Robert Montgomery (actor)

For other people named Robert Montgomery, see Robert Montgomery (disambiguation).

Robert Montgomery
Montgomery in April 1939
Born	Henry Montgomery, Jr. (1904-05-21)May 21, 1904 Beacon, New York, U.S.
Died	September 27, 1981(1981-09-27) (aged 77) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, director
Years active	1929–60
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Bryan Allen (1928–1950; divorced); 2 children Elizabeth Grant Harkness (1950–1981; his death)
Children	Elizabeth Montgomery Robert Montgomery, Jr.

Robert Montgomery (May 21, 1904 – September 27, 1981) was an American actor and director.

Early life

Montgomery was born Henry Montgomery, Jr. in Beacon, New York, then known as "Fishkill Landing", the son of Mary Weed (née Barney) and Henry Montgomery, Sr. His early childhood was one of privilege, since his father was president of the New York Rubber Company. After his own father committed suicide in 1922, jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, the family's fortune was gone.

Career

Montgomery went to 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. Sharing a stage with George Cukor gave him an in to Hollywood, where, in 1929, he debuted in So This Is College. Montgomery entered the moving picture industry during the revolution of the talkies, which made it more difficult to impress the studio. One writer claimed that Montgomery was able to establish himself because he "proceeded with confidence, agreeable with everyone, eager and willing to take suggestions". During the production of So This Is College, he learned from and questioned crew members from several departments, including sound crew, electricians, set designers, camera crew and film editors. In a later interview, he confessed "it showed [him] that making a motion picture is a great co-operative project."

So This Is College gained him attention as Hollywood's latest newcomer, and he was put in one production after another, with his popularity growing steadily. He initially played exclusively in comedy roles, but portrayed a character in his first drama film in The Big House (1930). The studio 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 to stardom on a high rank. During this time, Montgomery appeared in the original pre-Code film version of When Ladies Meet (1933), which starred Ann Harding and Myrna Loy.

Montgomery in the trailer for Night Must Fall (1937)

In 1935, Montgomery became President of the Screen Actors Guild, and was elected again in 1946. In 1937, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor as a psychopath in the chiller Night Must Fall, then returned to playing light comedy roles, such as Alfred Hitchcock's Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941) with Carole Lombard, but continued his search for dramatic roles. He was again nominated for an Oscar in 1942 for Here Comes Mr. Jordan. During World War II, he joined the U.S. 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, he 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 was Lady in the Lake (1947), in which he also starred, and which brought him mixed reviews. Adapted from the Raymond Chandler Philip Marlowe detective novel, the film is noteworthy for the revolutionary way it is filmed entirely from Marlowe's vantage point. Montgomery himself only appeared on camera a few times, three times in a mirror reflection. He also directed and starred in Ride the Pink Horse (1947), a film noir.^{[citation needed]}

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. The next year, 1948, Montgomery hosted the Academy Awards. He hosted an Emmy Award-winning television series, Robert Montgomery Presents, in the 1950s. The Gallant Hours, a 1960 film Montgomery directed and co-produced with its star, his friend James Cagney, was the last film or television production he was connected with in any capacity, as actor, director or producer.^{[citation needed]}

In 1954, Montgomery took an unpaid position as consultant and coach to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, advising him on how to look his best in his television appearances before the nation. A pioneering media consultant, Montgomery had an office in the White House during this time.

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.

Marriages

Montgomery married twice; actress Elizabeth Allen (sister of Martha-Bryan Allen) in 1928, with whom he had two children, and Elizabeth Grant Harkness, whom he married in December 1950, less than a week after his divorce from his first wife was finalized.

