edward montgomery clift was born on october 17, 1920, in omaha, nebraska. his father, william brooks "bill" clift (1886–1964), was the vice-president of omaha national trust company. his mother was ethel fogg "sunny" clift ("née" anderson; 1888–1988). they had married in 1914. clift had a twin sister, ethel, who survived him by 48 years, and a brother, william brooks clift, jr. (1919–1986), who had an illegitimate son with actress kim stanley and was later married to political reporter eleanor clift. clift had dutch, english, and scottish ancestry. his mother was an adopted child who, at the age of 18, had been told that her birth parents were members of prominent american families who were forced to part by the tyrannical will of the girl's mother. she spent the rest of her life trying to gain the recognition of her alleged relations.