18 Extremely Weird Facts Most People Don't Know About Cary Grant
Vote up the bizarre facts about the Old Hollywood star most people would be surprised to find out.
- 1
He Was One Of Hollywood's First Free Agents
- Photo:
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Grant was a longtime friend of billionaire Howard Hughes, who may have taught him a thing or two about business.
When Grant's studio contract was up in the mid-1930s, he decided to become a freelancer, hired an agent, and became one of the first free agent actors in Hollywood. That allowed him to pick and choose the roles he wanted and take artistic control over his career.
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- 2
He Ran Away From Home To Become A Mime
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- RKO Radio Pictures
Around the age of 14, Grant took on odd jobs at a local theater, frequently skipping school to be there instead. When he discovered the Bob Pender Troupe of traveling performers, he ran away to join them. His father forced him to come home, but Grant purposely got himself expelled from school, supposedly for peeking into the girls' bathroom. He rejoined the troupe, performing as a mime and stilt walker and perfecting his comic timing.
The troupe traveled to America when Grant was 16, and he left them to try his luck on his own.
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- 3
His Father Lied About His Mother's Whereabouts
- Photo:
- Paramount Pictures
Grant's mother disappeared when he was 9 years old. At first, his father told him she was taking a holiday, but he later said she was deceased. The two moved in with Grant's grandparents, but his father soon left the family and started a new one with another woman, completely leaving Grant out.
When he was in his early 30s, Grant received an unexpected letter from his mother. She was still alive, and had been placed in an asylum by his father. Although they managed to reconnect, their relationship was never strong.
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- 4
He Sued Chevy Chase For Slander
- Photo:
- Columbia Pictures
In 1980, Chevy Chase appeared on The Tom Snyder Show. When he was asked what he thought about being compared to Grant, Chase responded, "I understand he was a homo. He was brilliant. What a gal!”
Grant didn't find the joke funny and sued Chase for $10 million. They settled out of court.
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- 5
He Always Carried A Piece Of Twine In His Pocket
- Photo:
- Columbia Pictures
Grant's father worked as a suit presser in a clothing manufacturing plant, a job that did not provide much money for the family. His parents didn't get along, his mother was eventually put in an institution, and his father was busy pursuing his own interests, leaving young Grant to fend for himself.
Later in life, Grant became obsessed with dressing well, probably in reaction to the poverty of his childhood. The actor was rumored to always carry a piece of twine in his pocket to remind him of his humble upbringing.
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- 6
He Only Had One Front Tooth
- Photo:
- Universal Pictures
If you take a close look at Grant's pearly whites, you may notice they look a bit off.
He broke part of an incisor in a childhood accident and had the entire tooth pulled by dental school students. His other teeth eventually closed over the gap.
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- 7
He Flunked His First Hollywood Screen Test
- Photo:
- RKO Radio Pictures
Grant wasn't always considered so handsome.
In 1928, the Fox Film Corporation gave Grant a screen test to appear in one of their movies. Grant was told he was bowlegged and had too thick of a neck, and he was turned down for the role.
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- 8
He Inspired The Movie Version Of Clark Kent
- Photo:
- Warner Bros.
Christopher Reeve claimed that he based his version of Superman's Clark Kent on Grant's bumbling character in Bringing Up Baby.
The screwball comedy was not well-received upon its release but is now considered a classic.
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- 9
He Was A Huge Supporter Of LSD
- Photo:
- Warner Bros.
At the height of his career, Grant was introduced to LSD by his third wife, and claimed he was saved by the substance. Perhaps the psychedelics gave the actor a little more insight into his conflicted sense of self, or maybe tripping on acid just made him feel good. Either way, he once commented, "During my LSD sessions, I would learn a great deal, and the result was a rebirth. I finally got where I wanted to go."
Grant took an estimated 100 acid trips between 1958 and 1961. He was so dedicated to the therapy that he supposedly contacted Good Housekeeping magazine in order to spread the word about the benefits of LSD.
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- 10
He Retired Twice
- Photo:
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Grant first retired in 1952, believing his way of acting was being replaced by the gritty Method-based work of Marlon Brando and James Dean. He was also upset over Hollywood's blacklisting of Charlie Chaplin for his liberal beliefs.
