Lee Grant, a renowned actress who is set to celebrate her 100th birthday on October 31, has recently revealed the challenges she faced during her career in Hollywood. Grant’s career took a drastic turn when she was blacklisted for 12 years due to her association with alleged Hollywood communists during the 1950s Communist scare. In an exclusive interview for the docuseries ‘The Thread’, Grant opens up about the impact of being blacklisted on her professional life.
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The actress, who earned an Oscar nomination for her film debut in Detective Story in 1951, found herself at a career high before being targeted by the House Un-American Activities Committee and Senator Joe McCarthy. Grant, who had married a communist screenwriter, Arnold Manoff, in 1951, was unfairly associated with communist activities and subsequently blacklisted from working in the film and television industry. Despite facing pressure to testify against her husband, Grant remained steadfast in her refusal to incriminate him, leading to a halt in both of their careers.
During the 12-year blacklist period, Grant was unable to secure any film or television roles. However, her husband found ways to continue working under a pseudonym, allowing him to bypass the restrictions imposed by the authorities. Grant had to put her career on hold and focus on family life, including raising their daughter Dinah Manoff, who would later follow in her mother’s footsteps and become an actress in her own right.
Following her husband’s passing in 1965, Grant’s career was reignited when she landed a role in the prime-time soap opera Peyton Place and went on to win an Emmy for her performance. This marked the beginning of a successful comeback for Grant, with notable roles in films such as In the Heat of the Night, Valley of the Dolls, and Shampoo, for which she received the best supporting actress Oscar in 1975.
Grant’s resilience and determination to overcome the challenges of being blacklisted eventually paid off, as she continued to work steadily as both an actress and a director. In 1986, she achieved a significant milestone by winning the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials for the made-for-TV movie ‘Nobody’s Child’. Additionally, her documentary ‘Down and Out in America’ won an Oscar for best documentary feature the same year, making her the only Oscar-winning actor to direct an Oscar-winning documentary.
Reflecting on her experiences, Grant expressed her commitment to using her voice through filmmaking to combat the injustice of blacklisting. She remains a prominent figure in the industry, with a legacy that extends beyond her acting career. The upcoming episode of ‘The Thread’ featuring Grant’s story will shed light on her journey and resilience in the face of adversity.