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Name: Poppy Montgomery
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Date of Birth:
June 19, 1972
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Place of Birth:
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Mini-bio:
Harboring an awesome wellspring of determination, Australian émigré actress Poppy Montgomery moved from down under to Los Angeles in 1993 (at the tender age of 18) and, with no connections or leads to... read more her name, bought a copy of a book called How to Make it in Hollywood. In that text, Montgomery read an anecdote about one of Julia Roberts' early managers, who had helped engineer some of the actress' early successes. Montgomery searched diligently until she found the manager's telephone number, then so plagued him with calls, one after another, that she ultimately wore down his resistance; he put Montgomery in touch with a manager who helped launch her career. The self-assurance evident in this "breakout strategy" had taken root early in Montgomery's life; born June 19, 1975, in Paddington, New South Wales, Australia (a suburb of Sydney), Montgomery realized as a young girl that she only wanted to spend her life acting. Once in Hollywood, she refused to be snubbed or overlooked. As an ingenue in Los Angeles, Montgomery sustained smaller turns for seven years, including a role on NYPD Blue and performances in the Eddie Murphy comedy Life and the Garry Marshall tearjerker The Other Sister, until late 2000, when she landed the highly coveted lead role of Marilyn Monroe in the autobiographical miniseries about the superstar, Blonde, adapted from the book by esteemed belletrist Joyce Carol Oates. Though critics felt the telemovie uneven, most singled out Montgomery and raved over her interpretation.This unique, inherent ability to reach down deep into a character and understand her on the most intuitive level shone through again and again in Montgomery's work, and doubtless enabled her to land a recurring role on the CBS drama Without a Trace, about the day-to-day searches of a missing-persons unit headed by Anthony LaPaglia. When she received the call about Without a Trace, Montgomery had contributed exemplary work to two otherwise unsuccessful series -- Elizabeth Waclawek in The Beat (2000) and Ellie Sparks in Glory Days (2002) -- and needed a boost. The program, of course, became a massive hit, thanks in no small part to Montgomery's fine work. In the series she portrays FBI agent Samantha Spade with marked believability. As one season of Without a Trace after another unfolded, Montgomery worked with equal emphasis in film and television. Her cinematic roles included Allison in the Gen-X indie comedy How to Lose Your Lover (2004) and Nadine Roberts in David Ocańas' metaphysical thriller Between (2004); in 2005, Montgomery played Generosa Rand, the issue-ridden (and possibly homicidal) wife of wealthy investment banker Ted Ammon, in the made-for-television true crime saga Murder in the Hamptons. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
Poppy Montgomery mini-bio: Born in Australia, Poppy Montgomery (whose parents named each of their five daughters after a flower) had her first regular series role playing Jennifer Lukens, Kimberly Williams' younger sister, on ABC's low-rated but critically-applauded "Relativity" (1996-1997). The pert blonde actress had previously made appearances on "Party of Five" (Fox, 1995-1996), as an English lesbian confused about her sexuality. Montgomery arrived in Hollywood at age 18 carrying a copy of "How to Make It In Hollywood", and, according to her PR spin, telephoned Julia Roberts' personal manager to inform him she was available. While Roberts' people passed, this gutsy move did eventually lead to representation by another management firm. Montgomery made her feature film debut in "Devil in a Blue Dress" (1995), playing the small role of Renee Humphrey's sister and landed the female lead opposite Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tom Everett Scott in the comedy "Dead Man on Campus" (1998). On TV, she made her longform debut in an installment of the "Jake Lassiter" series, "Justice on the Bayou" (NBC, 1995), but had her first lead in "The Cold Equations" (Sci-Fi Channel, 1996), playing a stowaway on a space ship. Rob Lowe cast Montgomery as a model on an assignment that turns deadly in "Desert's Edge" (The Movie Channel, 1997). In 2002, Montgomery co-starred in the comedy series "Glory Days." Shortly after, she portrayed the character Samantha Spade in the CBS drama series "Without A Trace." (2002).
