Website: TV Now's Montgomery Clift TV Schedule
Author Patricia Bosworth, in writing "Montgomery Clift - A Biography", has succeeded in writing an intelligent and haunting version of the life of the actor who died too young and too soon. The book details his rise to fame on the Broadway stage, his natural progression to Hollywood movie idol, and finally to his destructive lifestyle after a car accident that changed him from handsome to rugged.
Born along with a twin sister in 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska, Monty Clift grew up in a privileged household with his Wall Street father and attentive at-home mother. When Wall Street crashed, the Clifts relocated to Florida and began a modest lifestyle of recovery. It was in Florida that Monty fell in love with acting, and took to the stage in several local productions. His mother, seeing the talent and dedication of her son, encouraged young Monty to continue acting, and soon he was auditioning for Broadway productions in New York after his family relocated to Massachusetts. At age 17 he was awarded his first Broadway role - and never looked back.
Clift stayed on Broadway in several other plays, including "Skin of Our Teeth" and "Our Town", and gained a reputation for turning in honest and real performances. Hollywood came calling, but Clift said 'No thanks' and continued honing his craft on stage. He loved acting, loved Broadway, and was only going to go to Hollywood on his terms.
United Artists came to him in 1947 with a part in a John Wayne western movie, called "Red River". Intrigued, Clift took the part, and ended up starring in one of the greatest westerns ever made. After filming wrapped on "River", Clift was quickly cast in a war film called "The Search". Due to various reasons, "Search" was released several months before "River", and it was "Search" that earned Clift fame and once "River" was released, cinched it. Montgomery Clift was officially a star.
Clift went on to make several movies, including "A Place in the Sun" co-starring his friend Elizabeth Taylor, and "The Heiress". After "Sun", Clift took a break from film and didn't make another movie for two years. During his sabbatical he traveled extensively with some friends and attempted to co-write his own script.
At the end of his hiatus, Clift signed on to work in "From Here to Eternity", co-starring Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, and Deborah Kerr. The role of Private Prewitt earning Clift an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (he lost to William Holden in "Stalag 17").
 |
