From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monte Blue (January 11, 1887 – February 18, 1963) was a movie actor who began his career as a romantic leading man in the silent film era, and later progressed to character roles.
Blue was born as Gerard Montgomery Bluefeather in Indianapolis, Indiana. His father was half French, half Cherokee Indian. One of five children, his father died and his mother could not raise five children alone. Along with another brother, they both admitted to the Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's Home. This did not stop him working his way through to Purdue University.
When growing up, Blue built up his physique to become a football player (he grew to six feet three inches tall). He not only played football, but he was also a fireman, railroad worker, coal miner, cowpuncher, ranch hand, circus rider, lumberjack, and finally, a day laborer at the studios of D. W. Griffith.
He had no theatrical experience when he came to the screen. In his first movie, The Birth of a Nation (1915), he was a stuntman and an extra in the movie. In his next movie, he starred in another small part in the movie, Intolerance (1916). Gradually moving to supporting roles for both D. W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille, Blue earned his breakthrough role as Danton in Orphans of the Storm, starring sisters, Lillian Gish and Dorothy Gish. Then he rose to stardom as a rugged romantic lead along with top leading actresses such as Clara Bow, Gloria Swanson, and Norma Shearer. His most prolific female screen partner was Marie Prevost with whom he made several films in the mid 20s at Warner Brothers. Blue's finest silent screen performance was as the alcoholic doctor who finds paradise in MGM's White Shadows in the South Seas (1928). Blue became one of the few silent stars to survive the talkie revolution. However, he lost his investments in the stock market crash of 1929.
He rebuilt his career as a character actor, working until his retirement in 1954. One of his more memorable roles was the sheriff in Key Largo. He divorced his first wife in 1923 and married Tova Jansen in 1924. He had two children, Barbara Ann and Richard Monte. During the later part of his life, Monte Blue was an active Mason and the advance man for the Hamid-Morton Shrine Circus; while on business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he had a heart attack because of complications from influenza, dying at age 76.
Monte Blue has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6286 Hollywood Blvd.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Monte Blue, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Casablanca
(1943)
American (uncredited)
Union Pacific
(1939)
Indian (uncredited)
Apache
(1954)
Geronimo
Dodge City
(1939)
Barlow
Gentleman Jim
(1942)
Gambler in "Lucky Guy"
Key Largo
(1948)
Sheriff Ben Wade
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
(1916)
The Strike Leader
Possessed
(1947)
Norris - lake house caretaker
'G' Men
(1935)
Fingerprint Expert
The Birth of a Nation
(1915)
Humoresque
(1947)
Moving Man (uncredited)
Backfire
(1950)
Det. Sgt. Pluther (uncredited)
I Married a Witch
(1942)
Doorman (uncredited)
Colorado Territory
(1949)
US Marshal (uncredited)
Mission to Moscow
(1943)
Heckler (uncredited)
San Antonio
(1945)
Cleve Andrews
Full Filmography
Acting
Martyrs of the Alamo
(1915)
Defender of the Alamo
The Birth of a Nation
(1915)
Ghosts
(1915)
Bohemian
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
(1916)
The Strike Leader
The Vagabond Prince
(1916)
Peasant
The Devil's Needle
(1916)
Bartender (uncredited)
The Matrimaniac
(1916)
Assistant Hotel Manager (uncredited)
The Microscope Mystery
(1916)
Jud
The Man from Painted Post
(1917)
Slim Carter
Hands Up!
