As a point of interest, author Ian Fleming modeled the now iconic character of James Bond after the then-equally-iconic Grant. In fact, Grant was originally offered the role in the first Bond film, 1962’s Dr. No, but turned it down. He then took a Bond-stylized role in Charade (1963), costarring Audrey Hepburn and Walter Matthau.

In 1969, Grant received an honorary Academy Award, which was presented to him by Frank Sinatra. He also received the Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award in 1981.

Grant was married and divorced numerous times in his life. He married Virginia Cherrill in 1933, and they divorced in 1935. From 1942-1945, he was married to Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton; and from 1949-1959, he was married to actress Betsy Drake. During this period, Grant suffered a personal crisis and, for a two-year period, he underwent controversial psychiatric treatment with LSD, a psychedelic hallucinogenic drug. His marriage to actress Dyan Cannon, in July 1965, lasted three years, and they had one child together, Jennifer Grant, born February 26, 1966. In 1981, Grant married Barbara Harris. Grant and Harris were together until he died of a stroke on November 29, 1986, Grant died in Davenport, Iowa.

Most biographers of Grant assert that he was conflicted about his sexual orientation and spent most of his life in denial of his bisexuality. As evidence, they cite Grant’s recurring relationship with actor Randolph Scott, with whom he shared a house from 1933 on, when both were struggling actors, and later, between Grant’s marriages.