History Creator / CaryGrant

He retired from acting in 1966, feeling, perhaps correctly, that as he aged the movie world was beginning to pass him by, and unwilling to accept the sort of character work that older actors usually have to settle for. In 1970, he happily accepted an honorary Oscar for his body of work, but he never again appeared on-screen. In later years, he married a succession of beautiful younger women (he is now widely believed to have been bisexual, thanks in no small part to his close friendship with Randolph Scott), experimented with [=LSD=] as a means of confronting his inner demons.

Legend has it that Creator/IanFleming at least partially modeled his famous Literature/JamesBond character on Grant. In fact, when Creator/HowardHawks was thinking about filming ''Literature/CasinoRoyale'' at the start of TheSixties, Grant was his choice to play Bond.

He retired from acting in 1966, feeling, perhaps correctly, that as he aged the movie world was beginning to pass him by. In 1970, he happily accepted an honorary Oscar for his body of work, but he never again appeared on-screen. In later years, he married a succession of beautiful younger women (he is now widely believed to have been bisexual, thanks in no small part to his close friendship with Randolph Scott), experimented with [=LSD=] as a means of confronting his inner demons.

He retired from acting in 1966, feeling, perhaps correctly, that as he aged the movie world was beginning to pass him by. In 1970, he happily accepted an honorary Oscar for his body of work, but he never again appeared on-screen. In later years, he married a succession of beautiful younger women (he is now widely believed to have been bisexual, thanks in no small part to his close friendship with Randolph Scott), experimented with [=LSD=] as a means of confronting his inner demons... and when a fan magazine sent a telegram to inquire HOW OLD CARY GRANT?, famously wrote in response [[DeadpanSnarker OLD CARY GRANT FINE. HOW YOU?]][[note]][[BeamMeUpScotty Grant was quoted as denying this actually happened]], but if it didn't, it should have...[[/note]]

He [[BeamMeUpScotty never actually said]], "Judy, Judy, Judy!", a line oft-used by the aforementioned impressionists.

In a career that spanned thirty years, some of his more famous films were the screwball comedies ''Film/HisGirlFriday'', ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace'' and ''Film/BringingUpBaby'', the comedy-soap opera ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory'', the classic romance ''Film/AnAffairToRemember'', and [[GentlemanThief several collaborations]] with the director Creator/AlfredHitchcock, most notably ''Film/NorthByNorthwest''. A poll by the Creator/AmericanFilmInstitute named Grant [[AFIS100Years100Stars the second greatest male star in American movie history]], behind only Creator/HumphreyBogart.

One of Grant's most famous (and easily imitated) characteristics was [[VerbalTic his rhythmic speech pattern]], which his fans thought added to the air of sophistication of his characters. Ironically, he spoke that way to keep his [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents working-class Bristol accent]] at bay. (On the rare occasion where he played a working-class character, like ''The Lives of a Bengal Lancer'', he let the Bristol accent out.) In the film ''Film/SomeLikeItHot'', Creator/TonyCurtis does a riff on Grant's deliberate cadencing whenever his character pretends to be a millionaire playboy. Jack Lemmon's character confronts him on this with the line "where did you get that phony accent? No-bawdy tawks loik theht!"[[note]]''Some Like It Hot'' is a period film taking place in TheRoaringTwenties, before Grant became famous. Part of the humor is that while everybody watching it would know Tony Curtis was impersonating Cary, none of the characters in the movie would.[[/note]]

Grant was married five times, and fathered his only child, Jennifer Grant, with his fourth wife at the age of 62. He died of a stroke twenty years later.

Archibald Alexander Leach (January 18, 1904 – November 29, 1986) was a handsome and athletic, if fairly typical, English bloke. Following the bizarre (and bizarrely literal[[note]]His father had her committed to a mental institution for her depression when their son was 9, but told the world she was dead. Not until age 31 did he learn he had not actually lost his mother in the more traditional sense.[[/note]]) loss of his mother at an early age, he ran away from home and went into acting. After a stint touring Britain, he crossed the Atlantic to Broadway and from there [[LimeyGoesToHollywood ended up in Hollywood]], which projected him onto the silver screen as [[StageName Cary Grant]], the 20th Century's screen epitome of suave sophistication.

