Cary Grant's Life in Photos

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.

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.

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.

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.