Douglass Montgomery

Robert Douglass Montgomery (also credited as Kent Douglass; October 29, 1909[1] – July 23, 1966) was an American film actor.

"Kent Douglass" redirects here. For the American ice hockey professional, see Kent Douglas.
Douglass Montgomery
Frame from trailer for Little Women (1933)
Born
Robert Douglass Montgomery

(1909-10-29)October 29, 1909
Los Angeles, California, US
DiedJuly 23, 1966(1966-07-23) (aged 56)
Norwalk, Connecticut, US
Other namesKent Douglas
Years active1926-1957
Spouse(s)Kay Young (1952-1966) (his death)

Early years

The son of Chester Montgomery, a jeweler, Montgomery graduated from Los Angeles High School.[1]

Career

Montgomery used the stage name Douglass Montgomery when he started acting in New York. He often appeared as a handsome, if slightly naive, fair-haired young man.

He gained early acting experience at the Pasadena Community Playhouse.[1]

The film component of his career began at MGM in 1930, playing the second male lead in films such as Paid and Five and Ten. When he signed his contract at the studio his name was changed to Kent Douglass, to avoid confusion with that studio's star Robert Montgomery.[2] Upon leaving MGM in 1932, he changed it back to Douglass Montgomery.

Among his most celebrated roles was Laurie in Little Women (1933), opposite Katharine Hepburn's Jo March. He also played Johnny Hollis ("Johnny-in-the-Clouds") in The Way to the Stars (1945).

After serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, Montgomery moved to Great Britain and made films there. He later returned to the U.S. and appeared in a number of television shows.

Marriage

Montgomery married British actress Kay Young (born Kathleen Tamar Young) on March 14, 1952 at Bethlehem Federated Church.[3] He was her second husband. Young had divorced film actor Michael Wilding the year before she wed Montgomery.[4] (Wilding remarried in 1952, to Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor.)[5] Young and Montgomery remained married until his death.

Death

Douglass Montgomery died of spinal cancer in Norwalk, Connecticut, at the age of 56, on July 23, 1966. He was cremated, with his ashes given to his widow.[6]

Filmography
Mae Clarke and Montgomery in Waterloo Bridge (1931)
Montgomery, Claude Rains and David Manners in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935)
Montgomery, Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard and John Beal in The Cat and the Canary (1939)

Television appearances

References
  1. "He Refused to Eat from a Golden Spoon". Detroit Free Press. Michigan, Detroit. August 19, 1934. p. 68. Retrieved June 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Notes of the Stage and Screen". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. December 24, 1930. p. 8. Retrieved July 1, 2020 – via Google News Archive.
  3. Wildings & Thurleys, Cantophers & McConnells, "Hatches, Matches & Dispatches only" (page 28), lineone.net; accessed January 18, 2010.
  4. Wildings & Thurleys, Cantophers & McConnells, "Hatches, Matches & Dispatches only" (page 46), lineone.net; accessed January 18, 2010.
  5. Wildings & Thurleys, Cantophers & McConnells, "Hatches, Matches & Dispatches only" (page 44), lineone.net; accessed January 18, 2010.
  6. Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. (2 volume set). McFarland. p. 525. ISBN 9780786479924. Retrieved 8 April 2017.

Also see
  • Halliwell, Leslie (2001-08-07). Walker, John (ed.). Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies (14th ed.). HarperResource. ISBN 0-06-093507-3.
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