There was no friendship in Hollywood quite like Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift’s.
Instant Chemistry
The two actors met while in preparation for the 1951 film A Place in the Sun, in which their perfect chemistry comes across in full force. At the time, Taylor was reportedly romantically interested in Clift, but had no clue that he was secretly gay. Still, there was an undeniable connection between them.
Clift really saw Taylor more for who she was as a person rather than an object of physical beauty. This was the foundation for an intense friendship that would last until Clift’s tragic death at the age of 45. In fact, they were so close that there were always rumors that the two of them had been intimate behind closed doors.
John Springer Collection, Getty Images
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Scandalous Rumors
Even Debbie Reynolds claimed in her memoir that she witnessed Taylor and Clift kissing, while others maintain that the two friends were genuine, platonic soulmates. In 1956, Taylor even saved Clift’s life when he got into a car accident after leaving one of her parties. According to reports, it was Taylor who scooped out his broken teeth from his windpipe and stopped him from choking.
She Never Forgot Him
After Clift died from a heart attack, Taylor told the press, “I lost my brother, my friend.” Despite his passing, Elizabeth Taylor continued to support Montgomery Clift. She was an outspoken LGBTQ+ ally, advocating for gay rights—and she certainly never forgot the hardships that her closest, queer friends endured.
