was gay. His perpetual question to himself, as he once scribbled in his journal, was, How to remain thin-skinned, vulnerable, and still alive? For Clift, the task proved impossible. Observers also point out that Clift had sexual relationships with women. Clifts sexuality, like those other 50s idols Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, was carefully concealed from the public. . Carlo Fiore and Marlon Brando were in . He insisted on maintaining his residence in New York, spending as little time in Hollywood as possible. 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. The surgeries led to the use of strong painkillers. 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. I am not one of Americas Angry Young Men. Contemporaries like James Dean and Marlon Brando also did. But the facial reconstruction, heavy painkiller use, and rampant alcohol abuse made it look like hed aged a decade. When The Heiresscame out, Clifts loyal fanatics came with their claws out and wrote vicious letters to Olivia de Havilland for rejecting Clifts character in the film. Although he may not have realized it, Clifts horrific accident sparked the beginning of the end, intensifying his preexisting ailments and sending him down a dark path from which he could never return. He could barely remember his lines and often didnt show up to set. Luckily, although the public was out for blood, there was one woman on his side. 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. But before the film could be released, Clift passed away, wholly without fanfare, at the age of 45, succumbing to years of drug and alcohol abuse. When he wasnt reading or preparing for his next role, he took pleasure in visiting the local night court. When interviewed, the "From Here to Eternity" actor would wave it off, noting that he would be with a woman when he finds the right person. Travel back in time with treasured photos and stories, sent right to your inbox. Although Clift and Montgomery were only good friends, their coupling inA Place in the Sunhelped drive its popularity. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. Universal Studios actuallysued him for the losses they incurred because of his troublesome behavior. Connect any celebrity with Montgomery Clift to see how closely they are linked romantically! But the documentary notes Clift made as many movies after the accident as before, and that those projects included some of his most acclaimed performances. Montgomery Clift | 20 Gay Hollywood Legends | Purple Clover "I love men in bed, but I really love women," Montgomery Clift is quoted as saying in a 1978 biography. You couldn't help but come. His mother wanted all of her children to be raised as distinguished aristocrats, and as such, little Clift and his siblings received an elite upbringing: private tutors, extensive travel, and language lessons. At the age of 25, Clift made the leap to Hollywoodbut he was a rebel right from the get-go. Whatever relationships Clift may have had, he was circumspect. 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. From here on out, however, he plunged even further into his addiction. His mother was born out of wedlock and spent much of her life and the family fortune finding her illustrious southern lineage and raising her children as aristocrats.At age 13, Monty appeared on Broadway ("Fly Away Home"), and chose to remain in the New York theater for over ten years before finally succumbing to Hollywood. Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 July 23, 1966) was an American actor. She once lovingly described how she was in awe of the star actor's perfect facial features. His parents were Quakers and met as students at Cornell University, marrying in 1914. And the cherry on top? At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. In his eyes, he wasnt a rebel, he was simply an actor who wanted to portray a slice of life. Tired of being boxed in, he stated, I am notrepeat nota member of the Beat Generation. Luckily, his isolated lifestyle gave him an advantage. James found his patient sitting up in bed and watching his film, The Misfits, but Clift clearly didnt want to be disturbed. Biographies of Clift posit that he drank because he couldnt be his true self, because homosexuality was the shame he had to shelter within. What happened next has since become the stuff of Hollywood legend. But 1961 audiences were too close to the day-to-day deterioration of its stars to see the meditative genius of The Misfits. 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?. If Paramount wanted him, theyd have to give him what he wanteda power differential that would go on to structure the star-studio relationship for the next 40 years. He was only 15 years old, but this wasnt just a fun pastimeit was serious business. Lorenzo came into the picture when Monty was at his lowest. His . He wasnt the only one who challenged such norms at the time. Peace. Clift couldnt get through longer scenes, having to split them up into two or three chunks. Clift's reputation in the 1960s was coloured by the brutal comment of Robert Lewis, Clift's teacher at the Actors Studio, who called his late . During her appearance at the GLAAD Media Awards, Taylor openly spoke about her late friends sexuality while she addressed the rights of gay people. . / Is he alive? There was a nonchalance to Clifts attitude in regards to women. Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine Hepburn came to Clifts defense when the director tried to get rid of him. Soon, Montgomery Clift became almost impossible to work with. 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. The story of Clift's devastating car crash varies somewhat from one account to the next. Taylor immediately stuck her delicate, little hand down his throat and removed the obstruction. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life. In all honesty, his face wasnt horribly changed at all, but there was one shocking difference. But, in general, his relationships with men had more to do with sex than with a deep emotional connection. Over the next 10 years, he earned prominent roles in plays by Tennessee Williams and Thornton Wilder, opposite stars like Fredrick March and Tallulah Bankhead. In his words, I learned that most writers dont need interviews to write about me. / Montys face is broken on a wheel. She would wield considerable influence over the early part of his film career, advising him in decisions to decline lead roles in Sunset Blvd. He gained excellent theatrical notices and soon piqued the interests of numerous lovelorn actresses; their advances met with awkward conflict. In this exclusive excerpt from her forthcoming book, Anne. He served in the Lincoln administration cabinet as Postmaster-General from 1861 to 1864, during the Civil War. Contact sheets from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpole's shoot on a Paramount lot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. Show details Adopted at the age of one, his mother was told by a well-intentioned doctor years later that she was the offspring of Southern aristocrats, so she chose to raise her own children accordingly. Tellingly, theyre always pitched under working titles like Beautiful Loser and' Tragic Beauty. Their. I do not count myself as a member of the ripped-sweatshirt fraternity. He wasnt a young rebel, an old rebel, a tired rebel, or a rebellious rebelall he cared about was re-creating a slice of life on the screen. He didnt want the studios to dictate the kinds of roles he would play, his nephew said. Clifts recuperation took months, and when he finally returned to set, there was more trouble afoot. To Clift, however, he considered his humble home terrific.. Montgomery Clift made a name for himself in Hollywood with several awards and nominations. Indiscretion of an American Wife 1953, 1h 3min - Romance , Drama Jennifer Jones is the American housewife on vacation in Italy who must choose between returning home to her husband and family in Philadelphia or her romance with an Italian academic played by Montgomery Clift. The documentary was released at the Los Angeles Film Festival and . 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. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? Clift cared nothing for appearances: the Los Angeles Times called him the Rumpled Movie Idol; he infamously owned only one suit. 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. 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. 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. However, this was no quick fix. To help build their case, the film-makers had rare access to the actors archives, as well as to the familys story, courtesy of a special connection: the doc was co-directed by the stars nephew, Robert Clift, and his wife, Hillary Demmon. But for Clift, there was just no escape, and it was only going to get worse. As such, Taylors intervention only enhances the very real love story that existed between her and Clift. Still, his second venture was perhaps even more of an impressive feat. Heres A Mystery: Why Did Arthur Conan Doyles Son Dress Up Like a Knight? 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. When the duo finally met in Stevens' office, it was pretty magical for Taylor. Montgomery Blair. There were even speculations that he was warned about being gay. Montgomery Edward "Monty" Clift (October 17, 1920 - July 23, 1966) was an American movie, television, radio, and stage actor who is known for his roles in From Here to Eternity, A Place in the Sun, The Misfits, Red River, and in Judgement at Nuremberg.He was nominated four times for an Academy Award.His great-great-grandfather was politician Francis Preston Blair. But that wasnt all. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading.