Cary Grant

(October 1997) Ranked #7 in Empire magazines "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.

Became a father for the first time at age of 62 when his fourth wife Dyan Cannon gave birth to their daughter Jennifer Diane Grant (aka Jennifer Grant ) on February 26, 1966.

Ian Fleming modeled the James Bond character partially with Grant in mind.

Suffered a major stroke prior to performing in his one-man show "An Evening with Cary Grant" at the Adler Theater in Davenport, Iowa on November 29, 1986. Passed away later that night at St. Lukes Hospital at 11:22 p.m.

From 1932-1944, he shared a house with Randolph Scott , whom he met on Hot Saturday (1932) . Scott often jokingly referred to Grant as his spouse. The 1940 census report shows Scott as head of household and Grant as his partner. Many studio heads threatened not to employ them together, unless they lived separately. Grants marriage to Barbara Hutton permanently dissolved his living arrangement with Scott.

Cary Grant passed away on November 29, 1986, almost two months away from what would have been his 83rd birthday on January 18, 1987.

He gave his entire fee for The Philadelphia Story to the British war effort.

He once phoned hotel mogul Conrad Hilton in Istanbul, Turkey, to find out why his breakfast order at the Plaza Hotel, which called for muffins, came with only 1-1/2 English muffins instead of two. When Grant insisted that the explanation (a hotel efficiency report had found that most people ate only three of the four halves brought to them) still resulted in being cheated out of a half, the Plaza Hotel changed its policy and began serving two complete muffins with breakfast. From then on, Grant often spoke of forming an English Muffin-Lovers Society, members of which would be required to report any hotel or restaurant that listed muffins on the menu and then served fewer than two.

Turned down the role of James Bond in Dr. No , believing himself to be too old at age 58 to play the hero. The role went to Sean Connery instead.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#22).

Donated his entire salary for Arsenic and Old Lace ($100,000) to the U.S. War Relief Fund.

He never said "Judy, Judy, Judy" in the movies, which he credits to Larry Storch , but he did say "Susan, Susan, Susan" in Bringing Up Baby .

Was a great fan of Elvis Presley and attended his Las Vegas shows. He is seen discussing Elvis performance with him backstage during the closing credits of Elvis: Thats the Way It Is .

On American Film Institutes list of top 100 U.S. love stories, compiled in June 2002, Grant led all actors with six of his films on the list. His An Affair to Remember was ranked #5; followed by: #44 The Philadelphia Story #46 To Catch a Thief #51 Bringing Up Baby #77 The Awful Truth #86 Notorious

Pictured on a 37 USA commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, issued 15 October 2002.

Turned down roles opposite Audrey Hepburn in both Roman Holiday and Sabrina ; later he starred with her in Charade .

Although he became a Paramount Pictures contract player early in his film career, when the contract was up he made an unusual decision for the time: he decided to freelance. Because his films were so successful at the box office, he was able to work at any studio he chose for the majority of his career.

Biography in: "Whos Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 191-193. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387

Thanks mainly to the strength and physical dexterity he gained as an acrobat when he was young, he did a majority of his own stunts during his film career (far more than people would think).

Douglas Fairbanks was his boyhood idol, with Fairbanks "healthy" tan being the inspiration for Grants constantly dark skin.

He remained close to Barbara Hutton s son Lance Reventlow after their divorce. The boy regularly stayed with Grant on some weekends. Grant referred to him as his son, was devastated when he died in a plane crash and helped Barbara with the funeral arrangements.

People were surprised by his retirement in 1966 and, despite the attempts of directors as important as Howard Hawks , Billy Wilder , and even Stanley Kubrick to get him out of retirement and into their films, he never worked again.

Paramount Pictures named him Cary Grant when he began his film career, because of the similarity of the name to Gary Cooper , their biggest male star, (C.G. being an inversion of G.C.) and possibly because Clark Gable had the same initials. Gable and Cooper were born with their last names, however, with Grant having been born Archibald Leach.

Named the #2 Greatest Actor on The Greatest Screen Legends list by the American Film Institute.

According to his will (dated November 26, 1984), his body was to be cremated and no funeral service held. His ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

He was voted the sixth Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

The late Christopher Reeve said that he based his portrayal of Clark Kent in the Superman films on Grant in the early part of his career.

In His Girl Friday , his character remarks, "Archie Leach said that", a reference to his real name.

Was hyperopic or "far-sighted". That is why in many publicity stills, he is seen holding a pair of glasses.

John Cleese s character in A Fish Called Wanda was named "Archie Leach" after Grants real name.

