Monte Bezell
Monte Bezell is an American actor and producer born and raised in the heart of Brooklyn. Monte believes acting has always been a natural outlet for him. He also has a heavy hand in the producing world. Bezell cut his teeth on the indie film scene creating a slate of culture driven, New York City projects. Financing over half a dozen projects in the last few years, he has been selective when it comes to the films/plays he works on. Monte splits his time between New York City and Los Angeles. Aside from his film career, he is well known for his participation in charitable initiatives.
Monte Blue
Stalwart, durable Monte Blue, a romantic leading man of the silent days, was born January 11, 1887, as Gerard Monte Blue (some sources indicate 1890, but his mother's application for his admission to the Soldier's and Sailor's Orphan's Home lists his birth date as January 11, 1887). Various sources have reported his first name as George or Gerald, but, again, in his mother's application, it is spelled Gerard. His father was killed in a railroad accident when Monte was eight and his mother could not support four children. He was admitted (along with another brother, Morris) to the orphanage at that time. There he built up his physique playing football. At one time or another the able-bodied gent was a railroader, a fireman, a coal miner, a cowpuncher, a ranch hand, a circus rider, a lumberjack and, finally, trekking west, he became a day laborer for D.W. Griffith's Biograph Studios. Blue eventually became a stuntman for Griffith and an extra in The Birth of a Nation (1915), which was his first film. Griffith took him in and made him an assistant on his classic epic Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916), where he earned another small part. Gradually moving to support roles for both Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille, Blue earned his breakthrough role as "Danton" in Griffith's Orphans of the Storm (1921) with sisters Lillian Gish and Dorothy Gish. He rose to stardom as a rugged romantic lead opposite Hollywood's top silent stars, among them Gloria Swanson, Clara Bow and Norma Shearer. He made a relatively easy transition into talkies as he had a fine, cultivated voice, but, at the same time, lost most of his investments when the stock market crashed in 1929. By the 1930s the aging star had moved back into small, often unbilled parts, continuously employed, however, by his old friend DeMille and Warner Bros. At the end of his life he was working as an advance man for the Hamid-Morton Circus in Milwaukee. He died of a coronary attack complicated by influenza in 1963.
Monte Collins
Monte Collins was born on December 3, 1898 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Campus Sleuth (1948), The Green Promise (1949) and Sarge Goes to College (1947). He died on June 1, 1951 in North Hollywood, California, USA.
Monte Greene
Monte Greene is an actor, known for Maggie's Plan (2015), Exposed (2016) and Who Framed Tommy Callahan.
Monte Hawley
Monte Hawley was the top black actor of stage and screen of his time of the independent black cast films and of Harlem's Golden Era. Monte Hawley was a handsome and talented actor, he was most used in black films than any other black actor. He was born October 25 1901, in Chicago and got an early start in Show Business. Richard B. Harrison who gained fame as "De Lawd" in "Green Pastures" spied Monte when he was still in his teens. He liked the youth's "get up and go" and his natural flair for acting. He took young Monte under his wing, becoming his first tutor. From then on it was show business for Monte. He was a member of the famous Lafayette Players who scored such successes both in Chicago and later on the West coast in Hollywood and Los Angeles. Monte's first big time shows were "Shuffle Along" and "Runnin' Wild," in addition to several strictly road shows. It was while he was a member of the Lafayette Players in Hollywood that he cracked silent movies, becoming known as "one shot Monte" because he never had to make a retake. Then followed films with Louise Beavers and Hattie McDaniel and even one with Lena Horne which was her first movie, incidentally - which was made when Hawley was already a veteran actor - the picture was The Duke is Tops, and Monte also did a glorious film Gang Smashers with another top Black actress of the time Nina Mae McKinney. In Vaudeville, Monte was teamed for long periods of time with Mantan Moreland and Eddie Rochester Anderson before those men struck it big. In between Monte sandwiched pictures with Warner Brothers, Republic and Columbia, but was too handsome and too talented for the Hollywood studios, and wouldn't play the stereotypical uncle-Tom roles. He appeared for many years with various stage shows at Chicago's Regal theater and in several hits on Broadway. Monte achieved his greatest screen fame working for Harry Popkin's Million Dollar Productions where he and Ralph Cooper were the top actors. He was very versatile and often played the role of a comedic policemen, relentless detective or tack-less gangster or gambler in kind of the same style of Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Robert Taylor, Pat O'Brien and Clark Gable. When baseball star, Jackie Robinson, made his tour a couple of years ago, Monte was his emcee, as he was previously with the Scottsboro boys. In later years, he became affiliated with the play "Anna Lucasta," as stage manager and also acting in the play. He had signed a contract to take the current "Lucasta" group overseas when he was stricken in New York City on November 30 1950. Monte Hawley was laid to rest in Chicago, many black celebrities of the time attended. Famed band leader, songwriter Noble Sissle said the eulogy and Eubie Blake played appropriate selections on the piano.
