Clift, Montgomery

Variant names

Hide Profile

Montgomery Clift was born in Omaha, Nebraska on October 17, 1920, hours after his twin sister Roberta (Ethel). He lived with his father William Brooks Clift, his mother Ethel "Sunny" Fogg Clift, and his older brother William Brooks, Jr. In the mid 1920s his family moved to Chicago and later, in the early 1930s the family settled in New York City.

At the age of twelve, Montgomery Clift made his first stage appearance in an amateur production of As Husbands Go in Sarasota, Florida. His professional stage debut was in a Stockbridge, Massachusetts production of a new comedy called Fly Away Home. In 1935, he made his Broadway debut in a New York production of Fly Away Home. Later that year he opened in a Broadway musical Jubilee. Other Broadway plays include Yr. Obedient Husband, Eye on the Sparrow, Dame Nature, The Mother, There Shall Be No Night with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, The Skin of Our Teeth with Tallulah Bankhead, The Searching Wind, Foxhole in the Parlor, and Tennessee Williams' You Touched Me! Montgomery Clift and his longtime friend Kevin McCarthy also wrote a screenplay of You Touched Me!, but it was never produced. Other plays he appeared in are The Wind and the Rain, Out of the Frying Pan, Our Town, and Mexican Mural. The Sea Gull in 1954 was his final stage appearance.

In 1946 Clift made his first film, a western entitled Red River, opposite John Wayne. Due to a delay in the release however, his film debut was The Search in 1948 which earned him an Academy Award nomination for best actor. Later that same year Red River was finally released. In 1949 he co-starred with Olivia DeHavilland in the film The Heiress and went to Germany to film a World War II movie The Big Lift. He earned two more Academy Award nominations for best actor for his performances in A Place in the Sun (1951) and From Here to Eternity (1953). His co-star in A Place in the Sun, Elizabeth Taylor, became one of his long time friends. He made two more films with Elizabeth Taylor, Raintree County (1957) and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959).

On May 12 1956, Montgomery Clift was involved in a near fatal car accident after leaving a dinner party at Elizabeth Taylor's house in Beverly Hills. The accident disfigured his face, leaving it half paralyzed. Despite his injury he continued to make movies. He appeared with Marlon Brando, Dean Martin, and Hope Lange in The Young Lions (1958). He co-starred with Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable in the film The Misfits (1961). He also earned his fourth Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor for his 7-minute performance in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). In 1966, he made his last film entitled The Defector. Other films include I Confess (1953), Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953), Lonelyhearts (1958), Wild River (1960), and Freud (1962).

He died in New York on July 23, 1966 in his sleep. The cause of death was occlusive coronary artery disease. Later that year his last film The Defector was released.

From the guide to the Montgomery Clift papers, Additions, 1929-1969, (The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.)

Montgomery Clift was born in Omaha, Nebraska on October 17, 1920, hours after his twin sister Roberta (Ethel). He lived with his father William Brooks Clift, his mother Ethel "Sunny" Fogg Clift, and his older brother William Brooks, Jr. In the mid 1920's his family moved to Chicago and later, in the early 1930's the family settled in New York City.

At the age of twelve, Montgomery Clift made his first stage appearance in an amateur production of As Husbands Go in Sarasota, Florida. His professional stage debut was in a Stockbridge, Massachusetts production of a new comedy called Fly Away Home . In 1935, he made his Broadway debut in a New York production of Fly Away Home . Later that year he opened in a Broadway musical Jubilee . Other Broadway plays include Yr. Obedient Husband, Eye on the Sparrow, Dame Nature, The Mother, There Shall Be No Night with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, The Skin of Our Teeth with Tallulah Bankhead, The Searching Wind, Foxhole in the Parlor, and Tennessee Williams' You Touched Me! Montgomery Clift and his longtime friend Kevin McCarthy also wrote a screenplay of You Touched Me!, but it was never produced. Other plays he appeared in are The Wind and the Rain, Out of the Frying Pan, Our Town, and Mexican Mural . The Sea Gull in 1954 was his final stage appearance.

