When Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift shared the screen in the 1951 film A Place in the Sun, their chemistry was undeniable. But what many didn't realize was that their connection ran much deeper than the cameras could capture. “Soulmates are real,” says Charles Casillo, the author of the new biography Elizabeth and Monty: The Untold Story of Their Intimate Friendship, in an exclusive interview with Closer Weekly. “Monty once said near the end of his life, ‘When everyone else abandoned me, Elizabeth stood by me.’”
As the final scenes of their hit drama unfolded, Elizabeth's character delivered the heartfelt line, “I’ll go on loving you for as long as I live.” While the script dictated her words, her feelings for Monty were undeniably genuine. Their bond, though impossible to act upon romantically, became a lifelong sanctuary from the pressures of Hollywood. At just 17, Elizabeth stepped onto the set of A Place in the Sun with dreams of love. "She was desperate to escape the control of her mother," Charles explains in Closer's latest issue, available now. Meanwhile, Monty, then 29 and fresh off an Oscar nomination for The Search, initially viewed his co-star with skepticism. "At first, he saw Elizabeth as the ultimate Hollywood brat," Casillo shares. But as he observed her strained relationship with her mother, Sara, he empathized. "His own mother had been similarly controlling, and that connection brought them closer."
An Unlikely Friendship That Blossomed into Something Deeper
As the days turned into weeks, Monty and Elizabeth's friendship deepened. "He began teaching her the nuances of acting, while she introduced him to the lighter side of Hollywood," Casillo recounts. Despite Monty's disdain for studio publicity, he willingly accompanied Elizabeth to parties and premieres. "In the first year of knowing each other, they were both exploring the potential of their relationship," Casillo says. Elizabeth fell deeply for Monty, even though he knew he was gay. "If a heterosexual relationship had been possible for Monty, it would have been with her," Casillo reflects. However, Monty recognized that physical intimacy would only jeopardize their friendship. Elizabeth, however, needed time to come around. "I think she would have married him despite his orientation," Casillo adds. "She wanted Monty to be her one true love, but he knew it couldn't happen. That impossibility created one of the most profound unrequited loves in both of their lives."
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Through Thick and Thin: A Lifelong Bond
Just weeks before her 18th birthday, Elizabeth married Conrad "Nicky" Hilton, but this union didn't sever her emotional ties to Monty. When she visited him in New York, they would attend plays and enjoy intimate dinners together. "They would choose unpretentious spots where they could sit, talk, drink, and smoke," Casillo shares. Elizabeth confided in Monty about her marital struggles, and Monty found solace in being himself around her. "Monty didn't have many lasting friendships, but Elizabeth gave him that," Casillo notes. On May 12, 1956, Elizabeth insisted Monty attend a dinner party at her Hollywood Hills home. Though reluctant, he didn't want to let her down. "He had only a couple of glasses of wine but took a sleeping pill, assuming it would kick in by the time he got home," Casillo recounts. Tragically, Monty was involved in a severe car accident on the way. Elizabeth and her guests arrived at the scene before the ambulance. "She kept him alive by clearing his airway when he began choking on blood and teeth," Casillo reveals. In a poignant gesture, Monty later gifted Elizabeth one of the teeth he lost that night.
