Monte Blue

Biography

Monte Blue (January 11, 1887 – February 18, 1963) was an accomplished film actor who initially made a name for himself as a romantic lead during the silent film era before transitioning into character roles.

Born Gerard Montgomery Bluefeather in Indianapolis, Indiana, Blue was the son of a half-French, half-Cherokee father. He was one of five siblings, and after the death of their father, his mother struggled to support them, leading to Blue and one of his brothers being placed in the Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's Home. Despite these challenges, he managed to attend Purdue University.

During his youth, Blue developed an impressive physique, reaching a height of six feet three inches. His early jobs included roles as a fireman, railroad worker, coal miner, and even a circus performer, ultimately landing him a labor position at D. W. Griffith's studio.

With no prior acting experience, Blue's film debut came in Griffith's 1915 classic, The Birth of a Nation, where he worked as a stuntman and extra. He soon took on supporting roles in films such as Intolerance (1916), and gained prominence as Danton in Orphans of the Storm, co-starring with Lillian and Dorothy Gish. He became a leading man alongside actresses like Clara Bow and Gloria Swanson, with his notable performance as a troubled doctor in MGM's White Shadows in the South Seas (1928).

Despite facing setbacks during the transition to sound films, including financial losses due to the 1929 stock market crash, Blue successfully reinvented himself as a character actor, continuing his career until 1954. He gained recognition in films like Key Largo, divorced his first wife in 1923, and married Tova Jansen in 1924, with whom he had two children. Later in life, he was a dedicated Mason and worked as an advance man for the Hamid-Morton Shrine Circus. Blue passed away