Image of Cary Grant

Cary Grant

Once told by an interviewer, "Everybody would like to be Cary Grant", Grant is said to have replied, "So would I." Cary Grant was born Archibald Alexander Leach in Horfield, Bristol, England, to Elsie Maria (Kingdon) and Elias James Leach, who worked in a factory. His early years in Bristol would have been an ordinary lower-middle-class childhood, except for one extraordinary event. At age nine, he came home from school one day and was told his mother had gone off to a seaside resort. The real truth, however, was that she had been placed in a mental institution, where she would remain for years, and he was never told about it (he wouldn't see his mother again until he was in his late 20s). He left school at fourteen, lying about his age and forging his father's signature on a letter to join Bob Pender's troupe of knockabout comedians. He learned pantomime as well as acrobatics as he toured with the Pender troupe in the English provinces, picked up a Cockney accent in the music halls in London, and then in July 1920, was one of the eight Pender boys selected to go to the US. Their show on Broadway, "Good Times," ran for 456 performances, giving Grant time to acclimatize. He would stay in America. Mae West wanted Grant for She Done Him Wrong (1933) because she saw his combination of virility, sexuality and the aura and bearing of a gentleman. Grant was young enough to begin the new career of fatherhood when he stopped making movies at age 62. One biographer said Grant was alienated by the new realism in the film industry. In the 1950s and early 1960s, he had invented a man-of-the-world persona and a style--"high comedy with polished words." In To Catch a Thief (1955), he and Grace Kelly were allowed to improvise some of the dialogue. They knew what the director, Alfred Hitchcock, wanted to do with a scene, they rehearsed it, put in some clever double entendres that got past the censors, and then the scene was filmed. His biggest box-office success was another Hitchcock 1950s film, North by Northwest (1959) made with Eva Marie Saint since Kelly was by that time Princess of Monaco.


