Reggie Montgomery

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For the character in the TV-series All My Children, see Reggie Montgomery (All My Children).

Reginald "Reggie" Alexander Montgomery (Sep 15, 1947 – Jan 13, 2002) was an American clown, actor and director. He was best known as the first African-American clown to perform in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus,[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] though he spent only a year of his career doing so.[8]

Reggie Montgomery
Reggie Montgomery, year unknown
Born(1947-09-15)September 15, 1947
Tallahassee, Florida, US
DiedJanuary 13, 2002(2002-01-13) (aged 54)
New York City, US
Education
Known forFirst African-American clown in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, acting

Early life[edit]

Montgomery was born in 1947 in Tallahassee, Florida, and had two siblings. His parents wanted him to become an English teacher. In high school, he studied acting and played touch football. He went to Florida A&M University and studied drama, graduating in 1968.[9][10]

Montgomery was born in Tallahassee, FL.[3] He had two siblings.[7] He said of the experience: "Especially being of color, I am always figuring out a way to survive in the world and in the theater...I grew up in Tallahassee, Florida in the 50s where people were still being lynched".[11] As a child, Montgomery had a speech impediment, which required surgery. In part to help with his speech impediment, when he was 6 years old he was enrolled in a theater program at Florida A&M University, run by Sheppard Randolph Edmunds, founder of the first Black theater educational program at Dillard University in 1936,[12] and sometimes known as "the dean of Black academic theater".[13] Montgomery stayed in the program for 8 years.

After graduating from Florida A&M University in 1968, Montgomery studied at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, the first year of the school's existence. The dean of the school, Mel Miller, saw Montgomery in a local stage production, and invited Montgomery to apply. Of 1,000 applicants, Montgomery was one of 30 accepted.[14]

He studied under Otto Griebling and Emmett Kelley,[3] learning "acrobatic exercises--tumbles, flops and rolls...[and] also studied elements of visual comedy, along with practice work in pantomime."[14] He expressed not liking circus when he had seen it 10 years prior, but "decided to give it a try" after being invited to apply. Drawn to performance, his parents expressed a preference for him to be an English teacher[7] (he did, in fact, work as a substitute English teacher at Florida's Sarasota Junior High while attending Clown College "to earn 'bread-and-butter' money").[14]

He later earned a master's degree in fine arts from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX.[3]

Clowning[edit]

In 1969, he attended the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, founded the year before. He was the only Black man in his classes,[9] and Ringling's first Black clown.[10] During the six weeks of clown college he also worked as a substitute English teacher. He did not want to appear in white face, and with the agreement of circus managers he applied a more scaled down clown make up.[10]

He stayed with Ringling for a year,[15] saying that

We've got people from more than 18 foreign countries. But nobody allows himself to get uptight about Communism or international boundaries or race. Everybody just helps everybody else. And like things really jell.[10]

In 1969, after graduating from clown college, he toured as a clown with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, refusing to do white-face, saying to Ebony magazine in 1969: "My own paint job’s good enough."[3][14]

Acting and directing[edit]

In the 1970s, Montgomery established the Minority Repertory Theater in Dallas, TX together with actress Irma P. Hall,[16][17] where he worked with Paul Baker at the Dallas Theater Center. While in Dallas, he portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.[18] He later moved to Los Angeles, CA to further pursue acting.[3][7] In 1982, he moved to New York.[7]

In theater, Montgomery staged Spunk (1990) and Mule Bone (1991), as well as Digging Eleven, I Ain’t Yo Uncle: The New Jack Revisionist Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Colored Museum and …Love, Langston at Hartford Stage, where he also served for 2 years as an associate artistic director. Montgomery previously appeared in George C. Wolfe's original productions of Spunk (he played a pimp)[11] and The Colored Museum ("a series of satirical sketches about black American history" playing various characters, including "Walter-Lee-Beau-Willy, a purposely stereotypical black man" and "Miss Roj...a transvestite in white go-go boots and orange patio pants").[19][7][5] For his performances in Wolfe's plays, he won the Audelco Best Actor Award, at the New York Shakespeare Festival. In 2001, he portrayed James Baldwin in A Prophet Among Them (his final acting credit). He also performed on Broadway, acting in The Green Bird.

From 1995 to 1999, Montgomery was an associate professor of theater arts at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, where he also directed "The Suburban Violence Project".

