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Montgomery Clift

Handsome, sensitive, and charismatic, few actors had the screen presence of Montgomery Clift. Born Edward Montgomery Clift on October 17, 1920, he began his acting career at the age of 12, and was a successful Broadway talent by the age of 14. Some 1940's productions worth mentioning are " "The Skin of Our Teeth" with Tallulah Bankhead, the 1944 revival of "Our Town" and Tennessee Williams' "You Touched Me" (1945). His talent and good looks soon caught the attention of Hollywood, and his first film was a 1946 western titled "Red River", directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne. The film's release was delayed, however, and Montgomery's actual screen debut was in the 1948 film "The Search", for which he received the first of four Academy Award nominations, and was acknowledged as one of Hollywood's most promising young stars. He was also nominated for his work in the films "A Place in the Sun," with Elizabeth Taylor, "From Here to Eternity," and "Judgment at Nuremberg".

Clift's homosexuality was a long held Hollywood secret. He did however, earn a reputation for substance abuse and for being a difficult actor to work with. He held a longtime platonic friendship with Elizabeth Taylor, and it was while returning from a party at Taylor's house in 1956 that he was involved in a near fatal car accident. His car struck a telephone pole, and he suffered from many injuries, including both sides of his jaw being broken, a broken nose and crushed sinus cavity, two front teeth lost, and severed nerves that left the left side of his face immobile. His looks were damaged forever, but it didn't stop Clift from appearing in several landmark films after his recovery, including "The Young Lions" and "Judgement at Nuremburg".

Clift was poised to play in "Reflections In A Golden Eye", opposite Elizabeth Taylor, when his star was extinguished. He died of a heart attack on July 23, 1966 in New York before the film began shooting, but not before he had established himself as an actor ahead of his time, and a true Hollywood Legend.

Interested in reading more about this great Hollywood actor? Check out "Montgomery Clift: A Biography" by Patricia Bosworth in Gay-MART's Queer Books Shop.

Filmography

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Find out about the author of this biography by viewing Derek M's biography page.