CINEFILER

Robert Montgomery

Born
May 21, 1904
Died
September 27, 1981
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
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
(1941)
Joe Pendleton
The Divorcee
(1930)
Don
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
(1941)
David
They Were Expendable
(1945)
Lt. John Brickley
Complicated Women
(2003)
Self (archive footage)
That's Entertainment!
(1974)
(archive footage)
That's Entertainment, Part II
(1976)
(archive footage)
Full Filmography
Acting
Their Own Desire
(1929)
John 'Jack' Douglas Cheever
Untamed
(1929)
Andy McAllister
So This Is College
(1929)
Biff
Three Live Ghosts
(1929)
William Foster
The Single Standard
(1929)
Party Boy (uncredited)
Free and Easy
(1930)
Larry
The Big House
(1930)
Kent Marlowe
The Divorcee
(1930)
Don
Our Blushing Brides
(1930)
Tony Jardine
War Nurse
(1930)
Wally O'Brien
Love in the Rough
(1930)
Kelly
The Sins of the Children
(1930)
Nick Higginson
Estrellados
(1930)
Self (Guest Appearance at Premiere)
Inspiration
(1931)
André Montell
The Man in Possession
(1931)
Raymond Dabney
Private Lives
(1931)
Elyot Chase
Strangers May Kiss
(1931)
Steve
The Easiest Way
(1931)
Jack Madison
Shipmates
(1931)
John Paul Jones
Blondie of the Follies
(1932)
Larry Belmont
Letty Lynton
(1932)
Hale Darrow
But the Flesh Is Weak
(1932)
Max Clement
Lovers Courageous
(1932)
Willie Smith
Faithless
(1932)
William 'Bill' Wade
Another Language
(1933)
Victor Hallam
Night Flight
(1933)
Auguste Pellerin
Made on Broadway
(1933)
Jeff
When Ladies Meet
(1933)
Jimmie
Hell Below
(1933)
Lieut. Thomas Knowlton USN
Going Hollywood
(1933)
Himself - Premiere Clip (archive footage)
Hide-Out
(1934)
Jonathan 'Lucky' Wilson
Forsaking All Others
(1934)
Dillon 'Dill" Todd
The Mystery of Mr. X
(1934)
Revel
Fugitive Lovers
(1934)
Paul Porter, aka Stephen Blaine
Riptide
(1934)
Tommie L. Trent
No More Ladies
(1935)
Sheridan 'Sherry' Warren
Biography of a Bachelor Girl
(1935)
Richard 'Dickie' Kurt
Vanessa: Her Love Story
(1935)
Benjamin Herries
Starlit Days at the Lido
(1935)
Self
Petticoat Fever
(1936)
Dascom Dinsmore
Piccadilly Jim
(1936)
James Crocker, Jr.
Trouble for Two
(1936)
Prince Florizel
Ever Since Eve
(1937)
Freddy Matthews
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
(1937)
Lord Arthur Dilling
Night Must Fall
(1937)
Danny
Live, Love and Learn
(1937)
Bob Graham
The Romance of Celluloid
(1937)
Self
Three Loves Has Nancy
(1938)
Malcolm 'Mal' Niles
Hollywood Handicap
(1938)
Himself
Yellow Jack
(1938)
John O'Hara
The First Hundred Years
(1938)
David Conway
Hollywood Goes to Town
(1938)
Self
Fast and Loose
(1939)
Joel Sloane
From the Ends of the Earth
(1939)
Self
The Earl of Chicago
(1940)
Robert Kilmount
Busman's Honeymoon
(1940)
Lord Peter Wimsey
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
(1940)
Self
Rage in Heaven
(1941)
Philip Monrell
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
(1941)
David
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
(1941)
Joe Pendleton
Unfinished Business
(1941)
Tommy Duncan
They Were Expendable
(1945)
Lt. John Brickley
Lady in the Lake
(1946)
Phillip Marlowe
Ride the Pink Horse
(1947)
Lucky Gagin
June Bride
(1948)
Carey Jackson
The Secret Land
(1948)
Narrator
The Saxon Charm
(1948)
Matt Saxon
Once More, My Darling
(1949)
Collier Laing
Breakdowns of 1949
(1949)
Self
Your Witness
(1950)
Adam Heyward
The Gallant Hours
(1960)
Narration (American scenes)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
(1972)
Self (archive footage)
That's Entertainment!
(1974)
(archive footage)
That's Entertainment, Part II
(1976)
(archive footage)
Ingrid Bergman Remembered
(1996)
Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
(2003)
Self (archive footage)
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
(2004)
Self (archive footage)
Jornal Português (1938-1951)
(2005)
Himself (archive footage)
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage
(2006)
Self (archive footage)
Lusitanian Illusion
(2010)
Self (archive footage)
Directing
Production
Data provided by TMDB