Crème de la Crème: Cary Grant



	Cary Grant was a leading box-office star for three decades until his retirement in 1966, embodying the debonair charm and elegance in a broad range of comic and romantic roles. His good looks, sophisticated style, and flair for romantic comedy made him one of Hollywood's most popular and enduring stars.

	Cary Grant was born as Archibald Alexander Leach at 15 Hughenden Road in Horfield, Bristol, England, around 1:00 a.m. on January 18th, 1904.



	The history of the name Leach dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from a member of the family who worked as a doctor. Throughout the Middle Ages, doctors were known as "leaches" as the practice of bleeding sick people was the generally accepted manner of curing them. Bleeding was accomplished by placing a dozen or so leaches on the person who was ill so that they could remove the poisons that were making them ill, hence the name "Leach" for the occupation of doctor.



	He was the son of Elias James Leach and his wife Elsie Kingdom Leach. He was baptized as Archibald Alec Leach on February 9th, but his birth was not registered until 29th February - on his birth certificate his middle name is Alexander. The couple had baby Archie circumcised. This was not (and still is not) a common operation in Britain except on the grounds of religion, and has led some researchers to believe that Elsie was not his biological mother but rather a woman of Jewish parentage, Lillian. There is little evidence for this. Cary Grant himself believed that the reason for the circumcision was due his father being partly Jewish, but there's no solid evidence to support this claim either. In fact Elias and Elsie Leach attended the local Episcopalian Church regularly.



	His mother convinced the schoolmaster that little Archie was brighter than most children of his age and he began schooling when he was four and a half years old.



	The key psychological event in his life occurred when he was 9, and came home from school one day to find that his mother was no longer there. At first he was told she had gone on holiday, and then that she had gone somewhere on a long visit. Only 20 years later did he learn that she had been committed to a mental institution, "by which time," he once said, "my name was changed and I was a full-grown man living in America, known to most people of the world by sight and by name, yet not to my mother."



	Cary Grant did not practice any religion in any formal or traditional sense, but described himself as a 'member of the Church of England'. Grant also told some people he was Jewish and others that he wasn't. There is no evidence to support either claim, but Cary Grant was known to donate money to Jewish causes. His closest friends offered conflicting information and opinions on the matter, because of Grant's own inconsistent references to his background. It's not even clear if Cary Grant believed himself to be Jewish.



	In 1932 Paramount Pictures took the first initials of their top star Gary Cooper, reversed them, then filled in the "C" and "G" to come up with "Cary Grant" (and possibly because Clark Gable had the same initials). Archie Leach made up the name himself; Cary was the name from a role in a school play and Grant was chosen from the list supplied by the studio.



	In Arsenic and Old Lace Grant is in a graveyard, and one of the stones reads "Archie Leach".



	In His Girl Friday, his character remarks "The last man who said that to me was Archie Leach, just a week before he cut his throat."



	His character in Gunga Din was named Archie.



	At one time, he owned a Sealyham terrier called Archie Leach. When the dog ran away from his Los Angeles home, Grant took large ads in the papers giving the dog's name.



	In the film A Fish Called Wanda, the character played by John Cleese is named Archibald Leach.



	American Plastic Surgeons ranked his as the #1 male timeless beauty.



	Cary Grant was 6' 1½" (1.87 m) tall.



	Was considered one of the best-dressed men in the United States of America.



	He was left handed.



	Grant had one incisor (front tooth). Apparently when he was a boy he taken a spill on an icy playground and broken an upper front tooth. Rather than get into trouble with his father, he opted to go to a nearby dental college and had the remainder of the tooth pulled out and gradually his other teeth were pushed together to fill in the gap and gave him his characteristic upper-lip-pulled-down, tough urchin grin. Only one person (an eagle-eyed cinematographer) ever noticed and mentioned it to him.



	He was hyperopic or "far-sighted." That is why in many publicity stills, he is seen holding a pair of glasses.



	He maintained a year-round suntan to avoid wearing make up. His boyhood idol Douglas Fairbanks' "healthy" tan was the inspiration for Grant's constantly dark skin.