(1917)
Dan Tracy
Betsy's Burglar
(1917)
Victor Gilpin
Wild and Woolly
(1917)
One of Wild Bill's Men (Uncredited)
Jim Bludso
(1917)
Joe Bowers
100% American
(1918)
Mayme's Army boyfriend
M'Liss
(1918)
Mexican Joe Dominguez
Johanna Enlists
(1918)
Pvt. Vibbard
The Goddess of Lost Lake
(1918)
(uncredited)
The Only Road
(1918)
Pedro Lupo
Till I Come Back to You
(1918)
American Doughboy
Riders of the Night
(1918)
'The Killer' Jed
The Squaw Man
(1918)
Happy
The Romance of Tarzan
(1918)
Juan
Hands Up
(1918)
Too Much Johnson
(1919)
Billy Lounsberry
Romance and Arabella
(1919)
Harry Atteridge
Everywoman
(1919)
Love
Something to Think About
(1920)
Jim Dirk
The 13th Commandment
(1920)
The Affairs of Anatol
(1921)
Abner Elliott
Orphans of the Storm
(1921)
Danton
Moonlight and Honeysuckle
(1921)
Ted Musgrove
A Broken Doll
(1921)
Tommy Dawes
A Perfect Crime
(1921)
Wally Griggs
Broadway Rose
(1922)
Tom Darcy
Peacock Alley
(1922)
Elmer Harmon
My Old Kentucky Home
(1922)
Richard Goodloe
Lucretia Lombard
(1923)
Stephen Winship
Defying Destiny
(1923)
Jack Fenton
The Purple Highway
(1923)
Edgar Prentice, aka Edgar Craig
Brass
(1923)
Philip Baldwin
Main Street
(1923)
Dr. Will Kennicott
The Marriage Circle
(1924)
Dr. Franz Braun
Mademoiselle Midnight
(1924)
Owen Burke / Jerry Brent
Daughters of Pleasure
(1924)
Kent Merrill
How to Educate a Wife
(1924)
Ernest Todd
The Dark Swan
(1924)
Lewis Dike
Revelation
(1924)
Paul Granville
Being Respectable
(1924)
Charles Carpenter
The Lover of Camille
(1924)
Jean Gaspard Deburau
Loving Lies
(1924)
Captain Dan stover
Kiss Me Again
(1925)
Gaston Fleury
The Limited Mail
(1925)
Bob Wilson / Bob Snobson
Red Hot Tires
(1925)
Al Jones
Hogan's Alley
(1925)
Lefty O'Brien
Recompense
(1925)
Peter Graham
So This Is Paris
(1926)
Dr. Paul Giraud
Other Women's Husbands
(1926)
Dick Lambert
Across the Pacific
(1926)
Monte
The Man Upstairs
(1926)
Geoffrey West
Bitter Apples
(1927)
John Wyncote
Life in Hollywood No. 4
(1927)
The Black Diamond Express
(1927)
Dan Foster
White Shadows in the South Seas
(1928)
Dr. Matthew Lloyd
Conquest
(1928)
Donald Overton
Across the Atlantic
(1928)
Hugh Clayton
Show of Shows
(1929)
Condemned Man (segment "Rifle Execution") (uncredited)
The Greyhound Limited
(1929)
Monte
No Defense
(1929)
Monte Collins
From Headquarters
(1929)
Happy Smith
Tiger Rose
(1929)
Devlin
Those Who Dance
(1930)
Dan Hogan
Isle of Escape
(1930)
Dave Wade
Officer Thirteen
(1932)
Tom Burke
The Stoker
(1932)
Dick Martin
The Thundering Herd
(1933)
Smiley
The Intruder
(1933)
John Brandt
Her Forgotten Past
(1933)
Donald Thorne
Wagon Wheels
(1934)
Kenneth Murdock
Come On, Marines!
(1934)
Lt. Allen
Student Tour
(1934)
Jeff Kane
The Last Round-up
(1934)
Jack Kells
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
(1935)
Hamzulla Khan
Trails of the Wild
(1935)
RCMP Larry Doyle
Wanderer of the Wasteland
(1935)
Guerd Larey
Nevada
(1935)
Clem Dillon
The Test
(1935)
Pepite La Joie
On Probation
(1935)
Al Murray
'G' Men
(1935)
Fingerprint Expert
Social Error
(1935)
Dean Carter
Ride, Ranger, Ride
(1936)
Duval, aka Chief Tavibo
Song of the Gringo
(1936)
Sheriff
Treachery Rides the Range
(1936)
Colonel Drummond
Desert Gold
(1936)
Chetley 'Chet' Kasedon
Prison Shadows
(1936)
Bert McNamee
Mary of Scotland
(1936)
Messenger
A Million to One
(1936)
John Kent Sr.
Sharad of Atlantis
(1936)
Unga Khan
Born to the West
(1937)
Bart Hammond
Rootin' Tootin' Rhythm
(1937)
Joe Stafford
Secret Agent X-9
(1937)
Baron Michael Karsten
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
(1937)
Indian Jim
Amateur Crook
(1937)
Crone
Sky Racket
(1937)
Benjamin Arnold
Souls at Sea
(1937)
Mate
The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
(1938)
Mr. Cameron
Hawk of the Wilderness
(1938)
Yellow Weasel
Tom Sawyer, Detective
(1938)
Sheriff Walker
The Mysterious Rider
(1938)
Cap Folsom
Rebellious Daughters
(1938)
Charlie, alias Clint Houston
Cocoanut Grove
(1938)
Undetermined Role
The Big Broadcast of 1938
(1938)
Passenger (uncredited)
Touchdown, Army
(1938)
Pilot (uncredited)
King of Alcatraz
(1938)
Officer
Illegal Traffic
(1938)
Captain Moran
Dodge City
(1939)
Barlow
Frontier Pony Express
(1939)
Cherokee
Juarez
(1939)
Lerdo de Tajada
Union Pacific
(1939)
Indian (uncredited)
Days of Jesse James
(1939)
Train Passenger
Port of Hate
(1939)
Hammond
Geronimo
(1939)
Interpreter
Our Leading Citizen
(1939)
Frank
Young Bill Hickok
(1940)
Marshal Evans
Mystery Sea Raider
(1940)
Captain Norberg
The Texas Rangers Ride Again
(1940)
Pablo Slide Along
North West Mounted Police
(1940)
Indian
Road to Singapore
(1940)
High Priest (uncredited)
Bad Man of Deadwood
(1941)
Sheriff Jordan
King of the Texas Rangers
(1941)
Capt. Tom King Sr.
