The Acting Education of Lee Montgomery
Lee Montgomery began acting at age nine. His first movie was the Disney comedy The Million Dollar Duck (1971). From ages 10 thru 14, he appeared in tv shows like Mod Squad, FBI, Medical Center, Streets of San Francisco, Kojak, Emergency, Marcus Welby M.D., Ironside, Columbo and Adam-12. He worked with prominent actors of the day including Walter Matthau, Carol Burnett, George C. Scott, Oliver Reed, Mary Tyler Moore, Dom DeLuise, Anthony Quinn and cinema legend Bette Davis. In the 80’s, Lee made the transition to young adult actor and played a teen heartthrob in Girls Just Want To Have Fun.
In 1983, Lee was cast in the zombie horror film Mutant. The film was produced by my father Igo Kantor. I was hired as a production assistant, my first movie experience. That summer in 1983, Lee and I became fast friends. I learned he’s not only a talented actor but an accomplished singer/songwriter. We’ve remained close friends for four decades.
Lee’s upbringing was unique and magical. Though he’s self-effacing and doesn’t like to talk about himself, he recently shared stories about his early days as a television and film actor.