Was largely self-educated as he had dropped out of school at age 14. However, he was a voracious reader throughout his life.

Director Leo McCarey accused Grant of ripping off his persona during the time they shot The Awful Truth and using it as his own to become world-famous. What McCarey failed to notice was that many aspects of Grants image were already developed in Sylvia Scarlett (1935) , an otherwise poor Katharine Hepburn -George Cukor picture made two years before "The Awful Truth", and that his comic timing and versatility as an actor were all his own. Although ill at ease about it, they collaborated again several times.

Often spoke of his relationship with Sophia Loren as one of the most passionate romances in his life. She was 31 years his junior.

Was still in love with Sophia Loren when it came time for them to film Houseboat . She went to director Melville Shavelson , in tears, complaining that Grant was chasing her again - she had told Grant she was in love with Carlo Ponti , but he did not believe her.

Fell madly in love with Sophia Loren while filming The Pride and the Passion when he was 53 and she was 22. At the time, Grant was still married to actress Betsy Drake , and Loren was involved with 45-year-old producer Carlo Ponti , who was also married. Both men eventually separated from their wives and proposed to Loren at the same time; she chose Ponti.

When Sophia Loren visited Los Angeles during the filming of An Affair to Remember , Grant inundated her with dozens of phone calls and hundreds of flowers - even though she had called off the affair.

Participated in an experimental psychotherapy program in which he was prescribed LSD. Betsy Drake encouraged him to take the drug (as part of a medical experiment), as he wanted to examine his failed marriages. He underwent about 100 sessions, and said that he benefited greatly from them. However in later life, he said he would not have experimented with LSD if he had known about the side-effects, and asked people not to use drugs.

Premiere magazine ranked him as the #1 Movie Star of All Time in their "Stars in Our Constellation" feature.

Maintained a year-round suntan to avoid wearing makeup.

Became the director of Faberg cosmetics firm in 1966.

Alfred Hitchcock once toyed with the idea of casting him as Hamlet (in what would have been a modern-dress film version of William Shakespeare s play), but he never got around to it.

In 1957, he accepted the Oscar for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" on behalf of Ingrid Bergman , who was not present at the awards ceremony.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1610 Vine Street in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.

Replaced James Stewart as the hapless ad man Roger Thornhill in North by Northwest . Stewart very much wanted the role, but director Alfred Hitchcock decided not to cast him because of the box office failure of Vertigo , which Hitchcock blamed on Stewart for looking "too old" and chose Grant instead, even though he was actually four years older.

Was the original choice to play Rupert Cadell in Rope , but he was unavailable, so the role went to James Stewart , instead (whom Grant would later replace as the lead in North by Northwest ). Rope features references to Grant and the earlier Hitchcock film he appeared in, Notorious with Ingrid Bergman.

Introduced First Lady Betty Ford at the Republican National Convention in 1976.

On April 18, 1947, King George VI awarded Grant the Kings Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom, citing his "outstanding service to the British War Relief Society".

His performance as T.R. Devlin in Notorious is ranked #16 on Premiere magazines 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.

His performance as Dr. David Huxley in Bringing Up Baby is ranked #68 on Premiere magazines 100 Greatest Performances of All Time .

His favorite aftershave was Acqua Di Parma.

When his daughter Jennifer Grant was born, he gave wife Dyan Cannon a diamond and sapphire bracelet as a keepsake.

He had one of his daughter Jennifer Grant s first baby teeth encased in Lucite.

Writer Sidney Sheldon used Grant as the prototype for Rhys Williams, a character in the novel "Bloodline".

One of his favorite poems was a bit of doggerel: "They bought me a box of tin soldiers,/I threw all the Generals away,/I smashed up the Sergents and Majors,/Now I play with my Privates all day.".

He was a huge baseball fan, originally supporting the New York Giants and then the Los Angeles Dodgers.

At one time, he owned a Sealyham terrier called Archie Leach.

He became an American citizen on June 26, 1942, under naturalization certificate #5502057.

As a child, he had a fear of knives and a fear of heights.

He always wore a gold chain around his neck with three charms attached. The three charms represented the religions of each of his former wives: a St. Christopher for Virginia Cherrill (Roman Catholic), a small cross for Barbara Hutton and Betsy Drake (Protestants), and a Star of David for Dyan Cannon (Jewish). (Donaldson).

