Montgomery Clift Edward Montgomery Clift was born on October 17, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska. He has one twin sister, Roberta, and an older brother, Brooks. His father, William Brooks Clift was a banker, but lost a lot of his fortune during the great depression. His father was also reportedly violent and abusive. His mother, Ethel “Sunny” Fogg, did not work but rather spent much of her time tracing down her family’s southern heritage. She also raised her children as aristocrats. Clift began his Broadway career at the age of 13 and spent ten years as a success on the stage before he moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in film. His film debut was in Red River(1948) opposite John Wayne. That same year he starred in the film The Search, co-starring Aline MacMahon, Jarmila Novotna, Wendell Corey, Ivan Jandi, and Mary Patton. His role in the film won him his first Academy Award for Best Actor. Clift continued to have a very successful film career and was often in award nominated films. He was also known for his good looks and sex appeal. Other films he was a part of include A Place in the Sun (1951) opposite Elizabeth Taylor, From Here to Eternity (1953), co-starring Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, and Deborah Kerr, and The Young Lions (1958) co-starring Marlon Brando and Dean Martin.
Throughout the 1950’s after a quick rise to stardom, Clift began heavily drinking alcohol and consuming pain pills. He also spent a great deal of time in therapy. While filming Raintree County (1956), Clift had attended a party at the home of Elizabeth Taylor. After leaving the party, Clift smashed his car into a tree. Taylor heard the crash and ran to his side. She promptly removed two of his teeth that had become lodged in his throat to prevent him from choking to death. She stayed by his side until help came. Clift broke his nose and his face needed major reconstructive surgery. He returned to complete the filming of Raintree County several weeks after the accident. There is a noticeable difference in the appearance of his face in the film. He received a reported $250,000 for his role. Clift’s last Oscar nomination was for his seven minute performance in Judgment at Nuremberg (1962) which starred Spencer Tracy, Marlene Dietrich, Burt Lancaster, and Judy Garland. Clift refused to accept a salary for his role. This was also his second to last film. Clift died at the age of 45 due to complications with his long term abuse of drugs and alcohol. He was buried in Brooklyn, New York. Marilyn Monroe described Clift as, “The only person I know who is in worse shape than I am.” His death was considered by some in the industry as a long suicide. Clift’s only significant heterosexual relationship was with the Broadway star, Libby Holman in the 1940’s. She became obsessed with Clift throughout the decade. She was the one who influenced his early film career and advised him to turn down the lead roles offered to him in Sunset Boulevard and High Noon. By the 1950’s, he was exclusively homosexual.
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