	He was married five times: to actress Virginia Cherrill (1934-35), ultra-wealthy socialite Barbara Hutton (1942-45), actress Betsy Drake (1949-62), actress Dyan Cannon (1965-68) and British hotel PR agent Barbara Harris (1981-86).



	He always wore a gold chain around his neck with three charms attached. The three charms represented the religions of each of his former wives.



	Less than two weeks before his marriage to Barbara Hutton, he legally changed his name and became an American Citizen on June 26, 1942.



	Grant had one child: his daughter with Dyan Cannon, Jennifer Grant, was born in 1966. He referred to his daughter as the best production he ever made.



	When his daughter Jennifer was born, he gave wife Dyan Cannon a diamond and sapphire bracelet as a keepsake.



	Despite having married five times he also shared a house with Randolph Scott causing rumors to abound.



	Cary Grant was rumored to have been romantically linked with Sophia Loren, Joan Crawford, Ginger Rogers, Randolph Scott, Doris Duke, Betty Hensel, Mamie Van Doren, Howard Hughes, Grace Kelly, Mary Brian, Greta Thyssen, Mr. Blackwell, Phyllis Brooks, Mae West, Marueen Donaldson and Kim Novak.



	Grant was awarded the King's Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom by King George VI, for his "outstanding service to the British War Relief Society," on April 18, 1947.



	Ian Fleming stated that he partially had Cary Grant in mind when he created his suave super-spy, James Bond.



	Christopher Reeve said he based his portrayal of Clark Kent in Superman on Grant's 1938 performance as the awkward bespectacled scientist in Bringing Up Baby.



	In the mid-1950s, Grant formed his own production company, Grantley Productions and via a distribution deal with Universal produced some of his finest work, which included Operation Petticoat, Indiscreet, That Touch Of Mink and Father Goose.



	"Judy...Judy...Judy" - was falsely attributed to Cary Grant. In Only Angels Have Wings, Grant said the name 'Judy' numerous times to costar Rita Hayworth (playing a character named Judith McPherson), but never repeated her name in rapid succession.



	In To Catch a Thief he and Grace Kelly were allowed to improvise some of the dialogue.



	Once told by an interviewer "Everybody would like to be Cary Grant", Grant is said to have replied, "So would I."



	One of his favorite poems was a bit of doggerel: 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.



	Cary Grant has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame at 1610 Vine Street.



	Grant often spoke of forming an English Muffin-Lovers Society.



	In David Thomson's respected Biographical Dictionary of Film there is a flat statement: "He is the best most important actor in the history of the cinema."



	Arsenic And Old Lace was his least favorite film.



	Indiscreet was his personal favorite film.



	His biggest box office success was the quintessential Hitchcock thriller; North by Northwest.



	He was one of the few people to stand by Ingrid Bergman when Hollywood shunned her after she left her husband for Rossellini and received her Oscar for Anastasia on her behalf.



	Grant started out as a Vaudeville acrobat (stilt-walker) and did a majority of his own stunts during his film career.



	His first film role was in Singapore Sue; his first feature film was This Is the Night.



	Mae West gave him his first starring role in She Done Him Wrong.



	Cary Grant earned top billing for the first time in Hot Saturday.



	Grant became a creative consultant for the Fabergé Cosmetics Company in 1967 and in May 1968, was elected to be a member of the board of directors of the company, a position he held until his death in 1986.



	He developed a clipped mid-Atlantic speaking style uniquely his own.



	He was a great fan of Elvis Presley, and attended his Las Vegas shows.



	He was madly in love with Sophia Loren and often spoke of his relationship with her as one of the most passionate romances in his life.



	Grant received two Academy Award nominations for best actor: one in 1941 for Penny Serenade, and another in 1944 for None But the Lonely Heart.



	In 1970 he received a special Academy Award for his contribution to films.



	During the 1980s, Grant toured the United States with a one-man show entitled An Evening / Conversation / Audience with Cary Grant, in which he would show clips from his films and afterward hold a question-and-answer session with the audience.



	In 1981, he received the Kennedy Center Honors.



	Cary Grant died at 11:22 p.m. on 29th November 1986. According to his will dated 26th November 1984, his body was to be cremated and no funeral service held. And he requested that his ashes were to be scattered in the Pacific Ocean.


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	Last Updated: January 30, 2007