Was considered one of the best-dressed men in the United States of America. George Francis Frazier, Jr., in "The Art of Wearing Clothes" (published in Esquire magazine, September 1960), wrote "Although Grant, who is fifty-six, favors such abominations as large tie knots and claims to have originated the square-style breast-pocket handkerchief, he is so extraordinarily attractive that he looks good in practically anything. He insists upon tight armholes in his suit jackets, finds the most comfortable (and functional) of all underwear to be womens nylon panties." Other best-dressed American men cited in the article were Miles Davis , Douglas Fairbanks Jr. , Clark Gable and Walter Pidgeon.

If you look closely at his teeth, youll find that he only has one incisor (front tooth). Apparently when he was a boy he knocked out a tooth while ice skating. Rather than get into trouble with his father, he opted to go to a nearby dental college and have them gradually push his other teeth together to fill in the gap. Only one person (an eagle-eyed cinematographer) ever noticed and mentioned it to him. Its described in depth in the book "Evenings with Cary Grant".

Hated his performance in Arsenic and Old Lace , saying it was way too over the top and that it was his least favorite film.

Was the only actor Alfred Hitchcock was said to "love". Hitch said that James Stewart was the "everyman", but never cast Stewart after Vertigo flopped, which he blamed on Stewart now looking too old to draw in the crowds. Ironically, Grant was actually four years older than Stewart.

Initally accepted his role in Houseboat because he was dating Sophia Loren , whom he was madly in love with. After she went and married someone else, heartbroken, Cary wanted to back out. He could not, but the director made sure the production was a smooth one.

Initially refused Stanley Donen s offer to appear in Charade , but-realizing that it was a great part-accepted it after a while. He made one stipulation: Audrey Hepburn had to chase him, not visa-versa.

Was very hurt when he lost his two Academy Award nominations, particularly None But the Lonely Heart , which he thought was his best performance. This is why he was so excited when he accepted his Honarary Academy Award in 1970.

Said Indiscreet , to be his personal favorite film.

He gave serious consideration to retiring in 1953, because he believed the success of Marlon Brando and Method acting meant his own kind of acting was a thing of the past. Eighteen months later, he was lured back to make To Catch a Thief , and therefore delayed his retirement until 1966.

Maintained good physical health until becoming sick with high blood pressure in the late 1970s. In October 1984, he suffered a minor stroke, which limited his appearances thereafter.

Received Kennedy Center honors in November 1981. President Ronald Reagan wrote how pleased he was to be able to honor his friend, while Grant stated that he was glad James Stewart was at the ceremony.

Held a press conference announcing his retirement from acting early in 1953, saying he was very angry over Hollywoods treatment of director Charles Chaplin , who had recently been blacklisted for his liberal political beliefs.

Attended the state funeral of his friend Earl Louis Mountbatten of Burma at Westminster Abbey in August 1979, and openly wept during the service.

Alfred Hitchcock originally planned to cast Grant in the role of the publisher and Montgomery Clift as Brandon Rope . However the established homosexual relationship between Leopold and Loeb, and the tacit recognition of a similar tie between Hamiltons killers, persuaded Grant and Clift to steer clear of the project to avoid long term commercial repercussions.

His final appearance at the Academy Awards was in 1985 to present James Stewart with an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement.

He often played characters who were considerably younger than his actual age. He was age 50 when To Catch a Thief was filmed, but was playing a character of age 34.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 346-348. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1999.

Although he had been considered a liberal during his career, after his retirement from acting he emerged as a major supporter of Richard Nixon in the late 1960s.

Smoked up to 60 cigarettes a day until 1957, when his third wife Betsy Drake made him give up in order to protect his voice. He quit smoking while filming An Affair to Remember after visiting a hypnotist. However, she recalled occasionally catching him smoking outside the house, so he probably never stopped completely.

He was considered for the leading role in Ladri di biciclette .

Grant eagerly sought William Holden s role in The Bridge on the River Kwai , but the producers decided he was not right for the role, and in any case they felt he was too old at age 53.

He was director Howard Hawks first choice to play the lead in Mans Favorite Sport? , which he turned down because he was age 59 and leading lady Paula Prentiss was age 25.

Turned down the role of gunfighter Cherry Valance, which was to have been much larger, in Howard Hawks epic western Red River opposite John Wayne and Montgomery Clift. The role went to John Ireland instead.

Was very close friends with Ingrid Bergman , his co-star in both Indiscreet and Notorious . Grant was one of the few who supported her throughout her notorious affair with Rossellini, and while Bergman was in exile in Italy he accepted her Best Actress Oscar in 1958.

Always cited his To Catch a Thief co-star Grace Kelly as his favorite leading lady. He attended her state funeral in 1982 and wept throughout the televised service.

At the time of his death, his estate was valued at $60 million.

