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THE SON ALSO RISES Robert Montgomery, Jr. BIOGRAPHY

Robert Montgomery, Jr. was born February 15, 1936 in Los Angeles, California to actor Robert Montgomery and former stage actress Elizabeth Allen. He was the Montgomery’s second child, daughter Elizabeth Montgomery having been born in 1933. (A first daughter, Martha Bryan, died in 1931, aged fourteen months from meningitis).      Skip, as he was known, was raised in Hollywood along with his sister Elizabeth. Summers were spent in the Montgomery farmhouse in Patterson, New York or in England.

A portrait of Robert "Skip" Montgomery, Jr. during his acting career.

In 1939, Skip became the youngest Lifetime Honorary Member of the Screen Actors Guild, of which his father was then President.      The Montgomery family suffered a temporary parting when Robert, Sr. joined the Navy to fight in World War II. He served from 1940 to 1945 during which time Skip’s maternal Grandmother, Rebecca, joined the Montgomery household to help care for the children. Much loved by both Skip and Elizabeth, Rebecca Allen was fondly remembered by the siblings for years to come.      In 1950, the Montgomerys divorced and Skip and Elizabeth remained in the family home with their mother.

Skip with his older sister Elizabeth, 1939.

Skip had attended school in Arizona in 1945, and in 1952, was a student at St. Mark’s in Southboro, Massachusetts.      In 1958, 22-year-old Skip decided to follow in the footsteps of both his parents and his sister by beginning an acting career. That same year, Skip also became a father when his wife, socialite, Deborah Chase gave birth to a son, Robert Montgomery, III.

A family portrait; Skip with his mother (center)  and sister Elizabeth.

The next year, 1959 found Skip with bit parts in the feature films, “Say One For Me” and “A Private’s Affair” as well as roles on television including “The Loretta Young Show”. Unfortunately, Skip missed out on getting to appear on his father’s well-respected television series, “Robert Montgomery Presents”, having begun his acting career in 1958, one year after that series ended.      Also in 1959, Skip’s family expanded when a daughter, Deborah Elizabeth was born to the couple on July 10.      Skip continued his acting career through 1962 with roles in both films and television including a small role in “The Gallant Hours” (1960), a film his father both produced and directed, and a starring role in the sci-fi film, “12 to the Moon” (1960).

Skip in a role on television's The Deputy, 1960.

In 1962, Skip decided to abandon his acting career for the financial world, becoming a Wall Street stockbroker with the well-known firm, Hayden Stone & Co., where he remained for the next twenty years.      His later life found him living in Tallahassee, Florida where he became the community liaison for Florida State University’s Graduate Film Conservatory and established the “Sleepy Actors Group” which provided housing for students working on thesis film productions. The Group also established a database listing production related services and locations.      In 1998, Skip served as executive producer of the independent film, “Roses”.

Robert Montgomery, Jr. and Robert Montgomery, Sr. on the set of The Gallant Hours.

On February 7, 2000, Skip underwent surgery for lung cancer and was given a favorable prognosis. However, a few months later on April 28, Skip unexpectedly passed away at the age of 64, leaving behind a widow, his third wife, Melanie, as well as his children.