In 1946 Clift made his first film, a western entitled Red River, opposite John Wayne. Due to a delay in the release however, his film debut was The Search in 1948 which earned him an Academy Award nomination for best actor. Later that same year Red River was finally released. In 1949 he co-starred with Olivia DeHavilland in the film The Heiress and went to Germany to film a World War II movie The Big Lift . He earned two more Academy Award nominations for best actor for his performances in A Place in the Sun (1951) and From Here to Eternity (1953). His co-star in A Place in the Sun, Elizabeth Taylor, became one of his long time friends. He made two more films with Elizabeth Taylor, Raintree County (1957) and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959).

On May 12 1956, Montgomery Clift was involved in a near fatal car accident after leaving a dinner party at Elizabeth Taylor's house in Beverly Hills. The accident disfigured his face, leaving it half paralyzed. Despite his injury he continued to make movies. He appeared with Marlon Brando, Dean Martin, and Hope Lange in The Young Lions (1958). He co-starred with Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable in the film The Misfits (1961). He also earned his fourth Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor for his 7-minute performance in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). In 1966, he made his last film entitled The Defector . Other films include I Confess (1953), Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953), Lonelyhearts (1958), Wild River (1960), and Freud (1962).

He died in New York on July 23, 1966 in his sleep. The cause of death was occlusive coronary artery disease. Later that year his last film The Defector was released.

