This foreign born permanent A list actor was an Oscar winner/nominee.

Until he was 13, he was raised as a girl.

Cary Grant

“For a while I wasn’t sure if I was a boy or a girl,”

The documentary “Becoming Cary Grant,” which airs on Showtime, explores Cary Grant’s complex personal life and his recourse to LSD therapy in his quest for self-discovery. At age 53, feeling concealed behind his public persona and struggling with personal relationships, Grant underwent 100 LSD therapy sessions over three years with Dr. Mortimer Hartman, a radiologist. These sessions, which he openly praised in women’s magazines, helped him confront deep-seated issues, notably his troubled relationship with his mother, whom he felt he was metaphorically harming through his relationships with women.

Grant’s exploration into LSD therapy began after personal frustrations, including two failed marriages and difficult relationships, notably with actress Randolph Scott. His third wife, Betsy Drake, introduced him to Hartman and LSD, which was then a legal treatment. This therapeutic journey led him to significant self-realizations and ultimately helped him accept personal responsibility for his actions.

The documentary also touches on Grant’s traumatic childhood, including the mystery surrounding his mother’s disappearance when he was nine and her subsequent institutionalization based on his father’s testimony alone. Grant did not discover the truth about his mother’s situation until he was 30, leading to a poignant reunion after freeing her from an asylum. His relationship with his mother was further complicated by her treatment of him as a young child, dressing him in baby clothes and curling his hair, which confused him about his gender identity. “For a while I wasn’t sure if I was a boy or a girl,” Grant revealed, highlighting the depth of his early life challenges.

Grant continued to seek personal happiness and went through two more marriages after these experiences. He passed away in 1986 but left a legacy of candidness about his mental health struggles, significantly marked by his endorsement of LSD therapy.

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