Cary Grant was a classic Hollywood leading man of the 1940s and 50s. His unique British swag paired with his excellent comedic timing made him a star. Some of his impressive resume includes portraying the character C.K. Dexter Haven in The Philadelphia Story and Roger Thornhill in North by Northwest.
Cary was married five times over the course of his life, but only had one child, a daughter named Jennifer. She recently spoke to The Guardian and squashed rumors about her father’s sexuality. She also addressed the topic in her 2011 memoir Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant.
"If you’re around your parents a lot, you see them in ways that almost no one else does," Jennifer recalled. "And I never saw a hint of that. I think I would have picked up on it — not that I would’ve cared." Jennifer is from Cary’s fourth marriage to actress Dyan Cannon.
Cary had many great platonic friendships with men. "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 explained. "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."
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Jennifer does acknowledge her father had a life before she was born. "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,” she muses.
This is not the first time Jennifer has spoken about the subject. She also addressed the rumors in her memoir and got some negative feedback for it. "I received hate mail saying that I was anti-gay, which couldn’t be further from the truth," she explained.
"Can’t blame men for wanting him, and wouldn’t be surprised if Dad even mildly flirted back,” Jennifer wrote in her memoir. “When the question arises, it generally speaks more about the person asking. … Dad somewhat enjoyed being called gay. He said it made women want to prove the assertion wrong."
Jennifer is now a mother herself. She has a 14-year-old son named Cary, after his grandfather, and an 11-year-old daughter named Davian. Her kids never got to meet their grandfather, who died in 1986 after experiencing a massive stroke.
"I wish he could have met them," Jennifer confessed. "Occasionally a teacher will say to my son: 'Oh, Cary Grant, your mother must’ve loved that actor!' And he’ll say that was my grandfather." What a lovely lineage to be a part of.
