george-montgomery-07.jpgGEORGE MONTGOMERY
INFORMATION FROM IMDb
Date of birth
29 August 1916
Brady, Montana, USA
Date of death
12 December 2000
Rancho Mirage, California, USA. (heart failure)
Birth name
George Montgomery Letz
Spouse
Dinah Shore (5 December 1943 - 9 May 1962) (divorced) 2 children
Sometimes Credited As:
George Letz
Trivia
Was a heavyweight boxer before becoming an actor.
Received many awards during his lifetime, including the Ralph Morgan Award from the Screen Actor's Guild and The Hollywood Westerner's Hall of Fame, Ronald Reagan Award.
His longtime companion of over twenty years was Ann Lindberg.
The youngest of 15 children born to Ukranian immigrants, he was raised on a Montana homestead.
Two children by Dinah Shore: Melissa Montgomery (born in 1947) and adopted son John "Jody" David Montgomery.
An excellent craftsman, he ran a cabinet shop for over 40 years while directing and appearing in action movies. He also designed and built 11 houses for friends and family.
A self-taught artist, he created bronze busts of Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Gene Autry and Randolph Scott. In later years he made sculptures of Charles Farrell and ex-wife Dinah Shore; hers and those of his children and himself sit at the Mission Hills Country Club, home of the Dinah Shore Golf Tournament.
After his divorce from Dinah Shore, in 1963 his private life again made headlines when his housekeeper, suffering obsessive infatuation, attempted to shoot the actor, planning to then commit suicide, but failing in both endeavors.
Left Hollywood in 1943 to enlist in the US Army Air Corps. After his discharge he went back to Hollywood and resumed his career
Mini Biography
from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
This brawny, virile leading man, best remembered for his numerous Westerns, was a true son of the west, born into a large Montana family. He studied interior decorating at the Uni versity of Montana and engaged in collegiate athletics as well. Drifting to Hollywood in search of movie work, he settled at Republic Pictures, where he played bits and performed stunts in such low-budget Westerns as The Singing Vagabond (1935, his first film), and Gene Autry's Springtime in the Rockies (1937), and Gold Mine in the Sky (1938). Billed as George Letz, he won his first sizable movie role as one of five "suspects" who could have been under the mask in The Lone Ranger (also 1938), Republic's million-dollar serial.
After more supporting roles at Republic, Letz was signed by 20th Century-Fox. Initially slotted in B-plus horse operasincluding The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1940, in support),The Last of the Duanes and Riders of the Purple Sage (both 1941)-and now billed as George Montgomery, he was groomed for stardom. He appeared in a raft of high-grade programmers and A pictures, including Cadet Girl (1941), Orchestra Wives, Ten Gentlemen From West Point, China Girl, Roxie Hart (all 1942), and Coney Island (1943, opposite Fox's top draw, Betty Grable).
Montgomery had done well at Fox, but he left Hollywood to serve in the military during World War 2, and upon returning found himself mired in medium-budgeted, cookie-cutter Westerns (with one notable exception: he played Raymond Chandler's private eye Philip Marlowe in 1947's The Brasher Doubloon To his credit, Montgomery matured into a capable, engaging performer, and even produced and directed some of his own films in the 1960s. But he became better known in the Hollywood community as a world-class furniture maker; he even supplemented his acting income by constructing sets and props for Columbia films, beginning in the late 1940s.
For many years married to singer Dinah Shore, he also starred in the TV series "Cimarron City" (1958-59). His 1981 book "The Years of George Montgomery" chronicles the actor's life and works, including his furniture-making, housebuilding, painting, and Western sculptures. In recent years he has presented a bronze of John Wayne to an annual recipient of his Hollywood Westerner Hall of Fame Award.
Copyright © 1994 Leonard Maltin, used by arrangement with Signet, a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc.
