When an interviewer once told Cary Grant that everybody would like to be him, he replied that “so would he.” Born in Bristol, England as Archibald Alexander Leach on January 18, 1904, his life would have been quite ordinary if his mother hadn’t been placed in a mental institution when he was only nine. He was never told the truth, and at age 14 left school. He was largely self-educated and remained a voracious reader throughout his life.
He forged his father’s signature on a letter to join a group of British knockabout comedians called The Bob Pender Comedy Troupe. This was his start, albeit an unlikely and shaky one. Here he learned the art of pantomime, acrobatics and picked up a Cockney accent. He went on to tour The United States with the troupe in 1920.
He appeared in a few movies, but his big break didn’t come until 1933. It was in that year that he met and fell under the tutelage and spell of Mae West, who was already an established star. It was she who single-handedly catapulted his career to stardom by choosing him as her leading man in “She Done Him Wrong”. Although Grant had appeared in movies long before this one, his comedic skill had heretofore gone unnoticed.
In 1955 he was chosen by Empire Magazine as one of the 100 sexiest stars in film history (Number 22 to be exact.) Due to the physical strength and dexterity he gleaned as an acrobat, Grant did many of his own stunts during his film career. He was a great fan of Elvis Presley and often attended his Las Vegas shows. His boyhood idol was Douglas Fairbanks, whose healthy tan was the inspiration for his constantly dark skin. He also maintained a year round suntan to avoid wearing makeup.
He fell madly in love with Sophia Loren when they made a film together in 1957. He still pursued her with dozens of phone calls and hundreds of flowers even when she called the affair off after becoming involved with producer, Carlo Ponti.
For the man who once said that “the only really good thing about acting is that there is no heavy lifting,” his career spanned almost seventy films.
He died on November 28, 1986.
What are some of YOUR favorite Cary Grant films?