Monday, June 29, 2009

Cinematic Crush: Cary Grant

Crush object: Cary Grant, actor.

- The epitome of cinematic class and sophistication, he was born Archibald Leach. Following stints as a stilt walker in a traveling theatrical troupe and an actor in light Broadway comedies, he came to Hollywood and was rechristened Cary Grant.

- Stardom came quickly, with such hits as Blonde Venus, She Done Him Wrong and I'm No Angel. In a string of beloved "screwball" comedies, including The Awful Truth, Bringing Up Baby, Holiday, His Girl Friday and The Philadelphia Story, he perfected the art of the befuddled romantic leading man.

- A favorite of Alfred Hitchcock, he starred in the director's classic thrillers Suspicion, Notorious, To Catch a Thief and North by Northwest.

- Additionally, his filmography reads like a list of some of the most popular movies ever made, including such favorites as Topper, Gunga Din, Only Angels Have Wings, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Bishop's Wife, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, An Affair to Remember, Charade and many more.

- Only nominated twice for an Academy Award (for Penny Serenade and None But the Lonely Heart), he received an Honorary Oscar in 1970 for his "unique mastery of the art of screen acting". In 1981, he was inducted into the Kennedy Center Honors, and the American Film Institute named him the second greatest male star of all time in 1999.

With this 100th post, Cinematic Crush will be going on hiatus for the immediate future.

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