His main acting rival (and fellow Omaha native), Marlon Brando, was so moved by Clift's performance that he voted for Clift to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, sure that he would win. Edward Montgomery Clift (October 17, 1920 - July 23, 1966) was an American film and stage actor. 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. After midnight, shortly before 1:00a.m., James went to his own bedroom to sleep, without saying another word to Clift. ", Montgomery Clift at London Airport from New York to make the new film "Suddenly, Last Summer" on 13 May, 1959 | Photo: Getty Images. Clift is buried in the Quaker Cemetery in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. He owed his life to his close friend Taylor, who immediately went to help him when she learned of the incident. For such a small, slightly-built man Clift had an intensity and depth to his performance that could eclipse Brandoeven with all that actor's realistic improvisations, impressive physicality and "naturalistic body language." Clift and Brando, along with James Dean, were the three "Method" actors who revolutionized . Onscreen and off, he was what the kids these days Clift was unhappy with the quality of the script, and reworked it himself. He tended to funnel most of his energy into intense rehearsals with acting coach Mira Rostova who accompanied him on set. Tellingly, theyre always pitched under working titles like Beautiful Loser and' Tragic Beauty. The film's success at the box office brought numerous awards for screenwriting and directing, but none for Clift himself. His parents were Quakers and met as students at Cornell University, marrying in 1914. Here was someone who was vulnerable and sensitive - and who actually listened to women.. Tellingly, theyre always pitched under working titles like Beautiful Loser and' Tragic Beauty. "Red River," which has become a classic western, featured Clift starring opposite John Wayne. Kim Morgan writes in her not-to-be-missed essay on Clift: Clift' s eyes held secrets, and not merely the secrets we know about after discovering his real life. The 2018 documentary Making Montgomery Clift, directed by Robert Clift (his nephew) and Hillary Demmon, offers a nuanced portrait of an actor at ease with his sexuality. A still of Montgomery Clift. However, in 1962, Cliff had to sign up to play Sigmund Feud in Huston's biopic "Freud: The Secret Passion." Over the next decade, the burgeoning actor dug his heels in and made a name for himself on the stage. 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. Clift was the subject of fascination by the character Vikar (James Franco) in the film Zeroville, which was shot in 2015 and released on September 20, 2019, in limited theaters, to largely negative reviews. Here are some examples: Scenes filmed before the accident involving Montgomery 'Monty' Clift's character of John Wickliff Shawnessy:-Scene with his parents where his dad tells him he is related to Thomas Carlyle-First time John meets Flash Perkins-Photography scene (first time he meets Susannah)-Drinking scene with Flash Perkins-The race-The . Kevin McCarthy: "Montgomery Clift was brilliant in every way". In a 1957 issue of McCalls magazine, Clift quipped, "My childhood was hobgoblin, my parents traveled a lotThats all I can remember."[15]. Another confidant said his personal life didnt bother him. He also detested the man. Clift was driving a Chevrolet Bel Air sedan when the accident occurred. "I love Marilyn Monroe," said designer Tommy Hilfiger, explaining why he splurged on the jeans she wore in 1954's River of No Return and the cowboy boots she donned in '61's The Misfits. 12023, Dance with demons: the life of Jerome Robbins by Lawrence, Greg, p. 127, Jerome Robbins: his life, his theater, his dance by Jowitt, Deborah, pp. After a two-month recovery period, Clift returned to the set to finish the film. Montgomery Clift had the most earnest of faces: big, pleading eyes, a set jaw, and a side part that reminds you of old pictures of your granddad. Clift, however, was so unsteady and unstable while filming "Freud" (1962) that his movie studio brought a lawsuit against him (via Vanity Fair). And Jack Larson suggests that Clift preferred his work after the accident. Ad Choices, The elegant Montgomery Clift once reigned as one of Hollywoods most sought-after leading men, best remembered as the star of iconic films *From Here to Eternity *(1953) and, Jimmy Kimmel Roasts Fragile Snowflake Donald Trump for Allegedly Trying to Censor Him, SAG Awards 2023 Red Carpet Fashion: See All the Looks. If he had lived, Clift would have . Edward Montgomery Clift was born on October 17, 1920, in Omaha Nebraska. He had terrific roles in "The Misfits," "Confess," and he was last seen on screen in "Freud," which earned him his highest fee ever. [48] In nephew Robert Anderson Clift's 2018 documentary, superimposed pages of Clift's own heavily annotated original script show that the actor was actually deliberately and consciously performing with his own rewritten dialogue