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.
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Early life
Montgomery was born in Houston, Texas, and grew up in Corpus Christi. 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.
He also has European heritage on his mother's side, with her family originating from Ukraine.
He was first introduced to theater in grade school where he was involved in many plays and theatre projects. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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", while QueerCinema called him as "especially likable." Montgomery later receivedthe Philadelphia QFest 2010 Artistic Achievement Award for acting and producing.
Montgomery was especially prolific in 2010, starring in multiple projects that year. 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.
Personal life
Montgomery is gay and is married to actor Steve Callahan. They were married in 2015 after 7 years together. Montgomery and Callahan have starred together on-screen, notably when they both played lead roles together in Rob Williams' film Role/Play.