Biography

HEIGHT: 5′8″
HAIR/EYES: Brown
ETHNICITY: MEXICAN/UKRAINIAN

Matthew Montgomery, Houston born, Corpus Christi raised, Texas-bred.  Actor, Producer, Filmmaker.

With an artist father as a role model Matthew Montgomery was immersed in the world of art at a very young age.  With surroundings consisting of his father’s gallery as well as his father’s friends who included various artists, actors, filmmakers, and writers, inspiration was not hard to come by.  As a child he was known to put on elaborate puppet shows as well as skits and in depth reenactments of movies and cartoons.  With a step-mother who carried a deep fascination and love of classic film, Hepburn, Brando, Stewart, and Gable were household fixtures to Matthew’s upbringing.

It wasn’t until age eleven that Matthew got his first taste of being center stage in a 6th grade production of E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web.  Despite having his Templeton tail ripped off by a fellow actor, this initial experience ultimately sparked his love for the theatre.  This led to a high school rendition in which Matthew went from side character to lead in Irving Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun as Frank Butler.

Fueled by the thrill of the spotlight, Matthew went on to study theater at the University of Southern California under the guidance of Eve Roberts. Within his first year he was nicknamed “The Wonder Freshman,” as he was able to gain leading or supporting roles in nearly every theatre production that went up throughout the course of his studies. Additionally, he also landed the  leading role in the main stage production of Landford Wilson’s The Rimers of Eldritch, which at the time was unheard of as freshmen weren’t allowed to participate in main stage productions at U. S. C.

From there he went on to study at Point Park Conservatory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where during his stay obtained a role as Johnny Eck in the zombie short Reign of the Dead, which followed the George Romero zombie saga. With Hollywood being the center of the film industry, Matthew set off to California.

Beginning with his first feature film role as Mark Reeves in the Festival Favorite Gone, But Not Forgotten, which played in over thirty film festivals around the world and was “Top Ten Best Seller” for TLA Video for 2003 and 2004, Matthew began his career in Independent Film Cinema with a bang. He went on to star as Marx in Daniel Lee’s Journeyman, a resolute Iraq war veteran who drifts in and out of the main character Anna’s life by way of rescue. Journeyman went on to receive Third Place Feature Film in the Twin Rivers Multimedia Film Festival in Asheville, North Carolina.

Following Journeyman Matthew went from actor to producer when he teamed up with Guest House Films to co-produce and star as Glen Phillips in Rob Williams’ gay romantic comedy Long-Term Relationship, the quirky but rocky tale of Glenn’s love for a conservative gay Republican southern boy. Real life trials of a relationship are put to test in this multiple award-winning independent film, awards including “Second Place Best Actor” and “Best Feature” at multiple film festivals. Acquired by here! Films and Regent Releasing, Long-Term Relationship was released worldwide in November of 2007.

Directly after, Matthew again co-produced and starred in Rob Williams’ second feature for Guest House Films, Back Soon, as Guillermo “Gil” Ramirez, a former drug dealer faced with his mortality through a near-death experience which leads to a bittersweet, temporary possession by the spirit of Adrienne Foster, the deceased wife of co-lead character, Logan Foster.  Sparks and attraction emerge, breaching the worlds of the here and now and the great hereafter.  This film won the Alternative Spirit Award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival in 2007 as well as Best Actor for Matthew Montgomery, and has since been acquired by TLA Releasing who released it to DVD in April of 2008.

In 2007 alone, Matthew starred in three feature films, produced two, and made a cameo appearance in another. In January 2008, Matthew also starred as Michael Castigan in the psychological thriller, Pornography: A Thriller, directed by David Kittredge which released to DVD in July of 2010.  Also in 2008, Matthew starred in the indie drama, Redwoods, which was released to DVD in December of 2009.  While starring in these films, he has continued to work alongside Guest House Films, producing indie favorites, 3-Day Weekend, and Make the Yuletide Gay (Alison Arngrim, Keith Jordan, Kelly Keaton, Derek Long, Gates McFadden, Adamo Ruggiero).  Recently, Montgomery went on to star in the latest Guest House Films project alongside real-life partner, Steve Callahan, in the indie drama, Role/Play.  He is now in development of two other features scheduled for a 2010 shoot, Finding Mr. Wright, and I Want to Get Married. In addition, Matthew can be found in the international tour of Terrence McNally’s Corpus Christi.

Montgomery has allowed the development of a multi-faceted career with the emergence of his production company, Proteus Pictures. It’s doors will open with Matthew’s first feature, Sticke Figures, the story of a struggling artist from Chicago who returns home to a small town in Michigan after the death of his ex-girlfriend, only to discover that his inheritance is much more than he bargained for, and wears a dress. With his acting described as “stellar” by TLA Releasing, it’s assured that Matthew will continue to break into new ground in the film industry. Gary Kramer of Gay City News says, “Montgomery embraces his role, projecting the complexities of his character.” The New York Times calls Matthew “a standout.”  Montgomery has been involved in over 15 films and with a growing roster is one to surely be on the look out for on the red carpet soon.

-Written By Jessica Pena