Cary Grant‘s timeless good looks and extensive filmography have made him an enduring topic of fascination for Hollywood scholars and casual moviegoers alike. While his collaborations with the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Howard Hawks remain some of the most popular films in the American canon, his personal life continues to inspire as much fascination as his work.
For years, rumors about Grant being sexually involved with other men — including his co-star and roommate Randolph Scott — have swirled from sources of varying credibility. Grant was married to five different women throughout his life, but his sexuality remained a topic of speculation until his death in 1986.
It’s unlikely that questions about Grant’s orientation will ever be fully answered, as neither Grant nor his alleged sexual partners are alive to speak about it. But one of his daughters doubts he was hiding a secret from the world.
In a new interview with The Guardian, Cary’s daughter Jennifer Grant denied ever seeing her father signal romantic interest toward men.
“If you’re around your parents a lot, you see them in ways that almost no one else does. And I never saw a hint of that,” Grant said. “I think I would have picked up on it — not that I would’ve cared.”
Jennifer Grant made it clear that she would not have had any issues with her father being gay or bisexual, but she simply did not see any evidence to support the theory other than his close friendships.
“But I have to speak the truth of the matter: Dad was charming, and he had great friendships, but he wasn’t flirtatious with men,” she said. “A friend of mine sent me a picture the other day of Gregory Peck, my father and Mervyn LeRoy, and they’re good buddies. But I never got that hint… Perhaps earlier in his life he had an affair [with a man]. I’ll never know, but if he did, fantastic. I hope he enjoyed it.”
Her comments come at a moment when certain cinephiles have reassessed Hollywood’s fascination with the sex lives of dead stars. IndieWire’s Christian Blauvelt recently lamented that the documentary “Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed” focuses on the late star’s death from AIDS at the expense of a deeper dive into his acting career.
“Luckily, Hudson’s films are still there to be discovered and enjoyed anew,” he wrote. “Watch them for what’s there, not what you think is there.”