Filmography
Actor
1. Dikiy veter (1986) .... Major Nestorovic
... aka Divlji vetar (Yugoslavia: Serbian title)
... aka Wild Wind
2. Children's Island (1984) (TV) .... The President
3. "The Odd Couple"
- The Hollywood Story (1974) TV Episode .... Griff
4. "The Six Million Dollar Man"
- The Coward (1974) TV Episode .... Christopher Bell/Garth
5. The Leo Chronicles (1972)
6. The Daredevil (1972) .... Paul Tunney
7. "Alias Smith and Jones"
- Jailbreak at Junction City (1971) TV Episode .... Curt Clitterhouse
8. Ride the Tiger (1970) (TV)
9. Satan's Harvest (1970) .... Cutter Murdock
... aka Devil's Harvest
10. Strangers at Sunrise (1969)
11. Warkill (1968)
12. Hostile Guns (1967) .... Sheriff Gid McCool
13. Bomba u 10 i 10 (1967) .... Steve Corbett
... aka Bomb at 10:10 (USA)
14. Hallucination Generation (1966) .... Eric
... aka Hallucination
15. "I Spy"
- A Day Called 4 Jaguar (1966) TV Episode .... Nicolai
16. "Bonanza"
... aka Ponderosa (USA: rerun title)
- The Code (1966) TV Episode .... Dan Taggert
17. Hell of Borneo (1966) .... John Dirkson
... aka From Hell to Borneo
18. Battle of the Bulge (1965) .... Sgt. Duquesne
19. Proscrito del río Colorado, El (1965)
... aka Django the Condemned (USA)
... aka Django the Honorable Killer (USA)
... aka Django, killer per onore (Italy)
... aka Outlaw of Red River (USA)
20. Guerillas in Pink Lace (1964)
21. "Hawaiian Eye"
- Boar Hunt (1963) TV Episode .... Miles Maitland
22. Samar (1962) .... Dr. John Saunders
23. The Steel Claw (1961) .... Capt. John Larsen
24. Watusi (1959) .... Harry Quartermain
25. King of the Wild Stallions (1959) .... Randy Burke
26. "Cimarron City" (1958) TV Series .... Mayor Matthew Rockford (1958-1960)
27. Badman's Country (1958) .... Pat Garrett
28. Toughest Gun in Tombstone (1958) .... Matt Sloane
29. Man from God's Country (1958) .... Dan Beattie alias John R. Taylor
30. "Wagon Train"
... aka Major Adams, Trail Master
- The Jesse Cowan Story (1958) TV Episode .... Jesse Cowan
31. "General Electric Theater"
... aka G.E. Theatre (USA)
- Thousand Dollar Gun (1957) TV Episode .... Buchanan Smith
- The Return of Gentleman Jim (1955) TV Episode .... Gentelman Jim Corbett
32. Street of Sinners (1957) .... John Dean
33. Black Patch (1957) .... Marshal Clay Morgan
34. Pawnee (1957) .... Pale Arrow aka Paul Fletcher
... aka Pale Arrow (UK)
35. Gun Duel in Durango (1957) .... Dan Tomlinson aka Will Sabre
... aka Duel in Durango (USA: reissue title)
36. Last of the Badmen (1957) .... Dan Barton
37. "The Ford Television Theatre"
... aka Ford Theatre (USA: short title)
- The Quiet Stranger (1957) TV Episode .... Daniel McKee
38. "Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre"
... aka Jane Wyman Presents (USA: rerun title)
... aka Jane Wyman Theater (USA)
- Ten Percent (1956) TV Episode .... Mark Weston
39. Huk! (1956) .... Greg Dickson
40. Canyon River (1956) .... Steve Patrick
... aka Cattle King (USA)
41. "Screen Directors Playhouse"
- Claire (1956) TV Episode .... Dr. Stanley Wayne
42. "Stage 7"
- The Traveling Salesman (1955) TV Episode .... Don Kelly
43. Robbers' Roost (1955) .... 'Tex' aka Jim Wall
44. Seminole Uprising (1955) .... Lt. Cam Elliott
45. "Studio One"
... aka Studio One Summer Theatre (summer title)
... aka Studio One in Hollywood (new title)
... aka Summer Theatre (summer title)
