Matinee Classics - George Montgomery Biography & Filmography

George Montgomery ACTOR

PHOTOS

GEORGE MONTGOMERY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Actor George Montgomery, originally George Montgomery Letz, was born August 29, 1916. He was the youngest of his fifteen siblings, and grew up riding horses and working cattle on his large family ranch. After Montgomery’s first year of college at the University of Montana, he left because he was far more intrigued with a career in acting. In 1935, he relocated to Hollywood.

At the age of eighteen, Montgomery got his first film part. Due to the cowboy skills he developed in his childhood, Republic Pictures gave him stunt work and a small role in “The Singing Vagabond” (1935). He persisted in this kind of work, acting now as George Letz in mainly low budgeted pictures. Throughout the remainder of the 30s, he continued to play small parts in a plethora of films like “The Old Barn Dance” (1938), “Southward Ho” (1939), and “The Arizona Kid” (1939). He also played in one of the Lone Ranger serials, which was titled “The Lone Ranger” (1938). The actor stayed with Republic Pictures until 1939, when he signed over to 20th Century Fox, which billed him as George Montgomery. In 1939, Montgomery also landed one of his first supporting roles. It was in the romantic western “The Cisco Kid and the Lady”.

During his contract with Fox, the actor appeared in over fifteen movies. He starred in a large amount of dramas like “Star Dust” (1940) and “Young People” (1940), as well as two Zane Grey Western remakes, “Last of the Duanes” (1941) and “The Riders of the Purple Sage” (1941). He performed in additional western flicks like “The Cowboy and the Blonde” (1941). Even more, Montgomery had leading roles in the musicals “Orchestra Wives” (1942) and “Coney Island” (1943). While employed with Fox, he was seen in films with quite a few important Hollywood figures at the time, not limited to Maureen O'Hara, Ginger Rogers and Shirley Temple.

In 1943, Montgomery’s successful career was put on halt, as he was deployed to serve in the United States Army Air Force during World War II. Upon his return, he first starred in the musical “Three Little Girls in Blue” (1946). Montgomery continued to act in many additional pictures for 20th Century Fox, but later became one of Hollywood’s first and most lucrative freelance actors. He tended to be drawn to western and action/adventure films. The actor starred in western features such as “The Texas Rangers” (1951), “Battle of Rogue River” (1954), “Seminole Uprising” (1955), and “Pawnee” (1957). The action/adventure films he played parts in include “The Sword of Monte Cristo” (1951), “Huck!” (1956), “Black Patch” (1957), and “Man from God’s Country” (1958). Montgomery additionally made appearances on a number of television series. In the 1958, the actor actually starred in a western TV show called “Cimarron City”, but it only lasted a year. However, he never discontinued his involvements in the motion pictures like the adventure “Samar” (1962), one of his more notable war films, “Battle of the Bulge” (1965), and the crime/action “The Daredevil” (1972). In 1972, Montgomery retired from acting and focused on designing furniture. His performing career had attained him parts in over eighty feature films, and multiple television appearances. The only other acting he did in the 1970's was in a few TV series. In 1984, the actor emerged from retirement to play the part of the president in the made for television feature “Children’s Island”. His very final piece of work was the war drama picture “Dikiy veter” (1986).

George married singer Dinah Shore in 1943 and they had two children, Melissa Montgomery (born in 1947) and adopted son John 'Jody' David Montgomery.

On December 12, 2000, Montgomery passed away in Rancho Mirage, California, due to heart failure. He received many awards during his lifetime, including the Ronald Reagan Award, the Ralph Morgan Award from the Screen Actor’s Guild, a Golden Boot, and admittance into The Hollywood Westerner’s Hall of Fame. As well, the actor has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the television industry.

Filmography

1986 Dikiy veter

1984 Children's Island

1974 The Odd Couple

1974 The Six Million Dollar Man

1974 NET Playhouse

1972 The Daredevil

1972 The Leo Chronicles

1971 Alias Smith and Jones

1970 Satan's Harvest

1970 Ride the Tiger

1969 Strangers at Sunrise

1968 Warkill