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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0599787
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q953336
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Filmography (Movies)
Ransom
Character:Inspector Marks
Release Date:01/01/1988
Wild Wind
Character:Major Nestorovic
Release Date:01/11/1985
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
Character:Self
Release Date:05/06/1979
The Daredevil
Character:Paul Tunney
Release Date:01/01/1972
Satan's Harvest
Character:Cutter Murdock
Release Date:01/02/1970
Ride the Tiger
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1970
Strangers at Sunrise
Character:Grant Merrick
Release Date:07/08/1969
Warkill
Character:Col. John Hannegan
Release Date:30/04/1968
Bomb at 10:10
Character:Steve Corbett / Stiv Korbet
Release Date:12/07/1967
Hostile Guns
Character:Gid McCool
Release Date:01/07/1967
Hallucination Generation
Character:Eric
Release Date:01/12/1966
Battle of the Bulge
Character:Sgt. Duquesne
Release Date:16/12/1965
Django the Condemned
Character:Pat O'Brien
Release Date:01/01/1965
Hell of Borneo
Character:John Dirkson
Release Date:01/01/1964
Guerillas in Pink Lace
Character:Murphy
Release Date:01/01/1964
Samar
Character:Dr. John David Saunders
Release Date:11/04/1962
The Steel Claw
Character:Capt. John Larsen
Release Date:20/09/1961
King of the Wild Stallions
Character:Randy Burke
Release Date:17/05/1959
Watusi
Character:Harry Quartermain
Release Date:25/03/1959
Badman's Country
Character:Pat Garrett
Release Date:02/08/1958
The Toughest Gun in Tombstone
Character:Capt. Matt Sloane
Release Date:14/05/1958
Man from God's Country
Character:Dan Beattie
Release Date:09/02/1958
Black Patch
Character:Clay Morgan
Release Date:15/09/1957
Pawnee
Character:Paul 'Pale Arrow' Fletcher
Release Date:07/09/1957
Street of Sinners
Character:John Dean
Release Date:30/08/1957
Gun Duel in Durango
Character:Will Sabre
Release Date:01/05/1957
Last of the Badmen
Character:Dan Barton
Release Date:17/02/1957
Huk!
Character:Greg Dickson
Release Date:08/08/1956
Canyon River
Character:Steve Patrick
Release Date:04/08/1956
Claire
Character:Dr. Stanley Wayne
Release Date:25/04/1956
Robbers' Roost
Character:Jim 'Tex' Wall
Release Date:30/05/1955
Seminole Uprising
Character:Cam Elliott
Release Date:01/05/1955
Masterson of Kansas
Character:Bat Masterson
Release Date:01/12/1954
Battle of Rogue River
Character:Maj. Frank Archer
Release Date:15/06/1954
The Lone Gun
Character:Cruze
Release Date:25/04/1954
Gun Belt
Character:Billy Ringo
Release Date:24/07/1953
Fort Ti
Character:Capt. Jed Horn
Release Date:30/04/1953
Jack McCall, Desperado
Character:Jack McCall
Release Date:01/04/1953
The Pathfinder
Character:Pathfinder
Release Date:09/12/1952
Cripple Creek
Character:Bret Ivers / Iverson
Release Date:30/06/1952
Indian Uprising
Character:Capt. Chase McCloud
Release Date:02/01/1952
The Texas Rangers
Character:Johnny Carver
Release Date:03/06/1951
The Sword of Monte Cristo
Character:Captain Renault
Release Date:03/03/1951
The Iroquois Trail
Character:Nat Cutler / Hawkeye
Release Date:15/06/1950
Dakota Lil
Character:Tom Horn / Steve Garrett
Release Date:17/02/1950
Davy Crockett, Indian Scout
Character:Davy Crockett
Release Date:06/01/1950
Belle Starr's Daughter
Character:Marshal Tom Jackson
Release Date:13/11/1948
The Girl from Manhattan
Character:Rev. Tom Walker
Release Date:01/10/1948
Lulu Belle
Character:George Davis
Release Date:15/08/1948
The Brasher Doubloon
Character:Philip Marlowe
Release Date:06/02/1947
Three Little Girls in Blue
Character:Van Damm Smith
Release Date:03/09/1946
Take It or Leave It
Character:(archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:17/07/1944
Troop Carrier Airplanes: Cockpit Procedure
Character:Lt. Warren
Release Date:13/03/1944
Bomber's Moon
Character:Capt. Jeffrey Dakin
Release Date:05/08/1943
Coney Island
Character:Eddie Johnson
Release Date:18/06/1943
China Girl
Character:Johnny Williams
Release Date:09/12/1942
Orchestra Wives
Character:Bill Abbot
Release Date:04/09/1942
Ten Gentlemen from West Point
Character:Joe Dawson
Release Date:26/06/1942
Roxie Hart
Character:Homer Howard
Release Date:20/02/1942
Cadet Girl
Character:Tex Mallory
Release Date:28/11/1941
Riders of the Purple Sage
Character:Lassiter
Release Date:09/10/1941
Last of the Duanes
Character:Buck Duane
Release Date:26/09/1941
Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1
Character:Self
Release Date:15/08/1941
Accent on Love
Character:John Worth Hyndman
Release Date:11/07/1941
The Cowboy and the Blonde
Character:Lank Garrett
Release Date:16/05/1941
Charter Pilot
Character:Charlie Crane
Release Date:06/12/1940
Young People
Character:Mike Shea
Release Date:30/08/1940
Hi-Yo Silver
Character:Jim Clark
Release Date:10/04/1940
Star Dust
Character:Ronnie
Release Date:06/04/1940
The Cisco Kid and the Lady
Character:Tommy Bates
Release Date:29/12/1939
South of the Border
Character:Bandit
Release Date:15/12/1939
Saga of Death Valley
Character:Henchman
Release Date:17/11/1939
The Arizona Kid
Character:Soldier
Release Date:28/09/1939
In Old Monterey
Character:Soldier
Release Date:14/08/1939
Wall Street Cowboy
Character:Cowhand
Release Date:06/08/1939
In Old Caliente
Character:Henchman
Release Date:19/06/1939
S.O.S Tidal Wave
Character:
Release Date:02/06/1939
The Night Riders
Character:Mob Member
Release Date:12/04/1939
Frontier Pony Express
Character:Lieutenant Harris
Release Date:11/04/1939
Southward Ho!
Character:
Release Date:19/03/1939
Rough Riders' Round-up
Character:Patrolman Joe
Release Date:13/03/1939
The Mysterious Miss X
Character:Policeman
Release Date:10/01/1939
Army Girl
Character:Soldier
Release Date:11/08/1938
The Lone Ranger
Character:Jim Clark
Release Date:13/02/1938
Springtime in the Rockies
Character:Cowhand at Dance (uncredited)
Release Date:13/11/1937
Television Appearances
Children's Island
Character:The President
Dinah!
Character:Self
The Six Million Dollar Man
Character:Christopher Bell / Garth
Alias Smith and Jones
Character:
The Odd Couple
Character:Griff
The Mike Douglas Show
Character:Self
Cimarron City
Character:Mayor Matt Rockford
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Character:Self
The Steve Allen Show
Character:Self - Cimarron City
General Electric Theater
Character:Jim Corbett
General Electric Theater
Character:Buchanan Smith
This Is Your Life
Character:Self
What's My Line?
Character:Self - Mystery Guest
Studio One
Character:Bakeland
Images