... aka Westinghouse Studio One
... aka Westinghouse Summer Theatre (summer title)
- The Conviction of Peter Shea (1955) TV Episode .... Bakeland
46. Masterson of Kansas (1954) .... Bat Masterson
47. The Lone Gun (1954) .... Cruze
48. The Battle of Rogue River (1954) .... Maj. Frank Archer
49. Gun Belt (1953) .... Billy Ringo
50. Fort Ti (1953) .... Capt. Jed Horn
51. Jack McCall Desperado (1953) .... Jack McCall
52. The Pathfinder (1952) .... Pathfinder
53. Cripple Creek (1952) .... Bret Ivers
54. Indian Uprising (1952) .... Capt. Chase McCloud
55. The Texas Rangers (1951) .... Johnny Carver
56. The Sword of Monte Cristo (1951) .... Captain Renault
57. The Iroquois Trail (1950) .... Hawkeye
... aka The Tomahawk Trail (UK)
58. Dakota Lil (1950) .... Tom Horn aka Steve Garrett
59. Davy Crockett, Indian Scout (1950) .... Davy Crockett
... aka Indian Scout (UK)
60. Belle Starr's Daughter (1948) .... Marshal Tom Jackson
61. The Girl from Manhattan (1948) .... Rev. Tom Walker
62. Lulu Belle (1948) .... George Davis
63. The Brasher Doubloon (1947) .... Philip Marlowe
... aka The High Window (UK)
64. Three Little Girls in Blue (1946) .... Van Damm Smith
65. Bomber's Moon (1943) .... Capt. Jeffrey Dakin
66. Coney Island (1943) .... Eddie Johnson
67. China Girl (1942) .... Johnny
68. Orchestra Wives (1942) .... Bill Abbot
69. Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942) .... Joe Dawson
70. Roxie Hart (1942) .... Homer Howard
71. Cadet Girl (1941) .... Tex Mallory
72. The Riders of the Purple Sage (1941) .... Jim Lassiter
73. The Last of the Duanes (1941) .... Buck Duane
74. Accent on Love (1941) .... John Worth Hyndman
75. The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941) .... Lank Garrett
76. Jennie (1940) .... Franz
77. Charter Pilot (1940) .... Charlie Crane
78. Young People (1940) .... Mike Shea
79. Hi-Yo Silver (1940) (as George Letz) .... Jim Clark
80. Star Dust (1940) .... Ronnie
81. The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939) .... Tommy Bates
82. South of the Border (1939) (uncredited) .... Bandit
83. Saga of Death Valley (1939) (uncredited) .... Henchman
84. The Arizona Kid (1939) (uncredited) .... Soldier
85. In Old Monterey (1939) (uncredited) .... Soldier
86. Wall Street Cowboy (1939) (uncredited) .... Cowhand
87. In Old Caliente (1939) (uncredited) .... Curly's Henchman
88. S.O.S. Tidal Wave (1939) (uncredited)
89. Man of Conquest (1939) (uncredited) .... Young Lieutenant, Jackson Aide
90. Frontier Pony Express (1939) (uncredited) .... Lieutenant Harris
91. The Night Riders (1939) (uncredited) .... Mob Member
92. Southward Ho (1939) (uncredited)
93. Rough Riders' Round-up (1939) (uncredited) .... Post Telegrapher Joe
94. I Was a Convict (1939) (uncredited) .... Undetermined Role
... aka I Was in Prison (USA)
95. The Mysterious Miss X (1939) (uncredited) .... Policeman
96. Shine On, Harvest Moon (1938) (uncredited) .... Rustler
97. Hawk of the Wilderness (1938) (uncredited) .... Tom
98. Come On, Rangers (1938) (uncredited) .... Texas Ranger
99. Billy the Kid Returns (1938) (uncredited) .... Henchman
100. Pals of the Saddle (1938) (uncredited) .... Rider, as George Letz
101. Army Girl (1938) (uncredited) .... Soldier
... aka The Last of the Cavalry (UK)
102. Gold Mine In the Sky (1938) (uncredited) .... Cowhand