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Born:
Jan 18, 1904 In Horfield, Bristol, England, UK
Movie/TV Credits:
129
First Appeared:
In the movie This Is the Night 1932-04-08
Latest Project:
Movie The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes 2022-04-27
Known For
Poster of Metropolis Refound
Poster of Without Reservations
Poster of A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Poster of Pirate Party on Catalina Isle
Filmography
Movie Rat Pack Self (archive footage) 2022-01-11
Movie The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes Self (archive footage) 2022-04-27
Movie Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood Self (archive footage) 2018-07-27
Movie Becoming Cary Grant Self (archive footage) 2017-05-23
Movie Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn Self (archive footage) 2015-08-18
Movie Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words Self (archive footage) 2015-08-27
Movie And the Oscar Goes To... Self (archive footage) 2014-02-01
Movie Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen (archive footage) 2012-02-04
Movie Metropolis Refound Himself (archive footage) 2010-02-13
Movie Smash His Camera Self (archive footage) 2010-07-30
Movie 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year Self (archive footage) 2009-07-02
Movie North by Northwest: One for the Ages Self (archive footage) 2009-11-03
Movie Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema Self (archive footage) 2007-05-23
Movie Hippies Himself (archive footage) 2007-06-12
Movie Cary Grant: A Class Apart Self (archive footage) 2004-06-01
Movie Before the Fact: Suspicious Hitchcock Self (archive footage) 2004-09-07
Movie Complicated Women Self (archive footage) 2003-05-06
Movie Edith Head: The Paramount Years (archive footage) 2002-11-26
Movie Destination Hitchcock: The Making of 'North by Northwest' Self (archive footage) 2000-09-10
Movie Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood Self (archive footage) 1999-01-23
Movie Frank Capra's American Dream Self (archive footage) 1997-01-01
Movie The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender Self (archive footage) 1997-11-01
Movie Ingrid Bergman Remembered Self (archive footage) 1996-04-06
Movie Mae West and the Men Who Knew Her Self (archive footage) 1994-08-09
Movie Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To (archive footage) 1990-06-04
Movie Grace Kelly: The American Princess Self (archive footage) 1987-06-08
Movie George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey Self 1985-03-03
Movie Terror in the Aisles John Robie (Archive Footage) 1984-10-26
Movie Notre Dame de la Croisette 1983-02-23
Movie All-Star Party for Frank Sinatra Self 1983-12-11
Movie Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (in "Suspicion") (archive footage) 1982-05-21
Movie Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years Self 1979-12-13
Series The Kennedy Center Honors Unknown 1978-12-28
Movie It's Showtime Self (archive footage) 1976-03-31
Movie That's Entertainment, Part II (archive footage) 1976-05-16
Movie Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Self (archive footage) 1975-08-06
Movie That's Entertainment! (archive footage) 1974-06-21
Movie The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks Self (archive footage) 1973-01-01
Series The American Film Institute Salute to ... Unknown 1973-04-02
Movie Hollywood: The Dream Factory Self (archive footage) 1972-01-10
Movie Elvis: That's the Way It Is Himself 1970-11-11
Movie Walk Don't Run Sir William Rutland 1966-06-29
Movie Hollywood My Home Town Self (archive footage) 1965-12-31
Movie The Love Goddesses (archive footage) 1965-03-03
Movie The Big Parade of Comedy Cary Grant 1964-09-02
Movie Father Goose Walter Christopher Eckland 1964-12-10
Movie Hollywood Without Make-Up Self (archive footage) 1963-07-01
Movie Charade Peter Joshua 1963-12-05
Movie That Touch of Mink Philip Shayne 1962-06-14
Movie The Grass Is Greener Victor Rhyall 1960-12-23
Movie North by Northwest Roger Thornhill 1959-07-08
Movie Operation Petticoat Lieutenant Commander Matt Sherman 1959-12-05
Movie Houseboat Tom Winters 1958-11-19
Movie Indiscreet Philip Adams 1958-07-16
Movie The Pride and the Passion Anthony 1957-07-10
Movie An Affair to Remember Nickie Ferrante 1957-07-11
Movie Kiss Them for Me Cmdr. Andrew " Andy" Crewson 1957-12-10
Movie To Catch a Thief John Robie 1955-08-03
Series The Oscars Unknown 1953-03-19
Movie Dream Wife Clemson Reade 1953-06-19
Movie Room for One More George "Poppy" Rose 1952-01-10
Movie Monkey Business Barnaby Fulton 1952-09-03
Movie People Will Talk Dr. Noah Praetorius 1951-08-29
Movie Crisis Dr. Eugene Norland Ferguson 1950-07-07
Movie I Was a Male War Bride Capt. Henri Rochard 1949-08-26
Movie Every Girl Should Be Married Dr. Madison W. Brown 1948-12-25
Movie Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House Jim Blandings 1948-03-25
Movie The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer Richard Nugent 1947-09-01
Movie Blow-Ups of 1947 Self 1947-12-31
Movie The Bishop's Wife Dudley 1947-12-25
Movie Without Reservations Cary Grant (uncredited) 1946-05-13
Movie Night and Day Cole Porter 1946-07-02
Movie Notorious T.R. Devlin 1946-08-21
Movie George White's Scandals 1945-10-09
Movie The Road to Victory 1944-05-18
Movie The Shining Future Self 1944-04-11
Movie Arsenic and Old Lace Mortimer Brewster 1944-09-01
Movie None But the Lonely Heart Ernie Mott 1944-10-17
Movie Once Upon a Time Jerry Flynn 1944-06-29
Movie Mr. Lucky Joe Adams 1943-07-01
Movie Destination Tokyo Captain Cassidy 1943-12-31
Movie Once Upon a Honeymoon Patrick O'Toole 1942-11-27
Movie The Talk of the Town Leopold Dilg - Joseph 1942-08-20
Movie Breakdowns of 1942 Self 1942-12-31
Movie Penny Serenade Roger Adams 1941-04-24
Movie Suspicion John D. 'Johnnie' Aysgarth 1941-11-14
Movie His Girl Friday Walter Burns 1940-01-18
Movie My Favorite Wife Nick Arden 1940-05-17
Movie A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound Self 1940-10-24
Movie The Howards of Virginia Matt Howard 1940-09-19
Movie The Philadelphia Story C.K. Dexter Haven 1940-12-05
Movie Only Angels Have Wings Geoff Carter 1939-05-15
Movie Gunga Din Archibald Cutter 1939-01-26
Movie In Name Only Alec Walker 1939-08-18
Movie Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 1 1939-09-22
Movie Bringing Up Baby David Huxley 1938-02-18
Movie Holiday Johnny Case 1938-05-26
Movie Topper Takes a Trip George Kerby (archive footage) 1938-12-29
Movie When You're in Love Jimmy Hudson 1937-02-12
Movie Topper George Kerby 1937-07-16
Movie The Toast of New York Nick Boyd 1937-07-22
Movie The Awful Truth Jerry Warriner 1937-10-20
Movie Big Brown Eyes Detective Sergeant Danny Barr 1936-04-03
Movie Suzy Andre 1936-07-20
Movie Wedding Present Charlie Mason 1936-10-09
Movie The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss Ernest Bliss 1936-07-28
Movie Enter Madame Gerald Fitzgerald 1935-01-04
Movie Wings in the Dark Ken Gordon 1935-02-01
Movie The Last Outpost Michael Andrews 1935-10-11
Movie Sylvia Scarlett Jimmy Monkley 1935-12-25
Movie Pirate Party on Catalina Isle Guest on Isle 1935-11-20
Movie Born to Be Bad Malcolm Trevor 1934-05-18
Movie Thirty Day Princess Porter Madison III 1934-05-18
Movie Kiss and Make-Up Dr. Maurice Lamar 1934-07-13
Movie Ladies Should Listen Julian De Lussac 1934-08-10
Movie She Done Him Wrong Captain Cummings 1933-02-09
Movie The Eagle and the Hawk Henry Crocker 1933-05-06
Movie The Woman Accused Jeffrey Baxter 1933-02-17
Movie Gambling Ship Ace Corbin 1933-06-23
Movie I'm No Angel Jack Clayton 1933-10-06
Movie Alice in Wonderland Mock Turtle 1933-12-18
Movie Singapore Sue First Sailor 1932-06-10
Movie Sinners in the Sun Ridgeway 1932-05-13
Movie This Is the Night Stephen Mathewson 1932-04-08
Movie Merrily We Go to Hell Charlie Baxter 1932-06-10
Movie Madame Butterfly Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton 1932-12-30
Movie Hot Saturday Romer Sheffield 1932-10-28
Movie Blonde Venus Nick Townsend 1932-09-23
Movie The Devil and the Deep Lt. Jaeckel 1932-08-12