Film actor, born in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. After ten years as a stage performer, he went to Hollywood for his role in The Search (1948). Four times nominated for an Oscar, this brooding, intense actor usually played an outsider. Rumours of heavy drinking, drug use, and homosexuality surrounded him, and a car accident left him scarred, but the disfigurement seemed to give him added strength and pathos.
| Montgomery Clift | |
| Birth name | Edward Montgomery Clift |
| Born |
October 17, 1920 Omaha, Nebraska |
| Died |
July 23, 1966, age 45 New York City, New York |
Edward Montgomery Clift (October 17, 1920 - July 23, 1966) was an American actor known by the stage name of Montgomery Clift.
Biography
Early life
Clift was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Ethel Anderson Fogg Blair and William Brooks Clift, a banker with roots in the South. Clift had a twin sister, Roberta, and an older brother, Brooks, husband of Eleanor Clift, the columnist and political commentator, and father of their three children;
Film career
Appearing on Broadway at the age of thirteen, Clift achieved success on the stage and starred there for 10 years before moving to Hollywood, debuting in 1948's Red River opposite John Wayne. Clift was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor that same year for The Search. Clift reportedly turned down the starring roles in Sunset Boulevard and East of Eden.
Car accident
On May 12, 1956, while filming Raintree County, he smashed his car into a tree after leaving a party at the home of his Raintree County co-star Elizabeth Taylor and her then-husband Michael Wilding.
Post-accident career
Subsequently, Clift, with Lee Remick, appeared in Elia Kazan's Wild River (1960), a film listed in the United States National Film Registry.
Clift's last Oscar nomination was for best supporting actor for his riveting role in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), a seven-minute part.
Death
Montgomery Clift died in 1966 at the age of 45 of complications brought on by his severe drug and alcohol addictions. Marilyn Monroe, who was also having emotional problems while filming The Misfits, described Clift as: "The only person I know who is in worse shape than I am."
Academy Award nominations
1962 - Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Judgment at Nuremberg 1953 - Best Actor in a Leading Role - From Here to Eternity 1951 - Best Actor in a Leading Role - A Place in the Sun 1949 - Best Actor in a Leading Role - The SearchClift has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6104 Hollywood Blvd.
User Comments Add a comment…