Matthew Montgomery (actor)

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Matthew Montgomery
Born
Matthew Robert Ramírez

(1978-03-16) March 16, 1978 (age 47)
Houston, Texas, United States
OccupationActor
Years active2000–present
SpouseSteve Callahan (m. 2015)

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.

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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]

Personal life

Montgomery is gay, stating in an interview, that:

When I came to Los Angeles, I did not think movies did gays. Nevertheless, from my début I have been dedicated to the independent gay cinema. I feel very lucky of being able to make me a cinema being openly gay. [3]

Matthew Montgomery and his real-life partner Steve Callahan have played lead roles together in Rob Williams' film Role/Play. [4] Montgomery accepted the Philadelphia QFest 2010 Artistic Achievement Award for Acting after the film. [5] Montgomery and Callahan were married on March 21, 2015, after being together for more than 7 years.[ citation needed ]

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", [6] while QueerCinema called him as "especially likable." [7] Montgomery later receivedthe Philadelphia QFest 2010 Artistic Achievement Award for acting and producing. [5]

Filmography

Acting roles

YearFilmRoleDirector
2003 Gone, But Not Forgotten Mark Reeves Michael D. Akers
2004 Yard Sale Sean Bob Logan
Bob SteelAugustino Will Wallace
2005 JourneymanMarx Daniel Lee
2006 Long-Term RelationshipGlenn Phillips Rob Williams
2007 Back SoonGil RamirezRob Williams
Socket Craig MurphySean Abley
2008 Fear HouseMortimer GladsteinMichael R. Morris
2009 Pornography: A Thriller Michael Castigan David Kittredge
RedwoodsChaseDavid Lewis
I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant (TV)NurseN/A
2010 Role/Play Trey ReedRob Williams
Flight of the CardinalAndy MyerRobert Gaston [5]
2011 Finding Mr. Wright Clark Townsend Nancy Criss
I Want to Get MarriedPaul RollWilliam Clift
Girl Parts (TV)PeteN/A
2012 The Dark Side of Love Jorge Ameer
The Cinderella EffectGregg ReynoldsShane Morton
2013 The First 35Mr. HobbsDerek Cole
2014 Orson Welles: War of the WorldsOrson WellesDerek Cole
Bro, What Happened?MatthewDante
Within HindsightKillerDerek Cole
2018 Devil's Path SteveDirected by Montgomery
Clayton Howe's EntertainmentxUnknownUnknown
2022 All Kinds of LoveMaxDavid Lewis

Director/production

YearTitleDirectorProducer
2018 Devil's Path YesYes

References

  1. 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.
  2. 1 2 Interview with Matthew Montgomery Archived 2010-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Interview with Matthew Montgomery Archived 2010-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Lassen, Amos (January 7, 2011). ""Role/Play"–hiding out and coming to terms–another great movie from Rob Williams". Reviews by Amos Lassen. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 "Gay Indie Actor Matthew Montgomery Honor & Lesbian Jane Austen Adaptation + L.A. Film Festival LGBT Entries – Alt Film Guide". June 17, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  6. Catsoulis, Jeannette (April 15, 2010). "3 Tales on Disappearance of Gay Porn Star". NY Times.
  7. Klemm, Michael D. "Snuff Film Trilogy". CinemaQueer.