The Unknown Life Story of Cary Grant Told by His Ex-Wife & Daughter

Cary Grant, born Archibald Alec Leach, came from humble beginnings in Bristol, England, before setting off on a career as a performer that would culminate in his being one of Hollywood's most sought-after leading actors. Despite his charming outward appearance, however, Cary Grant was a very troubled man. Much of this is rooted in his childhood, with lies and abandonment from his father. It was only later in life that Grant would discover the truth. Recent memoirs published by his ex-wife and daughter finally shed some light and dispel the mystery surrounding this mysterious man, with some of the details sounding completely unreal.

There is no greater example of a celebrity portraying themselves far differently in public and private than Cary Grant, as testimony by some of those closest to him proves. Cary Grant will be remembered as one of Hollywood's greatest actors, whose ageless good looks and on-screen charms made him a favorite of audiences. Memoirs published recently by Cary Grant's daughter and fourth wife, however, reveal a much more complicated and human individual than we previously knew.

Although he was English, which is a generally pale nation, Cary Grant always appears on film looking very well-tanned. This isn't makeup - in fact, he didn't wear makeup very much at all. That's his actual tan, which he maintained constantly. Besides his year-long tan, Cary Grant worked hard on making sure he stayed good-looking. He never weighed more than 180 pounds as well, which shows that his commitment to looking good was something he held onto until his final years.

In one funny incident, Cary Grant was with fellow English actor Michael Caine in Los Angeles, having a conversation outside of a hotel when a fan approached them. She only recognized Caine. After telling him how she had been in town for two weeks and Caine was the first star she had seen, the fan turned to Grant and commented on how you never see big Hollywood stars. When Grant heard this, he agreed with the fan, laughing.

You may know that Cary Grant was offered the part of James Bond in Dr. No before the role went to Sean Connery. Apparently, Grant didn't think that the role was right for him, as he was 58 by then. Ian Flemming, who created the character, said that the basis for the classic spy was none other than Grant himself. This was based on his characters for the movies Notorious, To Catch A Thief, and North By Northwest, to name a few.