Wikipedia

Monte Blue

Gerard Montgomery Blue(January 11, 1887 – February 18, 1963) was an American film actor who began his career as a romantic lead in thesilentera; and for decades after the advent of sound, he continued to perform as a supporting player in a wide range of motion pictures.[1]

Monte Blue
Blue in 1924
Born
Gerard Montgomery Blue

(1887-01-11)January 11, 1887
Indianapolis, Indiana,U.S.
DiedFebruary 18, 1963(1963-02-18)(aged 76)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin,U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Parkin Glendale, California
Alma materPurdue University
OccupationActor
Years active1915–1960
Spouses
  • Erma Gladys King
    (m.1909;div.1923)
Tova Jansen
​
​
(m.1924; died 1956)​
Betty Jean Munson Mess
​
​
(m.1959)​
Children2

Early life

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Gerard Montgomery Bluefeather[2]was born in Indianapolis, Indiana to an Irish mother, Orphalena Lousetta Springer, while his father William Jackson Blue was believed to be half French and partCherokeeandOsage.[3]He had three brothers; Charles Bertram, Leroy, and William Morris. His father was aCivil Warveteran, and served as a scout forBuffalo Bill.[citation needed]

When his father died in a railroad collision, his mother could not rear four children alone, so Blue and one of his brothers were admitted to theIndiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's Home.He eventually worked his way through Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.[citation needed]

Blue grew to a height of 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m). He played football and worked as a fireman,boilermaker,coal miner,cowpuncher,ranch hand, circus rider, lumberjack, and day laborer at the studios ofD.W. Griffith.[citation needed]

Career

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Blue had no theatrical experience when he came to the screen. His first movie wasThe Birth of a Nation(1915), in which he was a stuntman and an extra. Next, he played another small part inIntolerance(1916). He also was a stuntman or stand-in forSir Herbert Beerbohm Treeduring the making ofMacbeth(1916). Gradually moving to supporting roles for both D.W. Griffith andCecil B. DeMille,Blue earned his breakthrough role as Danton inOrphans of the Storm,starring sistersLillianandDorothy Gish.Then, he rose to stardom as a rugged romantic lead along with top leading actresses such asClara Bow,Gloria Swanson,andNorma Shearer.He most often acted withMarie Prevost,with whom he made several films in the mid-1920s atWarner Bros.Blue portrayed the alcoholic doctor who finds paradise inMGM'sWhite Shadows in the South Seas(1928). Blue became one of the few silent stars to survive the sound revolution; however, he lost his investments in thestock market crash of 1929.

He rebuilt his career as a character actor, working until his retirement from films in 1954, and he played character roles in various television series until 1960, mostlyWesterns,such asAnnie Oakley.From the mid-1930s, he was a contract player atWarner Bros.,working in character parts and as an extra.[4]

One of his more memorable roles was as the sheriff inKey LargooppositeLionel Barrymore.

For his contributions to the motion pictures industry, Monte Blue received astaron theHollywood Walk of Fameat 6290 Hollywood Boulevard on February 8, 1960.[5][6]

Personal life

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Blue divorced his first wife in 1923 and married Tova Jansen the following year. He had two children, Barbara Ann and Richard Monte. During the later part of his life, Blue was an activeMasonand served as the advance man for the Hamid-Morton Shrine Circus. In 1963, while on business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he died after suffering a heart attack attributed to complications from influenza.[7]He is interred next to his mother-in-law, actressBodil Rosing,atForest Lawn Memorial Parkin Glendale, California.[8][9]

Selected filmography

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Mae Murrayand Blue inBroadway Rose(1922)
Blue (left) withMiriam CooperandHobart Bosworthin a production still promotingBetrayed(1917)

References

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  1. ^Monte Blue bio; allmovie.com
  2. ^Berumen, Frank Javier Garcia (December 4, 2019).American Indian Image Makers of Hollywood.McFarland.ISBN9781476678139.
  3. ^The War, The West and The Wildernessc.1979 by Kevin Brownlow Retrieved September 3, 2015ISBN9780394489216.Brownlow or any source does not offer any documentation ofCherokeeorOsageenrollment, nor are Blue or his father listed on theDawes Rolls.
  4. ^Slide, Anthony.Hollywood Unknowns: A History of the Extras, Bit Players, and Stand-Ins.Jackson: University of Missouri Press. p 167.
  5. ^"Monte Blue | Hollywood Walk of Fame".www.walkoffame.com.RetrievedJune 27,2016.
  6. ^"Monte Blue".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedFebruary 28,2016.
  7. ^"Lewiston Evening Journal - Google News Archive Search".news.google.com.RetrievedFebruary 28,2016.
  8. ^Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries
  9. ^Resting Places
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