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A bout five years ago, filmmaking duo Robert Clift and Hillary Demmon Clift decided to make a documentary about Robert's long-dead uncle. Montgomery Clift was an undeniably attractive man, and before long, hed cultivated a rather passionate female fan base. Suddenly, the Clift family was completely broke and had no choice to move to New York. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. In fact, the attitudes he and his family held towards his relationships with men were strikingly modern. July 24, 1966 12 AM PT. Between 1963 and 1966, he faded from public view, emerging only to film a final performance in the French spy thriller The Defector (1966). And the cherry on top? But if you look at his own words, his testimonies about what acting did to him, youll see the culprit. Following The Misfits, Clifts disintegration continued. 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. Clift, however, lived a two-faceted life concerning his sexuality. Soon, the washed-up actor was completely out of work. Well, in 1955, he had a chance to reunite with his old friend and co-star, Elizabeth Taylor, in Raintree County. There are a few versions that detail the aftermath of Clifts accident, but one has all the drama of a motion picture itself. She wouldnt die for another year and a half, but Misfits would be her last completed film. 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. After filming wrapped, she tracked him down and spat directly in his face. Clift and Taylor would star again in another 1950s film, the Civil War-era drama, Raintree Countythe movie they were making when Clift almost died in the car wreck outside Taylors homeand would remain deeply attached to one another until Clifts death, at the too-young age of 45, in New York City in 1966. Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 July 23, 1966) was an American actor. All rights reserved. This showed in his consciousness of being seen as feminine in any way. Charles Castillo, author of "Elizabeth & Monty: The Untold Story," shared that the actress tried to seduce Clift. Here was someone who was vulnerable and sensitive - and who actually listened to women.. All Rights Reserved. . Horrified, James immediately called for help, but of course, it was already too late. At the age of 25, Clift made the leap to Hollywoodbut he was a rebel right from the get-go. Clift's childhood was unconventional. Sensitive. While his brother claimed that Clift was bisexual, writer Truman Capotes unpublished work alludes to Clifts gayness quite explicitly. Welcome to Who Is Montgomery Clift?, a page dedicated to showcasing actors & movie makers of the Golden Age of Hollywood. 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. But the producer, Sam Spiegel, decided to go forward, no matter the risk. Montgomery Clift was an undeniably attractive man, and before long, he'd cultivated a rather passionate female fan base. I think he was 12 or 13., Its obviously a non-issue for her, co-director Demmon said. We want our readers to trust us. Director: William Wyler | Stars: Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, Miriam Hopkins Votes: 16,212 4. Montgomery Blair (May 10, 1813 - July 27, 1883) was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. He was, at least in the press, something approaching asexualthe title of a Motion Picture article, authored by Clift, declared simply, I Like It Lonely!. Clifts early foray into acting led him to a Broadway debut in 1935. He was one of Hollywoods most desirable leading men, but mystery shrouded his entire private life. Curtis's relationship to the term nepo baby has evolved over the last few months. Login 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. Making Montgomery Clift is a 2018 American documentary film by directors Robert Anderson Clift and Hillary Demmon chronicling the life of the actor Montgomery Clift till his death in 1966. 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 . 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. Show details Instead, he bided his time, and thankfully, luck was on his side. Thats not what people would expect from a mother in that period.. Which gives that narrative a lot of traction. Taylor immediately stuck her delicate, little hand down his throat and removed the obstruction. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, Hollywood, 1950. With Clift on board, Suddenly, Last Summer morphed into a verifiable mess. It was, however, much olderby the time Raintree County made its way to theaters, hed been off the screen for four and a half years. If you have a story that tracks along that line, that will feel true to people. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in A Place in the Sun. I do not count myself as a member of the ripped-sweatshirt fraternity.. While on his way back, he had an accident. Of course, by this time, Clifts drinking problems werent much of a secret, making him a liability to the studio. 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. But while his siblings enrolled in prestigious schools, Montgomery Clift went hurtling in a completely different direction. . Nothing could have prepared him for what he discovered. There was a nonchalance to Clifts attitude in regards to women. Other testimonies to Clifts gayness abound: early in his film career, he had purportedly been warned that being gay would ruin him; he was so conscious of being seen as feminine or fey in any way that when he ad-libbed a line in The Search, calling a boy dear, he insisted that director Fred Zinnemann reshoot the take. A fellow actor asserts that Clift was equally confident in his sexuality. Luckily, his isolated lifestyle gave him an advantage. During her appearance at the GLAAD Media Awards, Taylor openly spoke about her late friends sexuality while she addressed the rights of gay people. Documentary Biography Classic film star and queer icon Montgomery Clift's legacy has long been a story of tragedy and self-destruction. When Clift became a household name in the movie industry, his romantic life became a widely-discussed subject by the press. Montgomery Clift was in 8 on-screen matchups, including Anne Baxter in I Confess (1953), Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun (1951), Dolores Hart in Lonelyhearts (1958), Donna Reed in From Here to Eternity (1953) and Jennifer Jones in Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953). His first two films were smashing successesand for veryimpressive reasons. Clift was there, as were actors Kevin McCarthy and Rock Hudson, and Hudson's wife, Phyllis Gates, per Vanity Fair. Eyebrows were raised when the actor shared in an article he authored that he liked it "lonely. 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. In a new documentary, myths and assumptions about the Oscar-nominated heartthrob who struggled with his sexuality are replaced with the little-known truth. Edward Montgomery Clift was born on October 17, 1920, in Omaha, Nebraska. But for 12 years, he set Hollywood aflame. Thanks for your time! (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. Indiscrecin de una esposa: Dirigido por Vittorio De Sica. A Place In The Sun (1951) & From Here To Eternity (1953). Along with Marlon Brando and James Dean, he helped delineate a new paradigm for American cinematic heroes. The most beautiful young man Ive ever seen. And thus began what Robert Lewis, Clifts teacher at the Actors Studio, called the longest suicide in Hollywood history. Even before Raintree, the decline had been visible. 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. Whether this captivating story is real or not remains to be seen. They seem to have their stories all written out beforehand.. 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. The film went on to win six Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay, and is now hailed as a (flawed) classic. What a pity hes a Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. She made it known that it all boiled down to love. He was the son of Francis Preston Blair, elder brother of Francis Preston Blair Jr. and cousin of B. Gratz Brown . Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. In 1929, the Wall Street Crash hit Clifts father like a ton of bricks, and his mothers dreams disappeared in an instant. In this exclusive excerpt from her forthcoming book, Anne. They went to London to see Laurence Olivier together, ate together, sat in front of the fire together, Clift said. At the end of the day, Clifts private nurse Lorenzo James checked in on him just after midnight. 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. Montgomery Clift was in relationships with Sal Mineo, Paul Newman, Henry Willson, Jack Larson, William LeMassena, Libby Holman, Maurice Leonard and Arnold Saint Subber. Luckily, although the public was out for blood, there was one woman on his side. But the drama didn't end there. Montgomery Clift's nephew, co-directing 'Making Montgomery Clift,' an eye-opening documentary about the great movie actor, excavates a treasure trove of family archives. He surely wasnt a suave Prince Charming, and yet, on-screen, he was a downright masterpiece. Contact sheets from LIFE photographer Peter Stackpoles shoot on a Paramount lot with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1950. After Eternity he dropped out of Hollywood for several years, and signed a three-year contract with MGM in 1955 to make Raintree County, which re-united him with his Place in the Sun co-star Elizabeth Taylor.