-->-- '''Cary Grant''' on Cary Grant

* FakeAmerican:[[invoked]] It was rare when he wasn't.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Along with ManipulativeBastard, some of Cary's characters would do anything to get their own way. Most famously was C. K. Dexter Haven from ''The Philadelphia Story'', who pulled a few strings by sending {{intrepid reporter}}s to spite ex-wife Tracy's engagement.

* ShowerScene: An admittedly-strange trait of a few of his movies is showing him either showering or bathing.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: One of the most famous examples of Hollywood's Golden Age, along with Creator/ClarkGable.

* ''Film/WalkDontRun'' (1966) -- his last film

One of Grant's most famous (and easily imitated) characteristics was [[VerbalTic his rhythmic speech pattern]], which his fans thought added to the air of sophistication of his characters. Ironically, he spoke that way to keep his [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents working-class Bristol accent]] at bay. In the film ''Film/SomeLikeItHot'', Creator/TonyCurtis does a riff on Grant's deliberate cadencing whenever his character pretends to be a millionaire playboy. Jack Lemmon's character confronts him on this with the line "where did you get that phony accent? No-bawdy tawks loik theht!"[[note]]''Some Like It Hot'' is a period film taking place in TheRoaringTwenties, before Grant became famous. Part of the humor is that while everybody watching it would know Tony Curtis was impersonating Cary, none of the characters in the movie would.[[/note]]

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gq-cover-cary-grant_8845.jpg]]

-->-- '''Archie Leach'''

In a career that spanned thirty years, some of his more famous films were the screwball comedies ''Film/HisGirlFriday'', ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace'' and ''Film/BringingUpBaby'', the comedy-soap opera ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory'', the classic romance ''Film/AnAffairToRemember'', and [[GentlemanThief several collaborations]] with the director Creator/AlfredHitchcock, most notably ''Film/NorthByNorthwest''. A poll by the American Film Institute named Grant the second greatest male star in American movie history, behind only Creator/HumphreyBogart.

One of Grant's most famous (and easily imitated) characteristics was [[VerbalTic his rhythmic speech pattern]], which his fans thought added to the air of sophistication of his characters. Ironically, he spoke that way to keep his working-class Bristol accent at bay. In the film ''Film/SomeLikeItHot'', Tony Curtis does a riff on Grant's deliberate cadencing whenever his character pretends to be a millionaire playboy. Jack Lemmon's character confronts him on this with the line "where did you get that phony accent? No-bawdy tawks loik theht!"[[note]]''Some Like It Hot'' is a period film taking place in TheRoaringTwenties, before Grant became famous. Part of the humor is that while everybody watching it would know Tony Curtis was impersonating Cary, none of the characters in the movie would.[[/note]]

Legend has it that Ian Fleming at least partially modeled his famous Literature/JamesBond character on Grant. In fact, when Creator/HowardHawks was thinking about filming ''Literature/CasinoRoyale'' at the start of TheSixties, Grant was his choice to play Bond.

* ''Film/FatherGoose'' (1964)

Legend has it that Ian Fleming at least partially modeled his famous Literature/JamesBond character on Grant.

* ''Film/{{In Name Only|1939}}''

One of Grant's most famous (and easily imitated) characteristics was [[VerbalTic his rhythmic speech pattern]], which his fans thought added to the air of sophistication of his characters. Ironically, he spoke that way to keep his working-class Bristol accent at bay. In the film ''Film/SomeLikeItHot'', Tony Curtis does a riff on Grant's deliberate cadencing whenever his character pretends to be a millionaire playboy. Jack Lemmon's character confronts him on this with the line "where did you get that phony accent? No-bawdy tawks loik theht!"[[note]]''SomeLikeItHot'' is a period film taking place in TheRoaringTwenties, before Grant became famous. Part of the humor is that while everybody watching it would know Tony Curtis was impersonating Cary, none of the characters in the movie would.[[/note]]

Archibald Alexander Leach (January 18, 1904 – November 29, 1986) was a handsome and athletic, if fairly typical, English bloke. Following the bizarre (and quite literal) loss of his mother at an early age, he ran away from home and went into acting. After a stint touring Britain, he crossed the Atlantic to Broadway and from there [[LimeyGoesToHollywood ended up in Hollywood]], which projected him onto the silver screen as [[StageName Cary Grant]], the 20th Century's screen epitome of suave sophistication.

-->--'''Archie Leach'''