Image of George Montgomery

George Montgomery

George Montgomery was boxing champion at the University of Montana, where he majored in architecture and interior design. Dropping out a year later, he decided to take up boxing more seriously, and moved to California, where he was coached by ex-heavyweight world champion James J. Jeffries. While in Hollywood, he came to the attention of the studios (not least, because he was an expert rider) and was hired as a stuntman in 1935. After doing this for four years, George was offered a contract at 20th Century Fox in 1939, but found himself largely confined to leads in B-westerns. He did not secure a part in anything even remotely like a prestige picture, until his co-starring role in Roxie Hart (1942), opposite Ginger Rogers. Next, in Orchestra Wives (1942), he played the perfunctory love interest for Ann Rutherford -- though both, inevitably, ended up playing second trombone to Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. In 1947, George got his first serious break, being cast as Raymond Chandler's private eye Philip Marlowe, in The Brasher Doubloon (1947). Reviewers, however, compared his performance unfavourably with that of Humphrey Bogart and found the film 'pallid' overall. So it was back to the saddle for George. Unable to shake his image as a cowboy actor, he starred in scores of films with titles like Belle Starr's Daughter (1948), Dakota Lil (1950), Jack McCall Desperado (1953) and Masterson of Kansas (1954) at Columbia, and for producer Edward Small at United Artists. When not cleaning up the Wild West with his six-shooter, he branched out into adventure films set in exotic locales (notably as Harry Quartermain in Watusi (1959)). During the 60's, he also wrote, directed and starred in several long-forgotten, low-budget wartime potboilers made in the Philippines. At the height of his popularity, George attracted as much publicity for his acting, as for his liaisons with glamorous stars, like Ginger Rogers, Hedy Lamarr (to whom he was briefly engaged) and singer Dinah Shore (whom he married in 1943). After his retirement from the film business, he devoted himself to his love of painting, furniture-making and sculpting bronze busts, including one of his close friend Ronald Reagan.


