Montgomery Clift’s nephew recalls the actor’s tragic life.
THE LEGENDARY MOVIE STAR’S NEPHEW EXPLORES HIS UNCLE’S UNSEEN SIDES IN A REVEALING DOCUMENTARY
Leaving a party at his close friend and frequent co-star Elizabeth Taylor’s LA house in 1956, Montgomery Clift fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a utility pole. The disfiguring injuries he suffered — including a broken jaw and nose — could’ve ended his acting career. Instead, “some of his post-accident films are his most impressive,” his nephew, Robert Clift, tells Closer. “He saw freedom in this shift, and he liked himself better.”
That’s only one of many revelations in Making Montgomery Clift, a new documentary Robert directed with wife Hillary Demmon. Monty, as he was known to friends, has long been portrayed as a closeted homosexual who dealt with the pain of his secret life by descending into alcoholism. In fact, “he had long, loving relationships with men and women,” says Robert. “Labels don’t fit so easily.”
THE MISFIT
Monty took an equally unconventional approach to his career, turning down a seven-year studio deal when he was in his 20s so he could pursue more challenging roles that didn’t trade on his brooding, pre-accident good looks. “That’s a big deal,” says Hillary. “It takes a really special person to make that choice when so many people told him not to.”
The risk paid off, as he earned Oscar nominations for his first film, the 1948 Western Red River, as well as 1951’s A Place in the Sun, one of three movies he made with Liz. He was also nominated for 1953’s From Here to Eternity as well as 1961’s Judgment at Nuremberg. In all his roles, he brought a vulnerability and intensity that hadn’t been seen before. “He put a new kind of man onscreen,” says Hillary. “He was doing it before Marlon Brando and James Dean got there.”
He lived a hard life offscreen. Alcoholism ran in his family, and he indulged in booze, pills and “a high cholesterol diet — his arteries were very blocked,” says Hillary. He died of a heart attack in 1966 at 45.
Though his career was relatively brief, Monty’s impact has lasted for decades. “This guy is remarkably modern,” says Hillary. “He has this presence, style and way of moving and speaking that has influenced so many contemporary actors.”
Most of all, Monty endures as an example of a man who followed his instincts, knowing there were pitfalls ahead. “I told them I wanted to choose my scripts and my directors myself,” he said. “‘But sweetheart,’ they said, ‘you’re going to make a lot of mistakes.’ And I told them, ‘You don’t understand; I want to be free to do so.” — Bruce Fretts, with reporting
by Amanda Champagne-Meadows