Cary Grant was a beloved American movie star known for his suave, witty, and chivalrous roles. Born in England, he began his career in theater before moving to Hollywood in 1931. He appeared in numerous films with famous co-stars and was known for his physical abilities and acrobatic stunts. Grant was also a kind man who donated to charities and spoke out against political blacklisting. He had five wives and a son, and his lifelong friendship with Randolph Scott was rumored to be romantic.
Cary Grant (1904-1986) is remembered as one of the most compelling American movie stars of all time. He embodied the model of the easygoing, suave, chivalrous, witty gentlemen who appeared in nearly every film from the 1940s to the 1960s, and he played many of these roles himself. Cary Grant is also remembered as a kind man, active with charities and the animal rights movement. Additionally, Cary Grant had a wicked sense of humor and a knack for language that made him an object of appeal to many women, presumably including his five wives.
Cary Grant was born Archibald Alexander Leach in England. As a boy, he had an interest in stage and musical theatre, and at the age of 14 she lied about his age in order to tour England with the Pender Troupe, a pantomime troupe that toured the English provinces. Cary Grant honed his skills with the Pender Troupe enough to be sent to Broadway in 1920, where Good Times was performed 456 times. At the end of the run, Cary Grant decided to stay on Broadway, playing a variety of roles before moving to California in 1931.
Cary Grant first appeared in This is the Night (1932), where he caught the eye of Mae West, who snapped him up for two 1933 films: She Done Him Wrong and I’m No Angel. These films paved the way for a long film career which did not end until the 1960s when Cary Grant became disillusioned with the direction of American cinema and decided to retire from the silver screen, although he continued to perform on stage. . Numerous Hollywood personalities, including Stanley Kubrick and Billy Wilder, tried to lure him back into film performances, but Cary Grant resisted returning.
Cary Grant tended to do sophisticated comedies that showcased his dramatic and physical abilities. Cary Grant was a very graceful man, who many said reminded them of a cat with his mannerisms of movement and subtle style which infused all of his scenes. He performed many of his own stunts, using the acrobatic skills he learned as a youth. He appeared in films with other famous stars of the era, including Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart and Douglas Fairbanks, Junior.
One of Cary Grant’s most famous films was North Northwest, made in 1959. In an earlier Hitchcock film, To Catch a Thief, made in 1955, Grant and his co-star Grace Kelly improvised dialogue in some scenes. His Broadway skills have given Cary Grant an excellent sense of timing, double entendre and language. His favorite film was Indiscreet, shot in 1958.
Cary Grant had one son, Jennifer Grant, with his fourth wife, Dyan Cannon. Grant’s first wife, from 1934 to 1935, was Virginia Cherrill, who appeared in the popular Charlie Chan films of the 1930s. After that short marriage, Grant married Barbara Hutton in 1942 and stayed with her until 1945.
In 1949, Grant remarried to Betsy Drake, to whom he remained married until 1962. His last wife was Barbara Harris, who married him in 1981. Cary Grant also had a lifelong friendship with Randolph Scott that many suspected of be sexual. In addition to his marriages, Cary Grant had a number of affairs, the most famous being with Sophia Loren, a siren of the Italian screen.
Cary Grant donated proceeds from his films to a number of charities, including American and British war relief funds and the Fund for Animals in New York City. He also spoke out against the McCarthy hearings, in which a number of his comrades were blacklisted for their alleged political beliefs.
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