Alfred Hitchcock managed to convince Grant to come out of retirement for To Catch A Thief, and Grant continued to work until he finally became a father at the age of 62 in 1966. Then, he retired for good.
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- 11
Sophia Loren Turned Down His Marriage Proposal
- Photo:
- Paramount Pictures
Sophia Loren and Grant began a love affair while filming The Pride and the Passion, although he was married and 30 years older than Loren. She was also in a relationship with producer Carlo Ponti at the time.
Grant fell head over heels for the actor and proposed. Loren turned him down, and eventually married Ponti. Years later, Loren replaced Grant's then-wife Betsy Drake in Houseboat, but the tension lingering between the two stars made production difficult.
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- 12
Studios Wouldn't Let Him Play A Villain
- Photo:
- 20th Century Fox
Movie studios were as protective of Grant's image as the actor was. They would not allow him to play a villain in any of his films, lest he damage the audience's view of him.
The only time Grant came close to playing an evil character was in Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion; he played a husband whose wife believes he is trying to slay her. According to Hitchcock, the studio forced him to change the film's ending to protect Grant's public image.
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- 13
He Was Fond Of Dirty Jokes
- Photo:
- Columbia Pictures
According to Prince Albert of Monaco - the son of Grant's costar and friend Grace Kelly - Grant liked to tell dirty jokes, "but he was always a gentleman." Gregory Peck said, "Cary told the funniest stories, with southern accents, ethnic accents - any kind of accent. Dirty ones, too. You’d never think those things would come out of him."
Supposedly, Grant's favorite poem was: "They bought me a box of tin soldiers / I threw all the Generals away / I smashed up the Sergeants and Majors / Now I play with my Privates all day."
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- 14
He Had To Change His Name
- Photo:
- Paramount Pictures
When Archibald Leach was first offered a Hollywood contract, the studio wanted to change his name. Cary Lockwood, the name of a character he played on Broadway, was suggested, but the studio wanted something shorter: Cary Grant. Grant's stage name became part of his well-crafted public image, and he famously quipped, "Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant."
Fun fact: John Cleese's character in A Fish Called Wanda is named Archie Leach in honor of Grant.
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- 15
He Was Almost James Bond
- Photo:
- RKO Radio Pictures
Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond series, claimed to have modeled his character partially on the suave, sophisticated Grant.
When Bond was brought to the screen in Dr. No, Grant was offered the part, and producer Albert Broccoli urged him to accept. But he turned it down, as he considered himself too old at age 58. The part eventually went to Sean Connery.
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- 16
He Had Several Special Male Friends
- Photo:
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Grant's sexuality was often questioned throughout his life. Before his film career took off, Grant lived with costume designer Orry-Kelly off and on for nine years, and later with friend Randolph Scott for 12. A manuscript written by Orry-Kelly alluded to the fact that he and Grant had been lovers. But after Grant's popularity in Hollywood began to grow, he became more guarded about his personal life.
In a book written about her father, Grant's daughter said, "Dad somewhat enjoyed being called gay. He said it made women want to prove the assertion wrong."
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- 17
He Was Known As A Cheapskate
- Photo:
- Columbia Pictures
Although he spent three years married to Barbara Hutton, heir to the Woolworth fortune and one of the world's richest women, Grant was said to be a cheapskate. Supposedly, he would charge his fans for autographs, mark milk bottles to make sure his staff was not helping themselves, and bill his house guests for their expenses.
But his stinginess may have been exaggerated: Grant donated his paychecks from The Philadelphia Story and Arsenic And Old Lace to war efforts.
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- 18
He Got Married Five Times And Divorced Four Times
- Photo:
- 20th Century Fox
Grant's love life was at odds with the charming leading man image he maintained on screen. He was married five times (three times to actors), and four of his marriages ended in divorce.
Several of Grant's wives accused him of being too controlling. Dyan Cannon, his fourth wife, claimed Grant forced her to take acid with him and told her what to wear. She reasoned that his troubles with relationships and fear of intimacy came from the disappearance of his mother and his childhood struggles to feel loved.
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