Death

Montgomery died of cancer in 1981 at age 77 in New York City. His daughter, actress Elizabeth Montgomery (1933–1995), and son, Robert Montgomery, Jr. (1936–2000), both died of cancer as well.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1929	Single Standard, TheThe Single Standard	Extra	Uncredited
1929	Three Live Ghosts	William Foster
1929	So This Is College	Biff
1929	Untamed	Andy McAllister
1929	Their Own Desire	John Douglas Cheever
1930	Free and Easy	Larry
1930	Divorcee, TheThe Divorcee	Don
1930	Big House, TheThe Big House	Kent Marlowe
1930	Sins of the Children, TheThe Sins of the Children	Nick Higginson
1930	Our Blushing Brides	Tony Jardine
1930	Love in the Rough	Jack Kelly
1930	War Nurse	Lt. Wally O'Brien
1931	Inspiration	André Montell
1931	Easiest Way, TheThe Easiest Way	Jack 'Johnny' Madison
1931	Strangers May Kiss	Steve
1931	Shipmates	John Paul Jones
1931	Man in Possession, TheThe Man in Possession	Raymond Dabney
1931	Private Lives	Elyot Chase
1932	Lovers Courageous	Willie Smith
1932	But the Flesh Is Weak	Max Clement
1932	Letty Lynton	Hale Darrow
1932	Blondie of the Follies	Larry Belmont
1932	Faithless	William 'Bill' Wade
1933	Hell Below	Lieut. Thomas Knowlton, USN
1933	Made on Broadway	Jeff Bidwell
1933	When Ladies Meet	Jimmie Lee
1933	Another Language	Victor Hallam
1933	Night Flight	Auguste Pellerin
1934	Fugitive Lovers	Paul Porter, aka Stephen Blaine
1934	Mystery of Mr. X, TheThe Mystery of Mr. X	Nicholas Revel
1934	Riptide	Tommie Trent
1934	Hide-Out	Jonathan 'Lucky' Wilson
1934	Forsaking All Others	Dillon 'Dill'/'Dilly' Todd
1935	Biography of a Bachelor Girl	Richard 'Dickie' Kurt
1935	Vanessa: Her Love Story	Benjamin Herries
1935	No More Ladies	Sheridan Warren
1936	Petticoat Fever	Dascom Dinsmore
1936	Trouble for Two	Prince Florizel	Alternative title: The Suicide Club
1936	Piccadilly Jim	James 'Piccadilly Jim' Crocker, Jr.
1937	Last of Mrs. Cheyney, TheThe Last of Mrs. Cheyney	Lord Arthur Dilling
1937	Night Must Fall	Danny	Nominated–Academy Award for Best Actor
1937	Ever Since Eve	Freddie Matthews
1937	Live, Love and Learn	Bob Graham
1938	First Hundred Years, TheThe First Hundred Years	David Conway
1938	Yellow Jack	John O'Hara
1938	Three Loves Has Nancy	Malcolm 'Mal' Niles
1939	Fast and Loose	Joel Sloane
1940	Earl of Chicago, TheThe Earl of Chicago	Robert Kilmount
1940	Busman's Honeymoon	Lord Peter Wimsey	Alternative title: Haunted Honeymoon
1940	Door with Seven Locks, TheThe Door with Seven Locks	Craig the butler	Alternative title: Chamber of Horrors
1941	Mr. & Mrs. Smith	David Smith
1941	Rage in Heaven	Philip Monrell
1941	Here Comes Mr. Jordan	Joe Pendleton	Nominated–Academy Award for Best Actor
1941	Unfinished Business	Tommy Duncan
1945	They Were Expendable	Lt. John Brickley	Also directed during illness of John Ford (uncredited)
1947	Lady in the Lake	Phillip Marlowe	Also directed film
1947	Ride the Pink Horse	Lucky Gagin	Also directed film
1948	Saxon Charm, TheThe Saxon Charm	Matt Saxon
1948	June Bride	Carey Jackson
1949	Poet's Pub	Dancer	Uncredited
1949	Once More, My Darling	Collier 'Collie' Laing	Also directed film
1950	Your Witness	Adam Heyward	Also directed film
1960	Gallant Hours, TheThe Gallant Hours	Narrator	Also directed film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1950–57	Robert Montgomery Presents	Host
1958	Navy Log	Host	Episode: "The Butchers of Kapsan"

External links

• Robert Montgomery at the Internet Movie Database
• Robert Montgomery at the Internet Broadway Database
• Robert Montgomery at Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Robert Montgomery images
• Donald Phelps: The Rich Boy – The Reticent Artistry of Robert Montgomery