His mother, Elsie Maria Leach, passed away in January 1973 at age 94.

Underwent a hernia operation in the spring of 1977.

Had a benign tumor removed from his forehead in 1957.

Became seriously sick with infectious hepatitis and jaundice in 1948, and doctors gave him a less than 10% chance of survival. The problem was the damage that years of heavy drinking had done to his liver. Grant took more than six months to recover.

Eagerly sought the role of Midshipman Roger Byam in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) , which went to Franchot Tone instead.

Turned down James Mason s role in A Star Is Born .

Turned down James Mason s role in Stanley Kubrick s Lolita because he considered the film "depraved".

He turned down the role of Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady because he felt he would either not be as good as Rex Harrison , who had originated the part on the London stage and on Broadway, or he would be accused of imitating Harrison. He told producer Jack L. Warner that unless Harrison was cast, he would not even go to see the film.

In later years, he always said the character he played in Father Goose came closest to his real self.

He and his fifth wife Barbara Harris renewed their wedding vows on April 11, 1986, the fifth anniversary of their marriage.

In 1999, he was named the second Greatest Male Star of All Time of American cinema, after Humphrey Bogart , by the American Film Institute.

For a scene in The Grass Is Greener , he refused to wear a smoking jacket, fearing he would immediately lose the support of the audience if he were seen dressed like that. The director later recalled that an old-fashioned kind of comedy had died that day, and it never came back.

After The Howards of Virginia flopped at the box office, Grant turned down all offers for historical epics until The Pride and the Passion , which was also a failure.

He initially decided to end his 1953 retirement just to make To Catch a Thief . When the film proved to be a huge success, he agreed to make further films.

(March 1968) He was involved in a serious car crash in New York, but fortunately escaped with only minor injuries.

Elton John recalled that one of the highlights of his 1976 tour of the United States was meeting Grant backstage after a concert.

For several years, he had toyed with the idea of playing Hamlet in an attempt to prove to his critics that he could act. This idea was finally scuppered by Laurence Olivier s film Hamlet .

He actively sought James Stewart s role in Bell Book and Candle , and Clark Gable s role in Teachers Pet .

He and Charlton Heston attended a dinner at 10 Downing Street honoring the then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , whom they both greatly admired. Afterward Heston said to his wife Lydia Heston, "You know I sat next to Mrs. Thatcher." She replied, "Thats nothing--I got to sit next to Cary Grant!".

He voted for Richard Nixon in 1968 and 1972, Gerald Ford in 1976 and Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984.

Once shared a house with his close friend Nol Coward early in his Hollywood career.

He considered himself to be miscast in The Howards of Virginia , None But the Lonely Heart and The Pride and the Passion .

Once lived with the silent movie star William Haines.

Alfred Hitchcock told Franois Truffaut that Grant, unlike James Stewart , would have been willing to play a villain. Before he was a star, Stewart (unlike Grant) once actually played an out-and-out villain, in After the Thin Man . The closest Grant came was the original version of Suspicion , directed by Hitchcock, in which Grants character poisoned his wife, but the film was recut so that Grant wouldnt be a bad guy.

His daughter, Jennifer Grant , gave birth to a son, Cary Benjamin Grant on August 12, 2008.

Loved performing on network radio, where he often got to perform in roles different from his screen persona. He once told the producers of the radio series "Suspense", "Invite me back, invite me back.".

In 1968, he and fellow actor and friend Michael Caine were walking together and a fan approached them, only recognizing Caine. At the end of the conversation, the fan turned to Grant and commented how accommodating todays film stars are with the public, to which Grant nodded in agreement.

He can be seen in the audience and backstage in the Elvis Presley concert documentary Elvis: Thats the Way It Is .

(June 1968) Made a public appeal for gun control following the assassination of his friend Robert F. Kennedy.

He strongly disliked Method acting and never played a villain.

Was very good friends with Frederique "Quique" Jourdan, the wife of Louis Jourdan.

Grant introduced Frederick Brisson to future wife Rosalind Russell and acted as his best man at their marriage.

Has eight films on the American Film Institutes list of the 100 Funniest Movies: Bringing Up Baby at #14, The Philadelphia Story at #15, His Girl Friday at #19, Arsenic and Old Lace at #30, Topper at #60, The Awful Truth at #68, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House at #72 and She Done Him Wrong at #75.

Ran away from home at age 13 to join a mime troupe. His father tracked him down and brought him home, but he ran away again and rejoined the troupe.

He kept himself slender and fit until he retired acting, never weighing above 180 pounds.

Was once engaged to Queenie Smith.