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Born:
Aug 29, 1916
Movie/TV Credits:
87
First Appeared:
In the movie Springtime in the Rockies 1937-11-13
Latest Project:
Movie Ransom 1988-01-01
Known For
Poster of Man from God's Country
Poster of Robbers' Roost
Poster of The Brasher Doubloon
Poster of Bomber's Moon
Filmography
Movie Ransom Inspector Marks 1988-01-01
Movie Wild Wind Major Nestorovic 1985-11-01
Series Children's Island The President 1985-11-21
Movie The Daredevil Paul Tunney 1972-01-01
Series Alias Smith and Jones Unknown 1971-01-05
Movie Satan's Harvest Cutter Murdock 1970-02-01
Series The Odd Couple Unknown 1970-09-24
Movie Warkill Col. John Hannegan 1968-04-30
Movie Hostile Guns Gid McCool 1967-07-01
Movie Bomb at 10:10 Steve Corbett / Stiv Korbet 1967-07-12
Series NET Playhouse Unknown 1966-10-07
Movie Hallucination Generation Eric 1966-12-01
Movie Battle of the Bulge Sgt. Duquesne 1965-12-16
Movie Django the Condemned Pat O'Brien 1965-01-01
Movie Guerillas in Pink Lace Murphy 1964-01-01
Movie Hell of Borneo John Dirkson 1964-01-01
Movie Samar Dr. John David Saunders 1962-04-11
Movie The Steel Claw Capt. John Larsen 1961-09-20
Movie Watusi Harry Quartermain 1959-03-25
Movie King of the Wild Stallions Randy Burke 1959-05-17
Movie Man from God's Country Dan Beattie 1958-02-09
Movie The Toughest Gun in Tombstone Capt. Matt Sloane 1958-05-14
Movie Badman's Country Pat Garrett 1958-08-02
Series Cimarron City Mayor Matt Rockford 1958-09-27
Movie Gun Duel In Durango Will Sabre 1957-05-01
Movie Street of Sinners John Dean 1957-08-30
Movie Last of the Badmen Dan Barton 1957-02-17
Movie Pawnee Paul 'Pale Arrow' Fletcher 1957-09-07
Movie Black Patch Clay Morgan 1957-09-15
Movie Canyon River Steve Patrick 1956-08-04
Series The Steve Allen Show Unknown 1956-06-24
Movie Huk! Greg Dickson 1956-08-08
Series The Dinah Shore Chevy Show Unknown 1956-10-05
Movie Seminole Uprising Cam Elliott 1955-05-01
Movie Robbers' Roost Jim 'Tex' Wall 1955-05-30
Movie Masterson of Kansas Bat Masterson 1954-12-01
Movie The Lone Gun Cruze 1954-04-25
Movie Battle of Rogue River Maj. Frank Archer 1954-06-15
Series General Electric Theater Unknown 1953-02-01
Movie Jack McCall Desperado Jack McCall 1953-03-31
Movie Fort Ti Capt. Jed Horn 1953-04-30
Movie Gun Belt Billy Ringo 1953-07-24
Movie Cripple Creek Bret Ivers / Iverson 1952-06-30
Movie Indian Uprising Capt. Chase McCloud 1952-01-02
Series This Is Your Life Unknown 1952-10-01
Movie The Pathfinder Pathfinder 1952-12-09
Movie The Sword of Monte Cristo Captain Renault 1951-03-03
Movie The Texas Rangers Johnny Carver 1951-06-03
Movie Davy Crockett, Indian Scout Davy Crockett 1950-01-06
Movie Dakota Lil Tom Horn / Steve Garrett 1950-02-17
Movie The Iroquois Trail Nat Cutler / Hawkeye 1950-06-15
Movie Lulu Belle George Davis 1948-08-15
Movie The Girl from Manhattan Rev. Tom Walker 1948-10-01
Series Studio One Unknown 1948-11-07
Movie Belle Starr's Daughter Marshal Tom Jackson 1948-11-13
Movie The Brasher Doubloon Philip Marlowe 1947-02-06
Movie Three Little Girls in Blue Van Damm Smith 1946-09-03
Movie Take It or Leave It Himself 1944-07-17
Movie Coney Island Eddie Johnson 1943-06-18
Movie Bomber's Moon Capt. Jeffrey Dakin 1943-08-05
Movie Roxie Hart Homer Howard 1942-02-20
Movie Ten Gentlemen from West Point Joe Dawson 1942-06-26
Movie China Girl Johnny Williams 1942-12-09
Movie Orchestra Wives Bill Abbot 1942-09-04
Movie Accent on Love John Worth Hyndman 1941-07-11
Movie The Cowboy and the Blonde Lank Garrett 1941-05-16
Movie Riders of the Purple Sage Lassiter 1941-10-09
Movie Cadet Girl Tex Mallory 1941-11-28
Movie Star Dust Ronnie 1940-04-06
Movie Young People Mike Shea 1940-08-30
Movie Charter Pilot Charlie Crane 1940-12-06
Movie The Night Riders Mob Member 1939-04-12
Movie Frontier Pony Express Lieutenant Harris 1939-04-11
Movie The Mysterious Miss X Policeman 1939-01-10
Movie S.O.S Tidal Wave 1939-06-02
Movie Rough Riders' Round-up Patrolman Joe 1939-03-13
Movie Southward Ho! 1939-03-19
Movie Wall Street Cowboy Cowhand 1939-08-06
Movie In Old Caliente Henchman 1939-06-19
Movie The Cisco Kid and the Lady Tommy Bates 1939-12-29
Movie Saga of Death Valley Henchman 1939-11-17
Movie South of the Border Bandit 1939-12-15
Movie The Arizona Kid Soldier 1939-09-28
Movie In Old Monterey Soldier 1939-08-14
Movie The Lone Ranger Jim Clark 1938-02-13
Movie Army Girl Soldier 1938-08-11
Movie Springtime in the Rockies Cowhand at Dance (uncredited) 1937-11-13