Matthew Montgomery (born Matthew Ramirez; March 16, 1978) is an American actor, writer, producer, and director. He was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Corpus Christi, and has been recognized for his lead roles in LGBTQ+ cinema beginning in the early 2000s. Montgomery is known for his breakthrough debut appearance in Gone, But Not Forgotten in 2003.
Starting in 2006, he teamed up with production company Guest House Films where he produced five features: Long-Term Relationship, Back Soon, Three-Day Weekend, Make the Yuletide Gay, and Role/Play.
Early life
Montgomery was born in Houston, Texas, and grew up in Corpus Christi.[1] He became involved in the arts at a young age, mainly due to the influences from his father, who is of Mexican descent. Montgomery's father is an artist and once co-opted a gallery in the 1980s – Gallería Chaparral – in Corpus Christi, where Montgomery has stated in interviews that he met many of his father's friends who were also involved in the arts, including many artists, actors and directors.[1]
He also has European heritage on his mother's side, with her family originating from Ukraine.[1]
He was first introduced to theater in grade school where he was involved in many plays and theatre projects.[1] Meanwhile, his interest in film also began to blossom. Montgomery recalls in interviews that his step-mother first introduced him to classic cinema when he was little, which has highly influenced him as a storyteller and writer/director to this day. In interviews, he has often reflected on the work of Alfred Hitchcock.[1]
Career
Montgomery moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. Shortly after moving to the city, he had his first major breakthrough, securing the lead role in the Michael D. Akers film, Gone, But Not Forgotten.[1] The film was released in 2003 and followed Montgomery's character, Mark, who, after suffering amnesia following a fall, becomes part of an unexpected affair. The film was screened at over 30 film festivals as part of its release. His next film was Bob Logan's Yard Sale, which was released in 2004. The humorous film followed a couple following a breakup, with Montgomery playing the role of Sean.[1]
Over the next couple of years, Montgomery starred in a number of films including Daniel Lee's road drama, Journeyman, and Rob Williams's gay romantic comedy, Long-Term Relationship. In 2007, Montgomery had another major career milestone when he landed a lead role in the erotic thriller, Socket.[2] The film is a dark sexual tale of a gay man being drawn into a cult of electricity addicts after being struck by lightning. Playing the role of Dr. Craig Murphy, Montgomery saw the film pickup numerous festivals, including Best of Festival Award Jury Prize for The Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival.[2]
After starring in the 2008 horror film Fear House, Montgomery found more success in the 2009 gay horror film, Pornography: A Thriller. Playing the lead role of Michael Castigan, the film premiered at Newfest in New York City and followed up with other screenings at major LGBT film festivals around the world. The film won FilmOut San Diego's Audience Award in 2010. The film is set in three parts, follows Montgomery's character in the second part who searches for adult film actor Mark Anton, following his mysterious disappearance. Montgomery was singled out for praise from both the New York Times and CinemaQueer for his depiction of the role. New York Times described his performance as a "standout",[3] while QueerCinema called him as "especially likable."[4] Montgomery later receivedthe Philadelphia QFest 2010 Artistic Achievement Award for acting and producing.[5]
Montgomery was especially prolific in 2010, starring in multiple projects that year.[3] The highlight was starring opposite his now husband Steve Callahan in the film, Role/Play, which studies the complexities of gay relationships in the celebrity community after an outed soap opera actor crosses paths with a recently divorced gay marriage activist. Montgomery also starred in the film Flight of the Cardinal, and made an appearance on an episode of Discovery's I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant docuseries that same year.[3]
In 2011, Montgomery produced and played the lead role of Clark Townsend in Finding Mr. Wright. The film is a lighthearted romantic comedy about a talent manager who finds unexpected love and personal growth while on a retreat with his troubled client, played by Rebekah Kochan. The film had its premiere at the Philadelphia QFest on July 13, 2011. It then moved on to a screening at FilmOut San Diego on August 20, 2011. Queerty highlighted Montgomery's comedic skills, noting that he "gets to—ahem—flex his funny bone" in the film, which features a "fast-talking script, funny performances and a nice message about self-improvement and self-care."[6] He completed 2011 playing Pete in six episodes of the web series, Girl Parts. Montgomery then starred in numerous films over the next couple of years, including I Want to Get Married and The Dark Side of Love.[6]
During a short hiatus in his acting career, he went on to pursue his MFA in Film/TV Production at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, emphasizing in writing and directing. [6] Montgomery had his directorial debut with the psychological thriller, Devil's Path in 2019. The plot follows two men who are deadly game of cat-and-mouse while cruising on a hiking trail.[7] In 2022, Montgomery recently played the lead role of Max in All Kinds of Love. The plot focuses on a gay couple who choose to divorce right after the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision to legalize same-sex marriage nationally. As weddings bloom around him, Max—a gay man set in his ways—faces the challenge of beginning a new chapter. Montgomery was also a producer on All Kinds of Love. [6]
Montgomery is currently writing and developing his next thriller while working as a writers’ assistant for the long-running soap, Days of our Lives. [6]
Personal life
Montgomery is gay and is married to actor Steve Callahan. They were married in 2015 after 7 years together.[citation needed] Montgomery and Callahan have starred together on-screen, notably when they both played lead roles together in Rob Williams' film Role/Play.[8]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hinojosa, Cassandra. "Man with a past; actor with roots in city takes role as a gay man who runs away from his life". Corpus Christi Caller - Times.
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