as opposed to confused improvisation. They starred together as romantic leads in a total of three films throughout the 1950s: A Place in the Sun, where, in their romantic scenes, they received considerable acclaim for their naturalness and their appearance, Raintree County and Suddenly, Last Summer, and remained close until his death. [21] At age 20, he appeared in the Broadway production of There Shall Be No Night, a work which won the 1941 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 1963, when the "Red River" star recalled the traumatic incident, he mentioned a long day's shoot as the reason he was asleep during the crash. Amy Lawrence, The Passion of Montgomery Clift, p. 13, Dance with demons: the life of Jerome Robbins by Lawrence, Greg, pp. He wasnt the only one who challenged such norms at the time. [26] By this time, Clift had developed what would come to be regarded as his signature acting style and biggest impact on the future of modern film acting, as told by biographer Robert LaGuardia: He managed to convince the audience that he was unmitigated male sexuality without making a vulgar display of himself, as most other actors of his age and type would have. By 15, Clift made his Broadway debut in Cole Porters Jubilee. He used them to numb his physical pain. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. Clift's early foray into acting led him to a Broadway debut in 1935. 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]. The old Hollywood system was breaking apart and he was a major part of that., The first role Clift took, opposite John Wayne in Red River in 1948, offered a stark contrast in masculine presentations. 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. Often, suicides are never fully understood. But the troubled star. Above is a photo of American actor Montgomery Clift's automobile after it skidded off a dark road and smashed into a telephone pole. 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. Clift declined, and that morning, at the age of 45, he was dead. Clift was driving a Chevrolet Bel Air sedan when the accident occurred. Create great digital art on your favorite topics from celebrities to anime, emo, goth, fantasy, vintage, and more! Elizabeth Taylor tried to seduce fellow screen legend Montgomery Clift and stood by him after coming out to her: 'They were soulmates' By Christopher Rogers For Dailymail.Com. He shifted his moods erratically, from a brooding pose to a bursting smile. 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]. A studio portrait of Montgomery Clift before his accident on 01 January, 1940 | Photo: Getty Images. He worked extensively on his character, and was again nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. BIPS // Getty Images Monty was also impressed with Elizabeth, at least physically. Hollywood's Montgomery Clift, who was highly wanted for his diverse acting skill in the industry, kept the public entertained during his time. Actress Marilyn Monroe even warned him never to work with Hutson, whom she described as a "sadist. [87] It is said that McDowall took the breakup with Clift hard. As a consequence, he was unable to find film work for four years. I think he was 12 or 13., Its obviously a non-issue for her, co-director Demmon said. [61] Montgomery Clift informed his psychiatrist that he was homosexual and struggling to cope with it. A portrait of Montgomery Clift after his accident on 01 January, 1958 | Photo: Getty Images, After Clift's terrible car accident, the star faced some challenging moments in the movie industry. Sadly Clift had personal problems and after surviving a terrible car accident those problems only got worse. 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. [93][94] In his memoir, Arthur Laurents suggests that Clift had a fling with Farley Granger. Edward Montgomery Clift (/mntmri/; October 17, 1920 July 23, 1966) was an American actor. If you have a story that tracks along that line, that will feel true to people. The schedule for Reflections in a Golden Eye was then set for August 1966, but Clift died in July 1966. [49][50] On a taped phone call, Clift said that he played the character in a way that "holds onto himself, in spite of himself" with dignity.[51]. Look magazine gave him its Achievement Award and called him "the most promising star on the Hollywood horizon. In a new documentary, myths and assumptions about the Oscar-nominated heartthrob who struggled with his sexuality are replaced with the little-known truth. The Misfits ran on television that night. 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. Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor star in A Place in the Sun. In a past interview, the star's friend, Kevin McCarthy, explained that Clift drove very high before the accident. More, it analyzes the new view of masculine beauty he helped introduce to the screen. [60] According to Clift's brother, Clift was either gay or bisexual. Kramer, Stanley and Thomas M. Coffey (1997). 