From the guide to the Montgomery Clift papers, 1933-1966, (The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Thornton Wilder papers, 1892-1991, 1935-1975 Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn Montgomery Clift collection, [ca. 1978-ongoing]. Museum of Performance & Design
referencedIn Photograph collection, 1885-1986. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
creatorOf Montgomery Clift papers, 1933-1966 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
referencedIn Spath, John. Raintree County scrapbook, 1956-1957. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky Guide Project Office
creatorOf Ford, Ruth, 1911-2009. Papers of Ruth Ford, 1947-1965. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Gore Vidal papers, 1850-2020 (inclusive), 1936-2008 (bulk) Houghton Library
referencedIn Patricia Bosworth papers, 1932-1984, 1948-1980 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
creatorOf Selznick, David O., 1902-1965. Studio archive, 1904-1980 (bulk 1936-1955). Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
referencedIn Elisabeth Fraser papers, 1920-1999 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
creatorOf Montgomery Clift papers, Additions, 1929-1969 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
creatorOf Clift, Montgomery, 1920-1966. Letters, 1954-1955, to Lewis Mumford. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Bosworth, Patricia. Patricia Bosworth papers, 1932-1984 (bulk 1948-1980) New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Ford, Ruth, 1911-2009. Papers of Ruth Ford [manuscript], 1947-1965. University of Virginia. Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Andre Birabeau person
associatedWith Archibald, William person
associatedWith Barnwell, John person
associatedWith Barrault, Jean Louis person
associatedWith Boland, Mary, 1880-1965 person
associatedWith Boley, May, 1882-1963 person
associatedWith Bosworth, Patricia person
associatedWith Bosworth, Patricia. person
associatedWith Boulting, John person
associatedWith Bourde, Paul, 1851-1914 person
associatedWith Brown, Harry, 1917-1986 person
associatedWith Caron, Leslie person
associatedWith Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich, 1860-1904 person
associatedWith Chiarini, Luigi, 1900- person
associatedWith Clement, Rene person
associatedWith Coe, Fred, 1914-1979 person
associatedWith Deal, Borden, 1922- person
associatedWith Denton, Charles person
associatedWith De Sica, Vittorio, 1901-1974 person
associatedWith Dmytryk, Edward, 1908- person
associatedWith Donald Windham person
associatedWith Dooley, Agnes W. (Agnes Wise), d. 1964 person
associatedWith Dorothy Bennet person
associatedWith Dreiser, Theodore, 1871-1945 person
associatedWith Elia Kazan person
associatedWith Elsa Shelley person
associatedWith Feist, Felix E, 1906-1965 person
associatedWith Fennelly, Parker person
associatedWith Finkelstein Memorial Library (Spring Valley, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Ford, Derek, 1932- person
associatedWith Ford, Ruth, 1911-2009. person
associatedWith Fourastie, Philippe person
associatedWith Fraser, Elisabeth person
associatedWith Frederick Jackson person
associatedWith Frederick, Rolf person
associatedWith Fuchs, Leo, 1911- person
associatedWith Goetz, Augustus person
associatedWith Gray, Alfred person
associatedWith Guenette, Robert person
associatedWith Hambleton, T. Edward, 1911- person
associatedWith Harold Rose person
associatedWith Harrington, R. B person
associatedWith Hill, Lucienne person
associatedWith Horace Jackson person
associatedWith Huie, William Bradford, 1910-1986 person
associatedWith Huston, Walter, 1884-1950 person
associatedWith Jackson, Horace, d. 1952 person
associatedWith Jarrell, Randall, 1914-1965 person
associatedWith Kanter, Jay, 1927- person
associatedWith Karel Capek person
associatedWith Kaufman, Charles person
associatedWith Kerouac, Jack, 1922-1969 person
associatedWith Klein, Manny, 1908-1994 person
associatedWith Knight, June, 1911? - person
associatedWith Laborie, Jacques person
associatedWith Lantz, Robert, 1914- person
associatedWith Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert), 1885-1930 person
associatedWith Lawrence, Emily person
associatedWith Lillian Hellman person
associatedWith Lunt, Alfred, 1892-1977 person
associatedWith Maxwell Selser person
associatedWith MCA Artists, Ltd corporateBody
associatedWith McCarthy, Kevin, 1914- person
associatedWith McCullers, Carson, 1917-1967 person
associatedWith Miller, Arthur, 1915- person
associatedWith Moffat, Ivan person
associatedWith Nazimova, 1879-1945 person
associatedWith Newton, Ruth person
associatedWith Otis, Mary person
associatedWith Petrie, Daniel person
associatedWith Prior, Allan person
associatedWith Prosperi, Giorgio, 1911- person
associatedWith Ram Gopal person
associatedWith Ramon Naya person
associatedWith Reinhardt, Wolfgang person
associatedWith Remy, Jacques person
associatedWith Richardson, Henry Handel, pseud person
associatedWith Rivoyre, Christine de person
associatedWith Rossen, Robert, 1908-1966 person
associatedWith Sartre, Jean-Paul, 1905- person
associatedWith Schnee, Charles, 1916-1963 person
associatedWith Selser, Maxwell person
associatedWith Selznick, David O., 1902-1965. person
associatedWith Sherwood, Robert E. (Robert Emmet), 1896-1955 person
associatedWith Spath, John. person
associatedWith Teichmann, Howard person
associatedWith Tennessee Williams person
associatedWith Thornton Wilder person
associatedWith Vidal, Gore, 1925- person
associatedWith Vidor, King, 1894-1982 person
associatedWith Wald, Jerry, 1911-1962 person
associatedWith Wechsler, David, 1896- person
associatedWith Wesson, Gene, d. 1975 person
associatedWith White, Irving person
associatedWith Wilder, Thornton, 1897-1975 person
associatedWith Williams, Tennessee, 1911-1983 person
associatedWith Windham, Donald person
associatedWith Young People's Repertory Theater (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Zinnemann, Fred, 1907- person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Subject
Theater
Theater
Motion pictures
Occupation
Actors
Motion picture actors and actresses
Photographers
Activity

Person

Birth 1920-10-17

Death 1966-07-23

Americans

English

Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6t73pgc

Ark ID: w6t73pgc

SNAC ID: 38398890