The only child of the late Hollywood legend Cary Grant is putting to rest rumors that her father was gay.
“I suppose the [misconception about my father] that comes to mind is the question of, ‘Was he straight? Was he gay?’” daughter Jennifer Grant, 57, told Fox News Digital on Sunday.
“When I wrote my book [in 2011], I got hate mail saying, ‘Why aren’t you standing up for the fact that your father was homosexual,” Grant said. “But the truth of the matter is, I never saw anything to indicate that.”
Grant added, “Had he been homosexual, I absolutely would’ve stood up for it. He had gay friends and there’s just absolutely nothing to be ashamed of there.”
“But I had to speak the truth, which was I saw a very straight male who watched women, was married to women, had me,” the “Beverly Hills, 90210” actress continued. “Did he have affairs earlier in life? Perhaps. I don’t know. I wasn’t there to see it. So, I think it might not be a common misconception, but it’s certainly a rumor out there.”
Jennifer’s mom, actress and filmmaker Dyan Cannon, 86, was Cary’s fourth wife. Bettmann Archive One of the world’s most famous leading men, Cary starred in “His Girl Friday” and “The Philadelphia Story” and charmed audiences with debonaire looks. Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty ImagesOne of the world’s most famous leading men, Cary starred in “His Girl Friday” and “The Philadelphia Story” and charmed audiences with debonaire looks.
He was married five times before dying in 1986 at the age of 82.
Jennifer’s mom, actress and filmmaker Dyan Cannon, 86, was Cary’s fourth wife.
“Archie,” a new, four-part biographical series streaming on BritBox, is based on Dyan’s memoir about her relationship with Cary, who was born Archibald Alexander Leach.
He was married five times before dying in 1986 at the age of 82. Archive Photos/Getty Images Jennifer Grant said, “Had he been homosexual, I absolutely would’ve stood up for it. He had gay friends and there’s just absolutely nothing to be ashamed of there.” Bettmann ArchiveCary has long been rumored to have been gay or bisexual.
The 2015 documentary “Women He’s Undressed’’ claims he had a long-time relationship with Australian costume designer Orry-Kelly.
But Jennifer told The Guardian earlier this year that her father was “never flirtatious with men.”
“If you’re around your parents a lot, you see them in ways that almost no one else does. And I never saw a hint of that,” she told the outlet.
“I think I would have picked up on it — not that I would’ve cared. But I have to speak the truth of the matter: Dad was charming, and he had great friendships, but he wasn’t flirtatious with men,” she explained.
The Post reached out to Jennifer for comment.
Cary has long been rumored to have been gay or bisexual. Larry Ellis Collection/Getty Images“Harry Potter” franchise alum Jason Isaacs, 60, plays Cary in “Archie,” which began streaming on BritBox last week.
“I don’t normally get scared of playing parts,” Isaacs told The Post. But this role was different.
“It’s Cary Grant,” he reasoned. “If you ask people on the street about him, the same adjectives come to the surface: debonair, smart, ladykiller, the epitome of masculinity. I thought, ‘Why would anybody try and step into boots which are 100 feet long?’”
