10 Tragic Drug-Related Hollywood Deaths

9. Montgomery Clift

Judy Garland's co-star in Judgement at Nuremberg followed a similar path to self-destruction fuelled by debilitating vices. Montgomery Clift, the charismatic star of A Place in the Sun and From Here to Eternity, was branded as "unconventional" and responded by saying, "I'm trying to be an actor. Not a movie star, just an actor." Yet although he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar on several occasions, he was increasingly filled with self-doubt, conflicted feelings about his homosexuality and his increasing estrangement from his demanding mother. Addiction to an assortment of drugs and drink led to increasingly erratic behaviour. As the years passed and his addiction worsened, Clift found it harder to land suitable roles and his disruptive behaviour on set led to a lawsuit being filed against him. After crashing his car while under the influence of a cocktail of drink and drugs, the effect of reconstructive surgery on his looks battered his already fragile ego. His last notable performance was in 1961s The Misfits, the last film for his co-stars Clarke Gable and Marilyn Monroe, who once said of Clift, "He's the only person I know who is in worse shape than I am." As his professional reputation fell apart, his health followed suit and he died in 1966 of a drug-related heart attack.
Contributor
Contributor

Andrew Dilks hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.