Born On This Day- November 8th: Talented Out Actor/Writer Craig Chester

I am a fan of actor Craig Chester, best known for starring in a string of independent films with single word titles: Swoon, Grief & Frisk. He also played Fred Hughes in I Shot Handy Warhol & best friend Terry in Kiss Me, Guido. Hollywood doesn't care all that much for openly gay, art film actors, even one who was nominated for a prestigious Spirit Award, so Chester takes time from acting to write screenplays & books.


I thought very highly of his delightfully witty & moving 2003 memoir: Why the Long Face?: The Advenures of a Truly Independent Actor. The title refers to Chester's experience with "Long Face Syndrome", a disfiguring jaw malady. Chester: “As a teen, I was looked like a Picasso sock puppet with pimples. A series of surgeries I was left swollen to massive, inhumane proportions, while on a liquid diet,I was made to sit at the dinner table, almost nightly, & watch in contempt as my father, mother, & sister gorged themselves on pot roast, chicken & dumplings, & sloppy joes." Happily, Chester survived this ordeal to have handsome, unconventional good looks.

On The Moth ( a group dedicated to strytelling) Podcast released on April 26, 2010, Chester recounts his encounter Montgomery Clift, who has been dead for 45+ years. Chester goes on to explain the story of how 2 separate psychics (one a professional psychic, the other a long-time psychic who does not provide readings for money) approached him to tell him about a spirit that insists on reaching him. They both explain on separate occasions, (Chester verified they did not know each other or are in any way connected) that Montgomery Clift wants Chester to write a screenplay about his life. The spirit of Montgomery Clift goes on to explain that he wants Chester to do this because he has the chance to live the life he was never able to; Chester is openly gay & Clift spirit explains he lived "in the closet" as a gay man during his life.


The spirit of Clift reaches out to Chester on another occasion, & explains (through one of the psychics) that he must go to his former home (which has been preserved since Clift's death) & spend the night there. This is where Chester finally made the connection to himself & Clift while soaking in the same bathtub that Clift died in.


Chester: "I understood him in a way that maybe nobody else would. And when we want that person to tell our story be somebody who understands who we are... I could be Monty's happy ending."


After the moment at Clift's house,Chester does not pursue the screenplay or Clift's memory. But soon after, Chester hears from a relative who does not regularly speak with him. She tells him that she had a dream about a man who looked like Chester, & he explained who he was & that she was to call Chester to tell him to find Elizabeth Taylor. Someone close to Chester, who had never been told this story before, & who did not regularly speak with Chester, called him to Cntinue his mission on Clift's behalf. Chester: "Elizabeth Taylor, if you're there, it's me, Montgomery Clift."

 Chester's Filmography:
Adam & Steve (2005)Quintessence (2003)
The Look (2003)
Bumping Heads (2002)
Circuit (2001)
The Anniversary Party (2001)
The Experience Box (2001)
Charlie! (1999)
The Misadventures of Margaret (1998)
Shucking the Curve (1998)
Kiss Me, Guido (1997)
David Searching (1997)
I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)
Frisk (1995)
Grief (1993)
Swoon (1992)