In 2000, Montgomery directed Suzzanne Douglas in Lady Day at the Emerson Bar and Grill, at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ. He previously worked with Douglas in an Actors Studio production of The Obeah Man, a musical adaptation of Molière's The Doctor in Spite of Himself.

Montgomery also taught acting at the Alvin Ailey School of Dance and at the American Musical and Dramatic Arts Academy in New York.[7]

In 1986, he was part of George C. Wolfe's play The Colored Museum, where he played several characters.[9][2] His theater work included Suzan-Lori Parks's The America Play and In the Blood and plays by Zora Neale Hurston.[9] He worked as a director and acting coach.[9] Montgomery's film and TV roles included Matlock (TV series), Law & Order, Malcolm X and Joe the King.[15]

Personal life[edit]

Montgomery was a close friend of fellow actor Tommy Hollis.[11]

Death[edit]

Montgomery was found dead in his New York City apartment on January 13, 2002. He died of natural causes after "a long illness".[5] He was survived by a brother, Rodney Montgomery, and a sister, Yvonne Montgomery-Curl.[3][18] He was buried in Tallahassee, FL.[5]

George C. Wolfe said:

I don't necessarily know the true meaning of the word "artist," but I do know when I'm in the presence of one. And from that very first meeting I knew Reggie was a great artist: A heroic spirit, a subversive jester and a fierce warrior.[2]

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Role(s) Medium Notes
1982 They Call Me Bruce? Young Black Man Film
1987 Weeds Rabble Rouser Film
1988 Matlock Mr. Bunabi Television 1 episode
1991 Great Performances Miss Roj, Walter-Lee-Beau-Willie-Jones Television 1 episode
1991 Hangin' with the Homeboys Rasta Film
1992 Malcolm X Dick Jones Film
1993 Ghost Writer Darryl Thomas Television 2 episodes
1995 New York Undercover McNamara Television 2 episodes
1992-1996 Law & Order Leon Monroe, Dawkins, Francis Awe Television 3 episodes
1997 Oz Black History Teacher Television 1 episode
1999 Joe the King Andy Film

Video games[edit]

Year Title Role(s) Notes
2001 AquaNox Lieutenant Boston Harper, Iwan King Voice actor

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jonathan, Turner (20 April 2017). "New book explores life of Ringling Bros.' first black clown". The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Wolfe, George C. (April 2002). "In memoriam: Reggie Montgomery: 1947-2002". American Theatre. ProQuest 220586870 – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Marshall, Alys (2002-02-10). "Reggie Montgomery". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  4. ^ "Ask Me Another: Bob the Drag Queen". NPR.
  5. ^ a b c d By (2002-01-19). "STAGE'S REGGIE MONTGOMERY DIES AT 54". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  6. ^ Hepner, Donald; Roseman, Curtis (2016). Reggie!: Ringling's First Black Clown. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1534662667.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g McKinley, Jesse (2002-02-08). "Reggie Montgomery, 54, Actor and Director". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Obituaries". The Washington Post. 2002-02-10.
  9. ^ a b c d e McKinley, Jesse (8 February 2002). "Reggie Montgomery, 54, Actor and Director". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d "Color Comes To the Circus". Ebony. November 1969. pp. 155–162.
  11. ^ a b c "Reggie Montgomery Has His Day". www.totaltheater.com. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  12. ^ May, Richon (May 2022). "Its Time for Representation, Diversity, Equity, and Justice at Theater UNO". ScholarWorks.
  13. ^ Duhon, Valeria Martinez and Calder (2022-02-23). "Dillard University: "From Confidence Courage."". ArcGIS StoryMaps. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  14. ^ a b c d "Color Comes to the Circus: Arena's first black clown finds Big Top life 'a groove'". Ebony. Nov 1969. pp. 155–162.
  15. ^ a b Marshall, Alys (10 February 2002). "Reggie Montgomery". Variety. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  16. ^ Johnson, Eddie Bernice (14 April 2008). "HONORING IRMA P. HALL" (PDF). Congress.gov.
  17. ^ "Irma P. Hall". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021.
  18. ^ a b Jones, Kenneth (2002-01-25). "Actor-director Reggie Montgomery, a Vet of Public Theater, Dead at 54". Playbill.
  19. ^ Richards, David (1986-12-07). "'Colored': Crazy &". The Washington Post.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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