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. The accident, which occurred after he was leaving his bff Elizabeth Taylor's home one night, left his face in tatters. The condition (among other things) lowers blood pressure; it could have caused Clift to appear drunk or drugged when he was sober. 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. Little did he know, he was always destined for something more. He struggled to make through some of the longer scenes. For the latter, Clift committed to building strength and endurance, jogging laps around Hollywood High School as well as learning how to imitate playing the bugle and reading sheet music from trumpeter Mannie Klein for the role of middleweight boxer and bugle-playing soldier Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt. Clift received and declined offers for roles in the following films: In 1960, Clift was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6104 Hollywood Boulevard. After all, his book was based on his own wartime experiences in the US Army. He suffered a concussion, broken jaw, broken nose, fractured sinuses, fractured cheekbones, and several facial lacerations which required plastic surgery. A fellow actor asserts that Clift was equally confident in his sexuality. How Montgomery Clift Self-Destructed. He spoke so quietly that at times he was practically inaudible. In 1966, Clift finished filming his last project, "The Defector," and returned to his New York City apartment. Paramount Pictures Montgomery Clift was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and was a contemporary of Marlon Brando (also born in Omaha) and James Dean. [95], Clift was also friends with Marlon Brando, who dropped by his home offering to accompany him to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Clift suffered from deep emotional problems, was sexually ambivalent, an alcohol and drug abuser. There' s more to Clift than hiding homosexuality, there s pain and romance and passion and hopelessness . Clift's naturalistic performance led to director Fred Zinnemann's being asked, "Where did you find a soldier who can act so well?" The famed movie star and her leading man first starred together in the 1951 drama, A Place in the Sun, resulting in a life-changing connection that lasted until Clift's death in 1966 at age 45. 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. [30] The film was awarded a screenwriting Academy Award for the credited writers. In his one 12-minute cameo scene in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Clift played a developmentally disabled German baker who had been a victim of the Nazi sterilisation programme testifying at the Nuremberg trials. According to Balaban, she was nave about Clift's homosexuality and romantic involvement with the young English actor, who would occasionally accompany them on public outings. Monty brought a different masculinity to the screen, said Demmon. This image is titled Cheval et Marnie, in Clifts handwriting. Ah, Monty in just about anything (even after his face-scarring accident). Clift, who lived in Room 928 for three months while filming "From Here to Eternity" in 1952, was one of Hollywood's most appealing leading men, a slender Tom Cruise with edgy good looks. Sadly the star got involved in a car crash that ruined his face and impacted his life and career. As the faded rodeo rider Perce Howland in The Misfits, his first, introductory scene performed inside of a phone booth only took two hours of the scheduled two shooting days which impressed cast and crew. [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. These were extremely unorthodox, risky procedures, and had the effect of involving the audience with him, an exceedingly selfish aim if one thinks only in terms of the play, but a daring and stupendously courageous maneuver when one thinks of the ground he was breaking. 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. 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. He insisted on performing his stunts himself, including swimming in the river Elbe in March. 11:50 AM. Although the results of Clift's plastic surgeries were remarkable for the time, there were noticeable differences in his facial appearance, particularly the left side of his face, which was nearly immobile. Who Is Julian Sands' Wife? She was so. Clift died in 1966. [66][67][68] Clift's longest relationships were with men. Portrait of American actor Montgomery Clift as he looks over the back of a chair, his chin on his hands, late 1940s or early 1950s. Clift and Taylor would star again in another 1950s film, the Civil War-era drama, Raintree County the movie they were making when Clift almost died in the car wreck outside Taylor's homeand would remain deeply attached to one another until Clift's death, at the too-young age of 45, in New York City in 1966. 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. 