Cary Grant's Life in Photos

Throughout Cary Grant's 30-year career in Hollywood, he was in more than 75 films. Between his charm, wit, and on-screen presence, Grant's career became the roadmap for an entire generation of leading men. Take a look back at the work and private life of one of the most debonair actors in Hollywood.

Cary Grant was born Archibald Alexander Leach in Bristol, England on January 18, 1904. His father worked as a garment factory worker in the port town, while his mother stayed home to raise him. At the age of 9, Grant was told his mother left for a long holiday, which she never returned from. In reality, she had was committed by Grant's father to a mental institution after suffering from depression for years after the loss of a previous child. Grant didn't learn the truth until he was in his 30s.

At the young age of 14, Grant was expelled from school and joined the Bob Pender Stage Troupe, a traveling comedy show.

Joining the show helped Grant define his performance skills. As part of the troupe, he appeared in comedy sketches, acrobatic shows, and even became a stilt walker.

Grant was part of the troupe for two years, when he joined them on a tour of the United States in 1920. After the tour, Grant decided to stay in New York City and pursue acting.

The actor had a hard time finding work in NYC, so he picked up odd jobs around the city, including as a stilt walker on Coney Island on weekends. By 1923, he landed some small roles on Broadway, including in the musical Golden Dawn.

In 1928, the aspiring actor had his first screen test, after being scouted in a play on Broadway, however he reportedly failed to nail the audition.

In 1931, Grant landed a starring role in the Broadway play Nikki, alongside screen star Fay Wray. It was this musical that caught the attention of Hollywood and after it wrapped, Grant moved to Los Angeles.

After screen testing at Paramount Pictures, the studio signed Grant to a five-year contract with a starting salary of $450 a week.

During his time in New York City, Grant went by Archie Leach. But after signing with Paramount, he took the stage name Cary Grant. Cary was a nod to his character in the play Nikki, which led to him being discovered, while Grant was from a list of studio-approved surnames.

In 1932, Grant appeared in his first film, This is the Night, and received positive reviews. He appeared in six more films that year, including Madame Butterfly, Sinners in the Sun, and Blonde Venus, but they weren't all huge box office successes.

Grant moved in with his close friend, Randolph Scott, in 1932. After meeting on the Paramount lot while Grant was shooting Sinners in the Sun, the pair hit it off and ended up living together on and off for the next 12 years. There were rumors of the relationship being romantic, however many have disputed those claims, including Grant's wives.

His first starring role in She Done Him Wrong solidified Grant's place as Hollywood's next leading man. He costarred with Mae West and the film was a monumental success. It helped Paramount avoid financial bankruptcy and was a major jumpstart to Grant's career.

After meeting at a party, Grant fell hard for silent film star Virginia Cherrill. The two were married in February 1934 and, not even a year later, they separated. The marriage was legally dissolved in 1935, although they remained friends for life.

During his five-year contract with Paramount, Grant not only become one of their leading stars, but also negotiated his contract up to $3,500 a week. Despite this, the actor was incredibly frustrated when the studio refused to lend him to MGM to star in Mutiny on the Bounty, which went on to win an Academy Award. After his contract ended, the star decided not to resign with Paramount or any other studio. Instead, he began contracting himself out on a film-by-film basis.

The same year that Grant struck out on his own, a feat no actor had been able to survive in Hollywood, he starred in RKO's Sylvia Scarlett. The film was not only a success, but proved that independent contracting could occur in the studio contract era.

The 1937 release of the Topper marked a stretch of hits for Grant that carried the star into the next decade, from The Awful Truth to Penny Serenade.

In the 1938 film Bringing Up Baby, Grant shared the screen with Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and a leopard named Nissa. The screwball comedy, which was initially a flop, is now considered one of cinema's classic films.

Grant became the archetype for male leading men in Hollywood. He typically played witty, charismatic, and polished characters, who ended up seducing the film's leading lady.

Although the film star's stage name was plastered all over the world, he was still legally Archie Leach. In 1941, he shed his given name and legally adopted Cary Grant. He's famously known for saying, "Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant."

