
George Montgomery
Born August 29, 1916 · Brady, Montana, USA
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.
Notable Appearances
Movies
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Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1

Belle Starr's Daughter

Battle of Rogue River

Ten Gentlemen from West Point

Three Little Girls in Blue

Young People

When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion

Man from God's Country

S.O.S Tidal Wave

The Sword of Monte Cristo

The Lone Gun

The Girl from Manhattan

Cripple Creek

Take It or Leave It

Lulu Belle

The Cisco Kid and the Lady

Gun Duel in Durango

The Brasher Doubloon

The Night Riders

Last of the Badmen

Rough Riders' Round-up

Saga of Death Valley

The Mysterious Miss X

Huk!

Springtime in the Rockies

Coney Island

Robbers' Roost

Samar

The Toughest Gun in Tombstone

The Cowboy and the Blonde

Fort Ti

Watusi

Bomb at 10:10

Cadet Girl

Orchestra Wives

Bomber's Moon

Black Patch

Claire

Army Girl

Guerillas in Pink Lace

Wall Street Cowboy

Gun Belt

Hostile Guns

Seminole Uprising

Django the Condemned

Star Dust

Canyon River

Wild Wind

Jennie

The Arizona Kid

Pawnee

In Old Monterey

Hi-Yo Silver

Badman's Country

In Old Caliente

The Lone Ranger

Indian Uprising

The Pathfinder

The Steel Claw

Hallucination Generation

Masterson of Kansas

Street of Sinners

Jack McCall, Desperado

Dakota Lil

Ransom

The Iroquois Trail

Frontier Pony Express

Southward Ho!

Hell of Borneo

The Daredevil

Charter Pilot

Satan's Harvest

Accent on Love

Ride the Tiger

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