George Montgomery

George Montgomery

Biography: 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.

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: August 29, 1916

Deathday: December 12, 2000

Popularity:

6.752

Known For

The Brasher Doubloon
The Brasher Doubloon

1947-02-06

Satan's Harvest
Satan's Harvest

1970-02-01

Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge

1965-12-16

Orchestra Wives
Orchestra Wives

1942-09-04

The Sword of Monte Cristo
The Sword of Monte Cristo

1951-03-03

Davy Crockett, Indian Scout
Davy Crockett, Indian Scout

1950-01-06

Springtime in the Rockies
Springtime in the Rockies

1937-11-13

The Daredevil
The Daredevil

1972-01-01

Coney Island
Coney Island

1943-06-18

China Girl
China Girl

1942-12-09

When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion

1979-06-05

Roxie Hart
Roxie Hart

1942-02-20

Young People
Young People

1940-08-30

Strangers at Sunrise
Strangers at Sunrise

1969-08-07

The Steel Claw
The Steel Claw

1961-09-20

Gun Belt
Gun Belt

1953-07-24

Pawnee
Pawnee

1957-09-07

Street of Sinners
Street of Sinners

1957-08-30

Gun Duel In Durango
Gun Duel In Durango

1957-05-01

The Girl from Manhattan
The Girl from Manhattan

1948-10-01

Watusi
Watusi

1959-03-25

Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1
Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1

1941-08-15

Fort Ti
Fort Ti

1953-04-30

Jack McCall, Desperado
Jack McCall, Desperado

1953-04-01

Canyon River
Canyon River

1956-08-04

Seminole Uprising
Seminole Uprising

1955-05-01

The Lone Gun
The Lone Gun

1954-04-25

Accent on Love
Accent on Love

1941-07-11

Masterson of Kansas
Masterson of Kansas

1954-12-01

Battle of Rogue River
Battle of Rogue River

1954-06-15

Hostile Guns
Hostile Guns

1967-07-01

Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek

1952-06-30

The Cisco Kid and the Lady
The Cisco Kid and the Lady

1939-12-29

Hell of Borneo
Hell of Borneo

1964-01-01

Ten Gentlemen from West Point
Ten Gentlemen from West Point

1942-06-26

The Pathfinder
The Pathfinder

1952-12-09

Three Little Girls in Blue
Three Little Girls in Blue

1946-09-03

Dakota Lil
Dakota Lil

1950-02-17

The Toughest Gun in Tombstone
The Toughest Gun in Tombstone

1958-05-14

Robbers' Roost
Robbers' Roost

1955-05-30

Samar
Samar

1962-04-11

The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger

1938-02-13

Indian Uprising
Indian Uprising

1952-01-02

King of the Wild Stallions
King of the Wild Stallions

1959-05-17

The Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers

1951-06-03

Last of the Badmen
Last of the Badmen

1957-02-17

Django the Condemned
Django the Condemned

1965-01-01

The Cowboy and the Blonde
The Cowboy and the Blonde

1941-05-16

Huk!
Huk!

1956-08-08

Star Dust
Star Dust

1940-04-06

The Iroquois Trail
The Iroquois Trail

1950-06-15

Belle Starr's Daughter
Belle Starr's Daughter

1948-11-13

Saga of Death Valley
Saga of Death Valley

1939-11-17

Wall Street Cowboy
Wall Street Cowboy

1939-08-06

Last of the Duanes
Last of the Duanes

1941-09-26

The Mysterious Miss X
The Mysterious Miss X

1939-01-10

Rough Riders' Round-up
Rough Riders' Round-up

1939-03-13

Southward Ho!
Southward Ho!

1939-03-19

Frontier Pony Express
Frontier Pony Express

1939-04-11

The Night Riders
The Night Riders

1939-04-12

In Old Caliente
In Old Caliente

1939-06-19

The Arizona Kid
The Arizona Kid

1939-09-28

South of the Border
South of the Border

1939-12-15

Ransom
Ransom

1988-01-01

Black Patch
Black Patch

1957-09-15

Bomber's Moon
Bomber's Moon

1943-08-05

Man from God's Country
Man from God's Country

1958-02-09

Warkill
Warkill

1968-04-30

Charter Pilot
Charter Pilot

1940-12-06

The Return of Gentleman Jim
The Return of Gentleman Jim

1955-02-05

In Old Monterey
In Old Monterey

1939-08-14

Lulu Belle
Lulu Belle

1948-08-15

Riders of the Purple Sage
Riders of the Purple Sage

1941-10-09

Hi-Yo Silver
Hi-Yo Silver

1940-04-10

Hallucination Generation
Hallucination Generation

1966-12-01

Army Girl
Army Girl

1938-08-11

Wild Wind
Wild Wind

1985-11-01

Badman's Country
Badman's Country

1958-08-02

Bomb at 10:10
Bomb at 10:10

1967-07-12

S.O.S Tidal Wave
S.O.S Tidal Wave

1939-06-02

Cadet Girl
Cadet Girl

1941-11-28

Take It or Leave It
Take It or Leave It

1944-07-17

Troop Carrier Airplanes: Cockpit Procedure
Troop Carrier Airplanes: Cockpit Procedure

1944-03-13

Ride the Tiger
Ride the Tiger

1970-01-01

Guerillas in Pink Lace
Guerillas in Pink Lace

1964-01-01

Claire
Claire

1956-04-25