Unlike several other major movie stars in his day, including James Stewart , John Wayne , Gary Cooper , etc., Grant never went bald and never needed to wear a toupee. Although he did dye his hair back to its natural black color when it started to gray in the 1950s. When he retired from acting in the 1960s, he stopped dying his hair and his hair was all-white by the time of his passing.

Holds the record at the Radio City Music Hall as its leading star. 27 films for a total of 113 weeks. Fred Astaire is the runner-up with 16 films for 60 weeks.

An executive of Paramount Pictures told struggling actor Archie Leach "Youre bow legged and your neck is far too thick.".

Though financially well off, he was considered "tight" by his servants. They reported that, among other things, he charged fans for his autograph, marked the height of the liquor in every bottle, counted the logs for the fireplace and kept a detailed record of how much food was bought and how much was consumed. However, he was well liked by his servants and paid them very well.

He played Irene Dunne s husband in three movies: The Awful Truth , My Favorite Wife and Penny Serenade .

Died three days before Desi Arnaz who died on December 2, 1986.

In his last years, he was a militant anti-smoker.

In 1971, fearful that Dyan Cannon would take their daughter Jennifer with her to New York and Europe, Grant filed for joint custody. When the judge ruled that Jennifer should remain in California with her father, taking time out to visit her mother, he was jubilant. He could plan to spend every evening waiting for her to come back from school and every weekend teaching her to ride a horse. Within eight weeks he had sold the rights to his last films with Universal for more than $2 million. Operation Petticoat , The Grass Is Greener , That Touch of Mink and Charade were all included, as was Penny Serenade , the only one of his earlier films to which he still retained the rights. He had no more connection to the movie business. He invested in a property development in Malaga in southern Spain and another near Shannon in Ireland.

His daughter, Jennifer Grant , gave birth to a daughter, Davian Adele Grant, on November 23, 2011.

(November 1956) He was dismayed by the failure of Operation Musketeer, the Anglo-French attempt to regain the Suez Canal after it had been seized by the Nasser regime in Egypt. Israel invaded the Sinai peninsula.

He turned down the lead role in Gentlemans Agreement because he contended he was Jewish and thought he looked Jewish. He maintained, "The public wont believe my portrayal of a gentile trying to pass himself off as a Jew.".

He was circumcised at birth, which was highly unusual in the United Kingdom in 1904.

He donated money to Israel in the name of his late mother.

He was usually considered poor at accents. His attempts at Cockney accents in Gunga Din and None But the Lonely Heart were widely ridiculed in the United Kingdom.

He appeared in four films directed by Alfred Hitchcock : Suspicion , Notorious , To Catch a Thief and North by Northwest .

Cut back on his heavy drinking after his serious illness in 1948.

[responding to a wire from a reporter inquiring, "How old Cary Grant?"],Old Cary Grant fine. How you?,I have spent the greater part of my life fluctuating between Archie,Leach and Cary Grant, unsure of each, suspecting each.

Everybody wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.

I improve on misquotation.

Divorce is a game played by lawyers.

My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go,to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can.

It takes 500 small details to add up to one favorable impression.

I think making love is the best form of exercise.

There is no doubt I am aging. My format of comedy is still the same as,ever. I gravitate toward scripts that put me in an untenable position.

Then the rest of the picture is spent in trying to squirm out of it.

Naturally, I always get the girl in the end. It may appear,old-fashioned. There seems to be a trend toward satirical comedy, like,The Apartment (1960) . Perhaps it is because young writers today,feel satirical living in a world that seems headed for destruction.

None of the people I know is involved with drugs. Hollywood is a very,hard-working town--you have to get up early, and you have to look good.

If I had known then what I know now, if I had not been so utterly,stupid, I would have had 100 children and I would have built a ranch to,keep them on.

[on aging] When people tell you how young you look, they are also,telling you how old you are.

[when asked by a writer to compose his own epitaph] He was lucky--and he,knew it.

Never give up, even when you think things are at their worst. Always,fight on until you find happiness.

My formula for life is very simple: in the morning, wake up; at night, go to sleep. In between I try and occupy myself as best I can.

Divorce is a game played by lawyers.

Divorce is a game played by lawyers.

Divorce is a game played by lawyers.

Divorce is a game played by lawyers.

Divorce is a game played by lawyers.

Divorce is a game played by lawyers.

Divorce is a game played by lawyers.

Divorce is a game played by lawyers.

Divorce is a game played by lawyers.

My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between I occupy myself as best I can.

My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between I occupy myself as best I can.

I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me.

My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can.

Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops. .