person poster

Personal Info

Gender

Male

Birthday

1904-05-21 (120 years old)

Place of Birth

Fishkill Landing [now Beacon], New York, USA

Robert Montgomery

Biography:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robert Montgomery (born Henry Montgomery Jr.; May 21, 1904 – September 27, 1981) was an American film and television actor, director, and producer. He was also the father of actress Elizabeth Montgomery.

Montgomery settled in New York City to try his hand at writing and acting. He established a stage career, and became popular enough to turn down an offer to appear opposite Vilma Bánky in the film This Is Heaven (1929). Sharing a stage with George Cukor gave him an entry to Hollywood and a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he debuted in So This Is College (also 1929).

Montgomery initially played exclusively in comedy roles, but portrayed a character in his first drama film in The Big House (1930). MGM was initially reluctant to assign him in such a role, until "his earnestness, and his convincing arguments, with demonstrations of how he would play the character" won him the assignment. From The Big House on, he was in constant demand. Appearing as Greta Garbo's romantic interest in Inspiration (1930) started him toward stardom with a rush. Norma Shearer chose him to star opposite her in The Divorcee (1930), Strangers May Kiss (1931), and Private Lives (1931), which led him to stardom.

In another challenging role, Montgomery played a psychopath in the chiller Night Must Fall (1937), for which he received an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination.

After World War II broke out in Europe in September, 1939, and while the United States was still officially neutral, Montgomery enlisted in London for American field service and drove ambulances in France until the Dunkirk evacuation. He then returned to Hollywood and addressed a massive rally on the MGM lot for the American Red Cross in July 1940. Montgomery returned to playing light comedy roles, such as Alfred Hitchcock's Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) with Carole Lombard. He continued his search for dramatic roles. For his role as Joe Pendleton, a boxer and pilot in Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), Montgomery was nominated for an Oscar a second time. After the U.S. entered World War II in December 1941, he joined the United States Navy, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander, and served on the USS Barton (DD-722) which was part of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.

In 1945, Montgomery returned to Hollywood, making his uncredited directing debut with They Were Expendable, where he directed some of the PT boat scenes when director John Ford was unable to work for health reasons. Montgomery's first credited film as director and his final film for MGM was the film noir Lady in the Lake (1947), in which he also starred, which received mixed reviews. Adapted from Raymond Chandler's detective novel and sanitized for the censorship of the day, the film is unusual because it was filmed entirely from Marlowe's vantage point. Montgomery only appeared on camera a few times, three times in a mirror reflection.

Active in Republican politics and concerned about communist influence in the entertainment industry, Montgomery was a friendly witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947.

Montgomery has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for movies at 6440 Hollywood Boulevard, and another for television at 1631 Vine Street.

Known For

Acting

2010

Lusitanian Illusion as Self (archive footage)

2006

2005

Jornal Português (1938-1951) as Self (archive footage)

2004

Checking Out: Grand Hotel as Self (archive footage)

2003

Complicated Women as Self (archive footage)

1996

Ingrid Bergman Remembered as Self (archive footage)

1976

That's Entertainment, Part II as (archive footage)

1974

That's Entertainment! as (archive footage)

1972

Hollywood: The Dream Factory as Self (archive footage)

1962

1960

The Gallant Hours as Narration (American scenes)

1950

Your Witness as Adam Heyward
What's My Line? as Self - Mystery Guest

1949

1948

June Bride as Carey Jackson
The Secret Land as Narrator
The Saxon Charm as Matt Saxon

1947

Ride the Pink Horse as Lucky Gagin

1946

Lady in the Lake as Phillip Marlowe

1945

They Were Expendable as Lt. John Brickley

1941

Rage in Heaven as Philip Monrell
Here Comes Mr. Jordan as Joe Pendleton
Unfinished Business as Tommy Duncan

1940

1939

1938

Three Loves Has Nancy as Malcolm 'Mal' Niles
Yellow Jack as John O'Hara
The First Hundred Years as David Conway

1937

Ever Since Eve as Freddy Matthews
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney as Lord Arthur Dilling
Live, Love and Learn as Bob Graham

1936

Petticoat Fever as Dascom Dinsmore
Piccadilly Jim as James Crocker, Jr.
Trouble for Two as Prince Florizel

1935

No More Ladies as Sheridan 'Sherry' Warren
Biography of a Bachelor Girl as Richard 'Dickie' Kurt
Vanessa: Her Love Story as Benjamin Herries

1934

Hide-Out as Jonathan 'Lucky' Wilson
Forsaking All Others as Dillon 'Dill" Todd
Fugitive Lovers as Paul Porter, aka Stephen Blaine
Riptide as Tommie L. Trent

1933

Another Language as Victor Hallam
Night Flight as Auguste Pellerin
Hell Below as Lieut. Thomas Knowlton USN
Going Hollywood as Himself - Premiere Clip (archive footage)

1932

Blondie of the Follies as Larry Belmont
Letty Lynton as Hale Darrow
Lovers Courageous as Willie Smith
Faithless as William 'Bill' Wade
But the Flesh Is Weak as Max Clement

1931

Inspiration as André Montell
The Man in Possession as Raymond Dabney
Private Lives as Elyot Chase
The Easiest Way as Jack Madison
Shipmates as John Paul Jones

1930

Estrellados as Self (Guest Appearance at Premiere)
Free and Easy as Larry
The Big House as Kent Marlowe
Our Blushing Brides as Tony Jardine
War Nurse as Wally O'Brien
The Sins of the Children as Nick Higginson

1929

Their Own Desire as John 'Jack' Douglas Cheever
Untamed as Andy McAllister
Three Live Ghosts as William Foster
The Single Standard as Party Boy (uncredited)

Directing

1960

The Gallant Hours as Director

1950

Your Witness as Director

1949

1947

1946

Lady in the Lake as Director

Production

1960

The Gallant Hours as Producer