Born Henry Montgomery, Jr., in Beacon, NY. As a child, Montgomery enjoyed a privileged life as his father was the president of New York Rubber Company. When his father died, the fortune was gone and he worked for a living on 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 (1929). When Norma Shearer picked him to be her leading Man in PRIVATE LIVES (1931), he was set, primarily cast as upper-crust playboys opposite stars such as Greta Garbo (INSPIRATION, 1931) and Joan Crawford (THE LAST OF MRS. CHEYNEY, 1937). Montgomery developed a tougher image after WW II, during which he had distinguished himself in naval action in Europe. Some of his other notable screen credits include THE DIVORCÉE and THE BIG HOUSE (both 1930), WHEN LADIES MEET (1933), NIGHT MUST FALL (1937), YELLOW JACK (1938), HERE COMES MR. JORDAN (1945), THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (1945), LADY IN THE LAKE and RIDE THE PINK HORSE (both 1947), ONCE MORE, MY DARLING (1949), YOUR WITNESS (1950), "Robert Montgomery Presents" (also 1950, TV series, host/occasional lead actor) and THE GALLANT HOURS (1960). He made his directorial debut when an ailing John Ford was unable to complete THEY WERE EXPENDABLE, and attracted considerable attention with his screen adaptation of Raymond Chandler's LADY IN THE LAKE. The film was related entirely from a "subjective" camera perspective, and is considered one of the more interesting failed experiments in cinematic narrative. Other directing credits include RIDE THE PINK HORSE, YOUR WITNESS and THE GALLANT HOURS. Montgomery was a friendly witness before HUAC in 1947 and subsequently trained his sights on TV, the stage and, ultimately, politics, serving as a communications consultant to President Eisenhower following the 1952 campaign. He was considered to be one of the best dressed men in Hollywood, and for years he did not carry a wallet because it ruined the drape of his suits. He served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild, 1935-1938 and 1946-47. His first wife (1928-1950) was Elizabeth Bryan Allen, and they had two children: Actress Elizabeth Montgomery and Robert Montgomery, Jr. His second wife (1950-1981) was Elizabeth "Buffy" Grant Harkness. Notable quote: "If you are lucky enough to be a success, by all means enjoy the applause and the adulation of the public. But never, never believe it."    Nominated for Actor 1937: NIGHT MUST FALL    Nominated for Actor 1941: HERE COMES MR. JORDAN 2 nominations