As a child, Robert Montgomery enjoyed a privileged life, as his father was the president of the New York Rubber Co. When he died, the fortune was gone and Robert worked at a number of jobs. He later went to New York to be a writer, and on the advice of a friend tried acting. He worked with George Cukor on the stage and his first film, at MGM, was So This Is College. When Norma Shearer picked him to be her leading man in Private Lives, he was set. He played many likable characters over the years, covering the gamut from very poor to very rich. In 1935 he became President of the Screen Actors Guild. His stay with MGM lasted 16 years, and was only interrupted by WWII when he joined the navy. He saw action in both Europe and the Pacific. He returned to MGM in 1945 and co-starred with John Wayne in the John Ford-directed They Were Expendable and then made his directorial debut with Lady in the Lake (although he had directed a few scenes, uncredited, in "They Were Expendable" when Ford took ill). He then left MGM to become an independent director, preferring work behind the camera instead of in front. He was a friendly witness before the House Un-American Activities in 1947 during the McCarthy era and then spent most of his time on television and stage. His popular show, Robert Montgomery Presents, was where daughter Elizabeth Montgomery got her first acting job.
Father of actress Elizabeth Montgomery. He also had a son Robert Montgomery, Jr. Was widely considered to be one of the best dressed men in Hollywood and for years did not carry a wallet because it ruined the drape of his suits. President of Screen Actors Guild (SAG). [1946-1947] President of Screen Actors Guild (SAG). [1935-1938] He was host of CBS Radio's "Suspense" for six months in 1948 when the show went from a half hour to an hour. Wrote a book in 1968 entitled "An Open Letter from a Television Viewer," which blasted the television industry for its monopolistic schemes and violent programming. Served on the board of directors of several major corporations in the 1960s, including R.H. Macy and Co. and the Milwaukee Telephone Company. Actually had three children by wife Elizabeth Bryan Allen. His first child, Martha Bryan, was born October 13, 1930, but died of spinal meningitis at the age of 14 months. Elizabeth and Robert Jr. arrived in 1933 and 1936. His series, Robert Montgomery Presents, won the Emmy as the Best Dramatic Program of 1953. Won Broadway's 1955 Tony Award as Best Director for "The Desperate Hours." Pioneered the concept of the political "image consultant" in the early television era by advising President Dwight D. Eisenhower on how to most effectively present himself to TV viewers. Following Richard Nixon's disastrous first televised debate with John F. Kennedy during the 1960 campaign, Eisenhower remarked that he was certain that if Nixon had only let Montgomery coordinate his appearance, Nixon would have looked much better, and would have probably won the debate... and the election. In 1949, he accepted the Oscar for "Best Picture" on behalf of Laurence Olivier, who was not present at the awards ceremony.