Monte Hellman
Monte Hellman was born on July 12, 1929, in New York City, where his parents were visiting, but he grew up in Los Angeles. He studied drama at Stanford University--on an NBC scholarship--and film at UCLA. After a few years directing in summer theater, Hellman hooked up with legendary "B" movie producer Roger Corman in the late 1950s. Corman helped finance Hellman's production of "Waiting For Godot", the the first time that Samuel Beckett's play had been staged in Los Angeles; the Los Angeles Times said it was "directed with wisdom, devotion and perception." Hellman made his film directorial debut with Beast from Haunted Cave (1959) and directed portions of Corman's The Terror (1963). Hellman joined forces with frequent collaborator Jack Nicholson for two pictures shot back-to-back in the Philippines: Back Door to Hell (1964) and Flight to Fury (1964), then re-teamed with Nicholson for two existential westerns filmed in Utah under similar conditions: The Shooting (1966) and Ride in the Whirlwind (1966). After editing several films for Corman, including The Wild Angels (1966), Hellman directed what many consider to be his best work, Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), which starred Warren Oates and featured singer James Taylor and The Beach Boys' drummer Dennis Wilson in dramatic roles. It was included in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2012. Hellman's next film was Cockfighter (1974), an adaptation of Charles Willeford's novel, also starring Oates. Hellman collaborated with the actor once more on the European western Amore, piombo e furore (1978). After completing Avalanche Express (1979) following the death of its original director, Mark Robson. Hellman made Iguana (1988) and the darkly humorous Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! (1989). Hellman's work was a major influence on Quentin Tarantino, and he served as executive producer on Tarantino's directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs (1992). After a lengthy absence from the screen, he returned to directing with the short Stanley's Girlfriend (2006), included in the horror anthology Trapped Ashes (2006), and the feature film Road to Nowhere (2010), which won a Special Golden Lion at Venice: the award was presented by jury president Tarantino, who introduced Hellman as "a great cinematic artist and a minimalist poet". Hellman was one of 70 directors asked to contribute a 90-second movie to _Venice 70: Future Reloaded (2013), which opened the 70th Venice Film Festival in 2013. His latest project is "Love or Die", which is scheduled to commence shooting in Lisbon, Portugal, in March 2014. -------------- Biography by Woodyanders. Corrected by A. Nonymous. Revised, corrected and updated by Brad Stevens, author of 'Monte Hellman: His Life and Films', in 2014. Corrected by A. Nonymous.
Monte James
Monte James is an actor, known for Opposite Actions (2017), Pseudo (2019) and Psychos (2017).
Monte Kai-Him Cho
Monte Kai-Him Cho is an actor, known for The Great Detective Sherlock Holmes: The Great Jail-Breaker (2019).
Monte Landis
Monte Landis was born on 20 April 1931 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He is an actor, known for Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), Real Genius (1985) and Body Double (1984).
Monte Light
Light received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theater from the University of Northern Colorado, where he performed in Little Theater of the Rockies and directed for the stage. Through his film company, American Courtyard Productions, Light's work has been recognized by Toronto Wildsound Film Festival, Las Vegas Film Festival, and Austin Film Festival. He lives in Los Angeles, California.