Montgomery Clift
Biography
Edward Montgomery Monty Clift was an American actor born in Omaha, Nebraska on October 17, 1920, and he died on July 23, 1966 at the age of 45. Known as an actor of the Golden Age, he often portrayed sensitive or conflicted outcast characters with realistic emotional depth and anxieties. Clift, along with Marlon Brando and James Dean, is part of the trio typically associated with a new wave of film acting, with Clift being the oldest and the first to make his stage and screen debuts. Beginning at age 14, he was a breakout talent on Broadway from 1935 to 1945. He later accepted a Hollywood offer to star in the Western Red River, which was filmed in 1946 and released two years later, preceded by his first film appearance in Fred Zinnemann's The Search in 1948.
Career overview
Edward Montgomery Monty Clift was an American actor born on October 17, 1920, in Omaha, Nebraska, and he lived until July 23, 1966. Known for his work during the Golden Age of film, Clift was recognized for frequently portraying sensitive or conflicted outcast characters with realistic emotional depth and anxieties. Alongside Marlon Brando and James Dean, Clift is part of the trio typically associated with a new wave of film acting, and he was the oldest of the three as well as the first to make both his stage and screen debuts.
Beginning his career at the age of 14, Clift established himself as a breakout talent on Broadway throughout the years 1935 to 1945. After receiving numerous offers from Hollywood, he eventually accepted a starring role in the Western Red River. Although that film was shot in 1946, its release was delayed for two years. Fred Zinnemann's film The Search ultimately preceded Red River, marking Clift's first film release in 1948. Throughout his career, he also appeared in stage productions, such as being cast alongside actor Kevin McCarthy in Ramon Naya's play Mexican Mural. With 45 known acting credits, Clift built a lasting legacy as a gifted and haunted actor of the screen.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
44 titles- Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes (2024) as Self (archive footage)
- Rat Pack (2022) as Self (archive footage)
- Making Montgomery Clift (2018) as Self (archive footage)
- The Fabulous Allan Carr (2017) as Self (archive)
- Listen to Me Marlon (2015) as Self (archive footage)
- Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire (2014) as Self - Actor (archive footage)
- Starring Sigmund Freud (2012) as (archive footage)
- Marilyn at the Movies (2011) as Self (archive footage)
- Hitchcock's Confession: A Look at I Confess (2004) as Self (archive footage)
- Making 'The Misfits' (2002) as Self (archive footage)
- Edith Head: The Paramount Years (2002) as (archive footage)
- George Stevens and His Place In The Sun (2001) as Self (archive footage)
- Sir John Mills' Moving Memories (2000) as Self (archive footage)
- The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender (1997) as Self (archive footage)
- Gay! Gay! Hollywood (1994)
- Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage (1994) as Dr. Cukrowicz (archive footage)
- Hollywood Heaven: Tragic Lives, Tragic Deaths (1990) as (archive footage)
- Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies (1988) as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Montgomery Clift: The Hidden Star (1987) as Self (archive footage)
- Montgomery Clift (1983) as Self (archive footage)
- The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks (1973) as Self (archive footage)
- The Defector (1966) as Professor James Bower
- William Faulkner's Mississippi (1965) as Self - Narrator
- The Merv Griffin Show (1962) as Self
- Freud: The Secret Passion (1962) as Sigmund Freud
- Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) as Rudolph Petersen
- The Misfits (1961) as Perce Howland
- Wild River (1960) as Chuck Glover
- The David Susskind Show (1959) as Self
- Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) as Dr. Cukrowicz
- Lonelyhearts (1959) as Adam White
- The Young Lions (1958) as Noah Ackerman
- Raintree County (1957) as John Wickliff Shawnessy
- Operation Raintree (1957) as Self
- I Confess (1953) as Fr. Michael William Logan
- From Here to Eternity (1953) as Pvt. Robert E. Lee 'Prew' Prewitt
- Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953) as Giovanni Doria
- A Place in the Sun (1951) as George Eastman
- What's My Line? (1950) as Self - Mystery Guest
- The Big Lift (1950) as Sgt. 1st Class Danny MacCullough
- The Heiress (1949) as Morris Townsend
- The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) as Self
- Red River (1948) as Matthew Garth
- The Search (1948) as Ralph Stevenson
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Montgomery Clift best known for?
Montgomery Clift is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including The Defector (1966), The Merv Griffin Show (1962), Freud: The Secret Passion (1962), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961).
When and where was Montgomery Clift born?
Montgomery Clift was born on October 17, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. They passed away on July 23, 1966.
How many credits does Montgomery Clift have?
Montgomery Clift has accumulated over 44 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1948 to 2024.
What is Montgomery Clift's background in cinema and television?
Edward Montgomery Monty Clift was an American actor born in Omaha, Nebraska on October 17, 1920, and he died on July 23, 1966 at the age of 45. Known as an actor of the Golden Age, he often portrayed sensitive or conflicted outcast characters with realistic emotional depth and anxieties. Clift, along with Marlon Brando...
Montgomery Clift by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) as Rudolph Petersen — aged about 40
- Wild River (1960) as Chuck Glover — aged about 39
- Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) as Dr. Cukrowicz — aged about 38
- From Here to Eternity (1953) as Pvt. Robert E. Lee 'Prew' Prewitt — aged about 32
- A Place in the Sun (1951) as George Eastman — aged about 30
- Red River (1948) as Matthew Garth — aged about 27
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