Closeted Hollywood legend Montgomery Clift starred in some of the gayest movies of the Hays Code era
The Search (his on-screen debut), in 1951 for American tragedy A Place In The Sun, and in 1953 for romance A Place In The Sun, plus a Best Supporting Actor nod in 1961 for courtroom drama Judgment At Nuremberg.
That’s a pretty incredible track record!But behind all the plaudits and awards, Clift led a troubled life, plagued by alcohol and drug addiction and a car accident that nearly ended his career.
His time was cut tragically short when, in 1966—at just 45—he died of a heart attack brought on by health complications.As we’d later come to learn through close family and friends—including his frequent screen partner and confidante Elizabeth Taylor—Clift was closeted, and struggled with keeping his sexuality hidden from the media, especially at a time when homosexuality was punishable as a criminal offense.A post shared by montgomery clift (@montgomerycliftdaily)It’s been cited that Clift was bisexual, and had relationships with both women and men—including (allegedly) fame author Truman Capote, fellow actors Roddy McDowall and Farley Granger, and famed theater director Jerome Robbins (who apparently created West Side Story based on a idea Clift had shared with him while they were vacationing on Fire Island).Clift left behind quite the legacy as one of cinema’s earliest and brightest LGBTQ+ stars.
And though the entirety of his career took place during the time of the Hays Code—a strict set of film rules that (among other things) forbade even a mention of homosexuality—he was still part of a few movies considered queer classics to this day.Hollywood has always been flush with queer artists, both behind and in front of the camera, telling stories that have simmered with subliminal same-sex desire, particularly between men who are meant to represent masculine ideals.