The Great Train Robbery
(1941)
The Super
Sunset in Wyoming
(1941)
Jim Hayes
Riders of Death Valley
(1941)
Rance Davis
Law of the Timber
(1941)
Hodge Mason
New York Town
(1941)
McAuliffe (uncredited)
Pacific Blackout
(1941)
Colonel
Scattergood Pulls the Strings
(1941)
Ben Mott
Across the Pacific
(1942)
Dan Morton
Secret Enemies
(1942)
Hugo Mehl
My Favorite Blonde
(1942)
Policeman at Union Hall (uncredited)
Gentleman Jim
(1942)
Gambler in "Lucky Guy"
North to the Klondike
(1942)
John Burke
Klondike Fury
(1942)
Flight Dispatcher
I Married a Witch
(1942)
Doorman (uncredited)
The Great Man's Lady
(1942)
Man #2, Hoyt City
The Remarkable Andrew
(1942)
Policeman
Road to Morocco
(1942)
Kasim's Aide (uncredited)
The Hidden Hand
(1942)
Matthews, the undertaker (uncredited)
Truck Busters
(1943)
Scrappy O'Brien
Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer
(1943)
Bit Role
Casablanca
(1943)
American (uncredited)
Action in the North Atlantic
(1943)
Seaman (uncredited)
Edge of Darkness
(1943)
Jens Petersen
Mission to Moscow
(1943)
Heckler (uncredited)
The Hard Way
(1943)
Man in Audience (Uncredited)
Northern Pursuit
(1943)
Jean
The Mask of Dimitrios
(1944)
Abdul Dhris
Trial by Trigger
(1944)
Brewster (uncredited)
The Horn Blows at Midnight
(1945)
The Chef (uncredited)
San Antonio
(1945)
Cleve Andrews
Frontier Days
(1945)
Ned-U.S. Marshal
Danger Signal
(1945)
Policeman in Car
Shadow of a Woman
(1946)
Mike, Police Lieutenant
Cinderella Jones
(1946)
Jailer
Two Guys from Milwaukee
(1946)
Broadcast Director (uncredited)
The Time, The Place and The Girl
(1946)
Stage Manager (uncredited)
Never Say Goodbye
(1946)
Policeman (uncredited)
So You Want to Play the Horses
(1946)
The Colonel (uncredited)
Possessed
(1947)
Norris - lake house caretaker
Life with Father
(1947)
The Policeman
Bells of San Fernando
(1947)
Governor Don Sebastian Fernando
Stallion Road
(1947)
Horse Rancher (uncredited)
The Unfaithful
(1947)
Businessman with Hunter
Cheyenne
(1947)
Timberline
Humoresque
(1947)
Moving Man (uncredited)
Key Largo
(1948)
Sheriff Ben Wade
Johnny Belinda
(1948)
Ben (uncredited)
Silver River
(1948)
'Buck' Chevigee
Two Guys from Texas
(1948)
Pete Nash
Flaxy Martin
(1949)
Joe, Detective
Homicide
(1949)
George, Sheriff
The Younger Brothers
(1949)
Deputy Joe
Ranger of Cherokee Strip
(1949)
Chief Hunter
The Big Wheel
(1949)
Deacon Jones
The Blonde Bandit
(1949)
Police Chief Ramsey
The Fountainhead
(1949)
Gas Station Executive (uncredited)
Colorado Territory
(1949)
US Marshal (uncredited)
South of St. Louis
(1949)
Capt. Jeffrey
Backfire
(1950)
Det. Sgt. Pluther (uncredited)
This Side of the Law
(1950)
The Sheriff
So You Want to Hold Your Husband
(1950)
Rice - Curry's Partner
The Iroquois Trail
(1950)
Chief Sagamore
Gold Raiders
(1951)
John Sawyer
Snake River Desperadoes
(1951)
Jim Haverly
The Sea Hornet
(1951)
Lt. Drake
Warpath
(1951)
First Emigrant
Three Desperate Men
(1951)
Marshal Pete Coleman
Hangman's Knot
(1952)
Maxwell
Trail of the Arrow
(1952)
(archive footage)
Rose of Cimarron
(1952)
Lone Eagle
The Last Posse
(1953)
Uncle Will
Apache
(1954)
Geronimo
Adventures of the Texas Kid: Border Ambush
(1954)
Sheriff
Directing
The Birth of a Nation
(1915)
Assistant Director
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
(1916)
Second Assistant Director
Crew