Psychedelics are having a resurgence in popular culture. There’s a renewed interest in the compounds as research into their benefits ramps up, which has only increased as more people seek alternative ways to relieve mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. And while drugs like LSD are widely associated with the hippie counterculture of the 1960s, one icon from Hollywood’s Golden Era was tripping far before it was cool.
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Cary Grant was one of the first leading men to come out of Tinseltown. He starred in dozens of films and was nominated twice for Academy Awards, receiving an Honorary Oscar years later. As it turns out, the British-American actor was also undergoing LSD therapy at the height of his career in the late 1950s—before the drug became a Schedule I narcotic.
The story of the star’s journey with psychedelics is recalled in the documentary Becoming Cary Grant. The actor was introduced to LSD (short for lysergic acid diethylamide) by his third wife, who encouraged Grant to learn more about it. Shortly after, Grant was engaging in regular sessions with Dr. Mortimer Hartman, founder of the Psychiatric Institute of Beverly Hills.
The trips were extremely therapeutic for Grant, who had experienced a great deal of childhood trauma. He soon became an acid evangelist, revealing his story in mainstream interviews—including a piece in Good Housekeeping, which apparently praised the actor’s success.
Nick Ware, producer of Becoming Cary Grant, told The Guardian he believes psychedelics influenced the actor as he prepared for his biggest roles.
“This was the time of North by Northwest and Charade. So all that period when he is the biggest box office star in the world is also the period when he’s taking LSD… I’m sure the acid informed the acting.”
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It may come as a surprise to some to learn that an old-school Hollywood legend was regularly dosing, but it goes to show that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Grant’s testimony about the positive impact of psychedelics on his mental health (and by proxy, perhaps his career) is yet another example of the drugs doing good—and should be noted as more anecdotal evidence of their potential.
“During my LSD sessions, I would learn a great deal,” Grant reportedly said. “And the result was a rebirth. I finally got where I wanted to go.”
