Can you spot what’s wrong with this Hollywood leading man’s smile? It is hard to see, but he only has one front incisor. Apparently, he chipped the other one while playing on the ice as a small child. He didn’t want to get in trouble, so he went by himself to a nearby dental college and they removed the tooth entirely.
His father was none the wiser and over the course of several years, Grant’s other teeth compensated for the loss by shifting and covering the gap. The only person who ever reportedly noticed was a sharp-eyed cinematographer.
A Tale of Two Muffins
An incident that took place at the Plaza Hotel in New York perfectly exemplifies the duality of Grant’s nature regarding money. He ordered coffee and English muffins sent to his room for breakfast. When the food arrived, there were only three half slices on the plate. Grant could not understand why the menu said muffins in plural if he only received a muffin and a half.
No one knew why, so he eventually called Conrad Hilton in Istanbul only to discover that an efficiency expert had found that most people leave the last half muffin and decided not to serve it. He summarized the experience by saying, “It cost me several hundred dollars in phone calls, but ever since, I have always gotten four slices of muffin at the Plaza.”
Rough Childhood
Grant did not have an easy time growing up. His father had his mother committed to a psychiatric hospital when he was only nine, due to her manic episodes and severe depression. His father was drinking heavily and made a decision to tell his son that she had passed away.
It was only at the age of 31, two decades later, that Grant found out that his mother was still alive. In the meantime, his father had moved on, married again and started a new family.
The Basis for Superman’s Alter Ego
Cary Grant’s influence on Hollywood cannot be denied, but in one case he gave inspiration not to the hero, but to his bumbling alter ego. Christopher Reeve, who is remembered for his iconic portrayal of Superman, claimed that he based Clark Kent’s behavior on Grant’s goofball character in 'Bringing Up Baby'.
Ironically, when the movie was released, it did not do very well in the box office, but it is now considered a comedy classic.
Grant’s Sexuality
Rumors abounded that Cary Grant was, in fact, gay or bi-sexual, but neither his daughter nor his fourth wife believed this to be true. Jennifer actually stated that “Perhaps he had what Virginia Woolf described as ‘an androgynous mind’.”
As for her mother’s assertions that Grant had a “dark side”, Jennifer responded that “She was his wife. I was his daughter. The relationships are quite different.”