Cary Grant held on tightly to one cherished memory of his parents. "In our garden there were fuchsias, hollyhocks, geraniums and primroses," he said. "We often ate under the shade of our apple tree, particularly on summer Sundays....
Those, I now appreciate, were the happiest days for the three of us." Elias and Elsie Leach, a young couple in working-class Bristol, England, tried to give their only son, Archie, a good life, but poverty, grief and conflict tarnished their best intentions. The unexplained disappearance of Elsie when Archie was 9 left him with fears of abandonment. He blamed his father's alcoholism on a "slow-breaking heart, brought about by an inability to alter the circumstances of his life." The boy would not discover all of his family's dark secrets until he was a Hollywood star.
Cary once tried to make sense of his phobias and preferences for a reporter. He explained that the swing his father hung for him from the apple tree caused his fear of height. His dislike of Bristol's cold winters made him try "to spend every possible moment where the sun shines warmest." Cary's lack of a formal education gave him an insatiable thirst for knowledge and self-improvement.
"I have spent the greater part of my life fluctuating between Archie Leach and Cary Grant; unsure of either, suspecting each," he admitted.
FAMILY SECRETS
This story is from the October 21, 2024 edition of Closer US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 21, 2024 edition of Closer US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
My Family COMES FIRST
THE TODAY ANCHOR WILL LEAVE THE SHOW NEXT YEAR TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH HER DAUGHTERS
JULIE BOWEN - 5 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME
THE EMMY-WINNING ACTRESS OPENS UP ABOUT HER EARLY YEARS, MODERN FAMILY & MORE
BONNIE BARTLETT & WILLIAM DANIELS - OUR LOVE Keeps Getting Stronger
THE ACCLAIMED ACTORS REFLECT ON THE THINGS THAT MAKE THEIR 73-YEAR UNION WORK
I've Never Been HAPPIER
The Partridge Family alum talks about his life today and the long road he has traveled.
I'm a SURVIVOR
A TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD DIDN'T STOP THE GILLIGAN'S ISLAND STAR FROM LIVING HER DREAMS
Cary Grant - HAUNTED By His Past
THE HANDSOME AND CHARMING ACTOR SPENT DECADES RUNNING FROM HIS CHILDHOOD PAIN
FAREWELL TO A LEGEND
\"I feel so lucky to have lived the life that I did and to be surrounded by the people I love.\"
Freshly Reinvented OLD-SCHOOL BITES
Discover a new and creative twist on traditional Hungarian recipes that you'll instantly add to your rotation
INA GARTEN - HOW THERAPY SAVED MY MARRIAGE
\"It was the hardest thing I ever did. I told him that I needed to be on my own.\"
FRANK SINATRA & DEAN MARTIN - The Night That Almost Ended in TRAGEDY
A MAN NEARLY DIED WHEN A CELEBRATORY EVENING AMONG THE RAT PACK WENT HORRIBLY WRONG