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. No evidence was found that suggested foul play or suicide. Clift was recovering from a car accident during the movie's shoot (the actor was "dying on his feet," according to one biography), but Hepburn treated him with great kindness. It all took a toll on him physically and mentally, and movie studios became wary of hiring him. Posted on October 17, 2012 by sheila. The accident changed his appearance, and many biographers assumed Clift felt ruined by it and, so, drank more. She was so incensed by director Joseph Mankiewiczs poor treatment of Clift that she is said to have spat at him. [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. After a break, Clift committed himself to three more films, all of which premiered during 1953: I Confess to be directed by Alfred Hitchcock; Vittorio De Sica's Terminal Station; and Fred Zinnemann's From Here to Eternity which earned Clift his third Academy Award nomination (his second of two nominations for films directed by Zinnemann). As to why Bosworth drew on the gay-self-hate narrative, and why that view took hold, the directors blame the homophobia of the time the book was written, in the 1970s. The 'antidote' to Monty was her first disastrous marriage, aged 18, to playboy hotel heir Nicky Hilton, an aggressive drunk who physically abused her. Wayne portrayed a hard and brutal father and boss while Clift played a gentler and more vulnerable son. James Franco's brother, Dave Franco, portrays Montgomery Clift in a short scene in the movie. 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 . He earned an Academy Award nomination for his work, displaying some of his old acting chops. Taped interviews with his brother reveal that the actor felt those roles werent quite right for him and he didnt want to make the wrong first impression. Before the terrible incident, the star made a significant impact in the entertainment industry. [55], During this time, Peter Bogdanovich was working at a cinema in New York City when Clift came to see a revival screening of one of his early films I Confess (1953) and decided to show him the guestbook where a cinema patron had written in a film request for "Anything with Montgomery Clift!"[56]. news.AmoMama.com speaks out against the above mentioned and news.AmoMama.com advocates for a healthy discussion about the instances of violence, abuse, sexual misconduct, animal cruelty, abuse etc. His heavy drinking had already been a problem before his crash and the addition of taking painkillers afterwards only accelerated his decline, according to Vanity Fair. [63], Many of Clift's biographers note his relationships with men and some few women based on friends' accounts and interviews. 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]. 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. does not support or promote any kind of violence, self-harm, or abusive behavior. 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. 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. [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. As a result, Clift's health and physical appearance deteriorated. Clift, along with actor Kevin McCarthy, had been attending a party at Elizabeth Taylor's house in Beverly Hills. [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. 108, 135, Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About American Masters, Season 23, Episode 1, Somewhere the life of Jerome Robbins by Vaill, Amanda, p. 240, Jerome Robbins: his life, his theater, his dance by Jowitt, Deborah, pp. Ah, Monty. Most critics, in fact . The song "Montgomery Clift" by British band Random Hold concerns the legend that Clift enjoyed hanging from the window ledges of tall buildings. [27], At age 25, Clift's first Hollywood film role was opposite John Wayne in the Western film Red River whose director Howard Hawks was impressed by his recent stage performance and was willing to sign him with no strings attached, which greatly appealed to Clift's sense of independence. The iconic actor gave only a small number of onscreen performances before his untimely death in 1966 at the age of 45. He and his co-star Olivia de Havilland made an appealing couple in this film adaptation of a Henry James novel. Then again, nothing about Clifts life was expected. Clift later stated that he could never have finished the film without McDowall's moral support. news.AmoMama.com does not take responsibility for any action taken as a result of reading this article. 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. Edward Montgomery Clift was born on October 17, 1920, in Omaha, Nebraska. More about Her Life, Maddie Brown Shares Her Postpartum Journey Weeks after Giving Birth to Third Child, Jamie Lee Curtis Admits 'Saying Goodbye' to James Corden Was Harder than She Thought as His Show Ends, Tom Brady & Pregnant Bridget Moynahan Split - She Wed Husband at Secret Ceremony 9 Years Later, Ron Howard Was Most Concerned about His Kids' Values Inside His Decision to Protect Them, Susan Saint James Put Her Career on Hold to Be a Mom - She Was Struck with Death of Younger Son, The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

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