One of the most celebrated and well-compensated actors of his day, Cary Grant also became known as one of Hollywood’s most penny-pinching. It was a characterization Grant resented, according to a 1977 profile in The New York Times. As Grant discusses, it was even suggested that he was so cheap as to keep buttons off old shirts, though Grant claims he used them as replacements on other garments, with the old shirts becoming cleaning cloths for his housekeeper.
Arguing that he wasn’t cheap, Grant stated: “Well, you could start by looking at my charity donations. Now, perhaps I’ve offended some people I wouldn’t loan money to; they tend to be voluble. It’s true I don’t lead the life of a Frank Sinatra. But someone should ask the door men and waiters I deal with. I pay my bills immediately, and a lot of big spenders don’t. The fact that I have been reported to have so much money doesn’t help either.”
Early rumors that Grant was a skinflint may in fact be the result of sour grapes on the part of the studio executives for whom Grant worked. According to the same source, Grant is considered the first actor to argue his way out of exclusivity for one studio, while he also pioneered a form of contract in which actors would be paid a percentage of the total gross a movie makes at the box office. “I was never interested in acting in films; I was interested in the economics of the business,” Grant said. Is it possible Grant’s negotiating power may have underpinned his reputation for cheapness?
