Was Cary Grant Gay, Straight, Bi, or Fluid? One of His Ex-Wives Weighs in

Cary Grant, one of the greatest stars in Hollywood history, has long been rumored to have been gay or bisexual. He was married five times (to women), but some have asserted he had romantic relationships with men as well, including actor Randolph Scott and costume designer Orry-Kelly.

Now, with the four-part docudrama Archie streaming on BritBox, Grant’s fourth wife, actress Dyan Cannon, and Jason Isaacs, who plays Grant in the series, have addressed the subject of the actor’s sexuality. The series draws on Cannon’s memoir, Dear Cary: My Life With Cary Grant; Cannon is the mother of Grant’s only child, Jennifer Grant, an executive producer of the program.

“I never saw an indication” of Grant being attracted to men, Cannon recently told uInterview. “Once, on a ship liner on the way to England, I saw him be very cozy, flirty with the captain. But other than that, I never saw anything.”

Related: 19 Films That Made Cary Grant a Hollywood Star

Before she married Grant in 1965, she was aware of the rumors about his relationships with men, she said. “Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered to me,” she said. “What mattered to me was the connection between us, and I must tell you that it was undeniably real, in the beginning.”

Was Cary Grant Gay? Cary Grant's ex-wife Dyan Cannon & Jason Isaacs Answer The Question www.youtube.com

When problems developed between her and Grant, it was because of his fear of abandonment, she said. When Grant, born Archibald Leach in Bristol, England, was a child, his mother was committed to a mental hospital, but young Archie’s father told the boy his mother had died. His father then placed Archie with a grandmother and started another family. Grant learned the truth many years later and reunited with his mother.

Isaacs told uInterview he believes Grant’s sexuality was fluid. “As far as I am aware, he had many relationships, but the label ‘gay’ doesn’t really define what he was,” Isaacs said. “Today you might call him ‘fluid.’ If one believes what many people have researched in detail, then he certainly had relationships with men. One very long relationship with Scott]. But then he was in love with women. He was in love with Dyan.”

“I think he learned very early on what he had going and how to use it, which is he was gorgeous,” Isaacs added. “And he used that in every context to try and eat, first of all, and put a roof over his head. And then to make himself feel better about how horrible he felt.”