edward montgomery clift was born on october 17 1920 in omaha nebraska he was called monty
by his family and friends his father william brooks clift was the vice president of omaha
national trust company his mother was ethel clift clift had a twin sister and a brother
during the great depression cliff's father fell on hard times unemployed and broke he was forced
to move his family to a new more modest life in sarasota florida clift couldn't adjust to school
and never went to college at the age of 13 cliff started acting with a local theater company his
mother was impressed by her son's commitment to the stage and encouraged him to pursue his craft
shortly after the family moved to massachusetts he auditioned and won a part in the broadway play
fly away home the family moved again this time to new york city over the next decade he appeared
in several other broadway productions including there shall be no night the skin of our teeth and
our town among others along with marlon brando and james dean clift was one of the original
method actors in hollywood he studied at the actor's studio with lee strasberg cliff did
not serve during world war ii having been given a 4f status after suffering dysentery in 1942
at the age of 25 clift moved to hollywood his first film role was with john wayne in the
western red river in 1948 it was a big hit and was nominated for two academy awards his second
movie was the search which premiered in the same year and he was nominated for an academy award
for best actor clift signed on for his next movie the heiress but clift was unhappy with the script
and didn't get along with most of the cast the studio marketed cliff as a sex symbol prior to
the movie's release in 1949 cliff's performance in a place in the sun in 1951 is regarded as one
of his signature method acting performances he worked extensively on his character and was again
nominated for an academy award for best actor for his character scenes in jail cliff prepared
by spending a night in a real state prison clift represented an entirely different kind of leading
man he was sensitive and vulnerable while the film world celebrated his heartthrob status and gossip
columnist constantly linked cliff with taylor a close friend but according to cliff's brother
it was likely that cliff was either bisexual or gay in 1953 he was featured in three films
alfred hitchcock's i confess vittorio deseca's terminal station and from here to eternity which
earned clift his third oscar nomination cliff was very particular in the film roles he would do
he reportedly turned down the starring role in sunset boulevard and east of eden
on the evening of may 12 1956 while filming raintree county clift was involved in a serious
car crash when he apparently fell asleep while driving and smashed his car into a telephone pole
after leaving a dinner party at the beverly hills home of his close friend and co-star elizabeth
taylor and her husband michael wilding alerted by friend kevin mccarthy who saw the collision taylor
raced to cliff's side pulling a tooth out of his tongue as he began to choke on it he suffered a
broken jaw and nose a fractured sinus and several facial lacerations which required plastic surgery
after eight weeks of recovery cliff returned to the set to finish the film although the results
of cliff's plastic surgeries were remarkable for the time there were noticeable differences
in his appearance particularly in the left side of his face which was nearly immobile the pain
led him to rely on alcohol and pills for relief cliff never physically or emotionally recovered
from his car accident he continued to work over the next 10 years appearing in lonely hearts and
the young lions in 1958 suddenly last summer in 1959 and wild river released in 1960. cliff then
co-starred in the misfits in 1961 which was the final film of both marilyn monroe and clark gable
cliff's last nomination for an academy award was for best supporting actor for his role
in judgment at nuremberg in 1961. by the time cliff was making freud the secret passion in 1962
his self-destructive lifestyle and behavior was affecting his health at this point the film
studios no longer offered him parts in 1966 thanks to elizabeth taylor's efforts on his behalf he was
signed on to star in reflections in a golden eye with taylor but it was not to be sadly on july 23
1966 clift was found dead lying in his half-filled bathtub with eyeglasses on and both fists clenched
by his side he was only 45 years old cliff's body was taken to the city morgue the autopsy
report cited the cause of death as a heart attack brought on by occlusive coronary artery disease
no evidence was found that suggested foul player suicide it is believed that drug addiction was
responsible for cliff's many health problems and his death in addition to lingering effects
of dysentery and heart disease his funeral was attended by 150 guests including lauren bacall
and frank sinatra cliff was buried in the friends quaker cemetery prospect park brooklyn elizabeth
taylor who was in rome sent flowers elizabeth taylor was a significant figure in his life
taylor was honored for her work for the lgbt community she made the first public declaration
by anyone of the fact that clift was gay and called him her closest friend and confidant
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