Grant's first thriller was a collaboration with director Alfred Hitchcock in Suspicion. The actor went on to star in three more films with the director including, North by Northwest, Notorious, and To Catch a Thief.

Already an established actor in Hollywood, Grant earned his first Academy Award nomination for his role in Penny Serenade.

Grant tied the knot with American heiress Barbara Hutton, who at the time was one of the wealthiest women in the world. The couple married in an intimate ceremony on July 8, 1942.

After their nuptials, the couple moved into a Bel-Air mansion and earned the title of Cash and Cary in the press. Many assumed that Grant married the socialite for her money, as her previous two husbands had done, but the actor reportedly disdained their extravagant lifestyle and did not receive a penny from his wife.

Grant and Hutton's marriage broke down after three years and Hutton filed for divorce in 1945. Although rumors of infidelity swirled on both sides, the two managed to stay friends, with Hutton even referring to her ex-husband fondly later in life.

Grant set sights on his third wife, actress Betsy Drake, when he saw her in a London play. After meeting aboard the Queen Mary, she returned to Los Angeles with him to pursue a film career. The pair starred opposite one another in the 1948 film Every Girl Should Be Married, on Grant's instance, and Drake went on to secure a studio contract with RKO.

The couple got married on Christmas Day in 1949. After their wedding, Drake stepped back from her film career and convinced Grant to do the same. In the span of five years, Grant only appeared in five films, as he took time to focus on their marriage.

In 1955, Grant returned to the big screen in a major way, starring with Grace Kelly in the Alfred Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief. Here, he films a scene on the beach with the actress.

While filming The Pride and the Passion with Sophia Loren in Spain, Grant became infatuated with the Italian actress and even proposed—while still married. Drake visited the set and, on her return from Spain, had to be rescued at sea when her ocean liner collided with another ship. Grant remained in Spain despite the accident.

In 1958, Grant starred alongside Sophia Loren once again in the comedy Houseboat, with whom he was having an affair. Grant's wife, Drake, was the screenplay writer and had originally intended for the movie to star her and her husband. Much to her dismay, Loren replaced her as the female lead.

After claiming the awards show was politicized—he had been nominated twice without any wins—Grant launched a 12-year boycott of the Academy Awards. The ceremony in 1958, in which he presented the award for Best Actor, was the last that he attended.

While working on their marriage, Grant and Drake reportedly began using LSD in experimental therapy sessions. Grant enjoyed the drug and promoted it among the press, saying to Time in 1962 that, "Because I never understood myself, how could I have hoped to understand anyone else?" However, the couple officially divorced in 1962.

The actor turned down the role of James Bond in the 1962 film Dr. No. He was 55 and, due to his age, he wanted his contract to specify he was only on the hook for one movie.

Grant pursued Dyan Cannon after seeing her on TV in Malibu Run in 1961. After years of dating, the two continued to disagree on the prospect of marriage, as the actor didn't want to walk down the aisle for a fourth again. However, once Cannon became pregnant with his first child, the two decided to wed. They said "I do" on July 22, 1965.

Grant and Cannon welcomed their daughter, Jennifer Diane Grant, on February 26, 1966. Grant was 62 years old.

Grant retired from Hollywood in 1966 with the release of his last film, Walk Don't Run.

In 1968, Grant signed on to Fabergé cosmetics as a creative consultant and later was on the board of directors. His role entailed traveling around the country promoting the products.

Grant's fourth marriage failed in 1968, which Cannon said in her book was due to him becoming controlling and emotionally abusive. The couple shared custody of their daughter, who Grant had an extremely close relationship with.

In 1970, Grant ended his boycott of the Academy Awards after being given an honorary Oscar for his "unique mastery of the art of screen acting." The award was presented to him by his friend, Frank Sinatra.

In 1975, Grant joined the board of MGM Studio. Throughout his impeccable career, the film star made many pictures with the studio. Here, he attends the studio's premiere for The Champ.

Grant met Barbara Harris in London in 1976, and a few years later she moved out to Los Angeles to live with him. The pair got married in 1981 and remained married until the end of his life.

In December 1986, news broke that the legendary actor died of a stroke, after he failed to appear at a charity gala in Davenport, Iowa. His impressive career is remembered through his many iconic films.