103. Under Western Stars (1938) (uncredited) .... Cowhand
104. Outlaws of Sonora (1938) (uncredited) .... Bank Teller
... aka Guns of Sonora
105. The Lone Ranger (1938) (as George Letz) .... Jim Clark [Chs. 1-6]
106. The Old Barn Dance (1938) (uncredited)
107. The Purple Vigilantes (1938) (uncredited) .... Gambler (as George Letz)
... aka Purple Riders (UK)
108. Springtime in the Rockies (1937) (uncredited) .... Cowboy at the dance
109. Dick Tracy (1937/I) (uncredited) .... Extra
110. The Singing Vagabond (1935) (uncredited) .... Soldier
111. The Rainbow Trail (1932) (uncredited) .... Indian
Stunts
1. Saga of Death Valley (1939) (stunts) (uncredited)
2. The Arizona Kid (1939) (stunts) (uncredited)
3. New Frontier (1939) (stunts) (uncredited)
... aka Frontier Horizon
4. Wall Street Cowboy (1939) (stunt double) (as George Letz) (uncredited)
5. Wyoming Outlaw (1939) (stunts) (uncredited)
6. In Old Caliente (1939) (stunts) (uncredited)
7. Man of Conquest (1939) (stunts) (uncredited)
8. Frontier Pony Express (1939) (stunts) (uncredited)
9. The Night Riders (1939) (stunts) (uncredited)
10. The Mysterious Miss X (1939) (stunts) (uncredited)
11. Shine On, Harvest Moon (1938) (stunts) (uncredited)
12. Santa Fe Stampede (1938) (stunts) (uncredited)
13. Pals of the Saddle (1938) (stunts) (uncredited)
14. Under Western Stars (1938) (stunts) (uncredited)
15. The Purple Vigilantes (1938) (stunts) (uncredited)
... aka Purple Riders (UK)
16. The Singing Vagabond (1935) (stunts) (uncredited)
Director
1. Ride the Tiger (1970) (TV)
2. Satan's Harvest (1970)
... aka Devil's Harvest
3. Hell of Borneo (1966)
... aka From Hell to Borneo
4. Guerillas in Pink Lace (1964)
5. Samar (1962)
6. The Steel Claw (1961)
Writer
1. Hell of Borneo (1966)
... aka From Hell to Borneo
2. Guerillas in Pink Lace (1964)
3. Samar (1962)
4. The Steel Claw (1961)
Producer
1. Hell of Borneo (1966) (producer)
... aka From Hell to Borneo
2. Guerillas in Pink Lace (1964) (producer)
3. Samar (1962) (producer)
4. The Steel Claw (1961) (producer)
Special Effects
1. Hallucination Generation (1966) (special effects)
... aka Hallucination
Miscellaneous Crew
1. Dick Tracy (1937/I) (stand-in: Ralph Byrd) (uncredited)
Himself
1. "Password"
... aka Password All-Stars (USA: new title)
- Sally Ann Howes vs. George Montgomery (1962) TV Episode .... Himself
2. "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show"
... aka The Dinah Shore Show (USA: sixth season title)
- Episode dated 6 October 1961 (1961) TV Episode .... Himself
- Episode dated 8 June 1958 (1958) TV Episode .... Himself
3. "What's My Line?"
- Episode dated 4 October 1959 (1959) TV Episode .... Himself - Mystery Guest
4. Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Small Fry (1956) .... Himself
5. "The Name's the Same"
- Episode dated 17 January 1955 (1955) TV Episode .... Himself - Contestant
6. Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Stunt Men (1953) .... Himself
7. Screen Snapshots Series 23, No. 1: Hollywood in Uniform (1943) .... Himself
... aka Screen Snapshots, No. 1, Series 23 (USA)
Archive Footage
1. Images of Indians: How Hollywood Stereotyped the Native American (2003) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
2. The Great Indian Wars 1840-1890 (1991) (uncredited) .... Captain
3. Screen Snapshots: Memories in Uniform (1954) .... Himself
