The class-act lead man with an unmistakable cat walk and the star of quite a few unforgettable Hitchcock classics, was born in Horfield, Bristol, England on January 18, 1904 and died of cerebral hemorrhage in Davenport, Iowa on November 29, 1986. The soft-spoken handsome Grant infused his roles with an old-world charm combined with a uniquely American sense of humor and vitality. In one scene in To Catch a Thief, he says he ended up in Europe as part of a travelling circus. But in real life and in his much younger salad days, he did tour England as an acrobat and pantomime with Bob Pender troupe. Grant shot 73 films including such unforgettable classics as His Girl Friday (1940), The Philadelphia Story (1940) (he donated all his fee from this movie to the British war effort), Notorious (1946), Penny Serenade (1941), To Catch a Thief (1955), Operation Petticoat (1959), Charade (1963), and the world-classic North by Northwest (1959). Nominated twice for Oscar in 1945 and 1947, he received an Honorary Academy Award in 1970 for his lifetime achievement in motion pictures. Did you know these trivia facts about Cary Grant? 1. He was born as Archibald Alexander Leach. 2. He could've been the first James Bond even before Sean Connery but he turned down the role. He also turned down Gregory Peck's role against Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. 3. His great love in life was the Italian movie star and diva Sophia Loren. 4. He cared a lot about his tan and worked on it year-round. He became the director of Faberge cosmetics giant in 1966. 5. After he died, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered in California. |
