Janet Montgomery
Janet Ruth Montgomery (born 29 October 1985) is an English film and TV actress. She first gained attention for her role as Ames in the second season of the television series Human Target (2010–11), and also for her appearances in the 2009 straight-to-DVD film The Hills Run Red. She played the lead character in the television drama Made in Jersey (2012), cancelled after eight episodes. From 2014 to 2017, she starred as the lead character, Mary Sibley, in the series Salem. Montgomery has played the role of Lauren Bloom on the television series New Amsterdam since 2018.
Janet Montgomery | |
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Montgomery at WonderCon in April 2015 | |
Born | Janet Ruth Montgomery 29 October 1985 Bournemouth, Dorset, United Kingdom |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1997–present |
Partner(s) | Joe Fox (2017–present) |
Children | 1 |
Career
Although trained as a dancer at the Stella Mann College of Performing Arts, Bedford, Montgomery chose to pursue acting rather than dance professionally. Her lack of drama school training made it difficult for her to obtain acting representation initially. She achieved her breakthrough after producing a play with her friend Gethin Anthony.[1]
In 2008, Montgomery was cast as the love interest of the character Tony Stonem in an episode of the teenage drama Skins. She also appeared in both the TV movie Dis/Connected and the short film Flushed.
The following year, Montgomery appeared in two straight-to-DVD horror-genre releases filmed in Sofia, Bulgaria – The Hills Run Red and the finale of the original Wrong Turn trilogy, Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead and played the role of Fallyn Werner, a teenage killer in the Lifetime film Accused at 17.
In 2010, Montgomery appeared in her first theatrically released films, playing Giselle in the independent horror film Dead Cert and the supporting role of Madeline in the Academy Award-nominated psychological thriller Black Swan – playing a Little Swan to Natalie Portman's Oscar-winning portrayal of the Black Swan.
That same year Montgomery also signed on to play Paul Rudd's love interest in Our Idiot Brother. After seeing her audition tape in Los Angeles, producers worked around her schedule on Entourage and flew her to New York to begin shooting. While working on Entourage, Montgomery was invited to appear on The League, a critically acclaimed semi-improvised show about American football, and played Ambrosia the stripper in the first episode of the second season.
In December 2011, Montgomery starred as Princess Mithian, a love interest of King Arthur, in Series 4 Episode 11 of Merlin,[2] later returning in Series 5 Episode 4 (alongside James Fox).[3]
In 2012, Montgomery played the lead role in the CBS television series Made in Jersey. The series was cancelled after two episodes aired. Two new episodes aired on 22 December 2012.
Montgomery attracted the attention of Stephen Poliakoff via an audition tape she sent to casting director Andy Pryor for the role of Sarah in Dancing on the Edge. The five-part miniseries aired 4 February 2013 on BBC Two.
She also played opposite David Tennant in BBC Four's Spies of Warsaw. She played Grace Van Helsing, "the prodigal daughter who returns to run the family newspaper (and presumably stake a few vampires)"[4] in the unsold ABC pilot Gothica.[5][6] Actor Chris Egan played her love interest, the character Dorian Gray.[4]
From 2014 to 2017, Montgomery played the lead role of powerful witch Mary Sibley on the WGN America gothic horror series Salem.[7] In October 2016, Montgomery started in a recurring role on the NBC drama This Is Us.[8][9] Also in 2016, Montgomery was cast in the lead female role in the comedy film Amateur Night alongside Jason Biggs.[10]
In February 2018, Montgomery was cast in a main role in the NBC medical drama New Amsterdam, as Lauren Bloom, the head ER physician.[11] In October 2019, she played the role of Marguerite in the American drama thriller film Nighthawks.
Personal life
Montgomery was born in Bournemouth, England. Her uncle was bass player Mike "Monty" Montgomery of Zoot Money's Big Roll Band.[12] She has a younger brother, Jason, who is also an actor.[13] She began dating creative copywriter Joe Fox in 2017. It was announced in November 2018 that the couple was expecting their first child, a daughter, who was born in 2019.[14][15] The couple married in Jamaica on 29 November 2019.[16]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Flushed | Queen Bitch | Short film |
2009 | The Hills Run Red | Serina | |
2009 | Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead | Alex Miles | |
2010 | Dead Cert | Giselle | |
2010 | Black Swan | Madeline | |
2011 | Our Idiot Brother | Lady Arabella | |
2013 | The Republic of Two | Caroline | |
2016 | Happily Ever After | Heather | |
2016 | Amateur Night | Nikki | |
2017 | The Space Between Us | Sarah Elliot | |
2017 | Romans | Emma | |
2018 | In a Relationship | Lindsay | |
2019 | Nighthawks | Marguerite | |
2020 | Think Like a Dog | Bridget |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Dis/Connected | Lucy | Television film |
2008 | Skins | Beth | Episode: "Tony" |
2010 | Accused at 17 | Fallyn Werner | Television movie |
2010–2011 | Entourage | Jennie | Recurring role (seasons 7–8) |
2010 | The League | Ambrosia | Episode: "Vegas Draft" |
2010–2011 | Human Target | Ames | Main role (season 2) |
2011–2012 | Merlin | Princess Mithian | 2 episodes |
2012 | Made in Jersey | Martina Garretti | Main role |
2013 | Dancing on the Edge | Sarah | Recurring role |
2013 | Spies of Warsaw | Anna | Main role |
2013 | Gothica | Grace Van Helsing | Unsold television pilot |
2013 | Downton Abbey | Freda Dudley Ward | Episode: "The London Season" |
2014–2017 | Salem | Mary Sibley | Main role |
2014 | Black Mirror | Bethany Grey | Episode: "White Christmas" |
2016–2017 | This Is Us | Olivia Maine | Recurring role (season 1) |
2018 | The Romanoffs | Michelle Westbrooke | Episode: "The Royal We" |
2018–present | New Amsterdam | Lauren Bloom | Main role |
Awards and nominations
Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Favorite Actress on Television | Salem | Nominated |
2016 | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Favorite Actress on Television | Salem | Nominated |
References
- "BBC – Janet Montgomery plays Anna Skarbek – Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk.
- "BBC – Merlin – Princess Mithian played by Janet Montgomery". BBC.
- "'Game of Thrones' star for 'Merlin' role". Digital Spy. 20 April 2012.
- Hibberd, James (25 February 2013). "Janet Montgomery to star in ABC's monster mash pilot". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- Andreeva, Nellie (25 February 2013). "Deadline.com » Blog ArchiveJanet Montgomery To Play The Lead Grace Van Helsing in ABC Pilot 'Gothica'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- "Gothica (TV 2013)". IMDb. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- "Janet Montgomery To Topline WGN America Drama Series 'Salem'". Deadline. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- Gelman, Vlada (19 August 2016). "This Is Us Casts Janet Montgomery as Justin Hartley's 'Intense' Love Interest". TVLine. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- Snierson, Dan (19 August 2016). "This Is Us Adds Salem Star Janet Montgomery". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- Kit, Borys (8 May 2012). "Jason Biggs, Ashley Tisdale Starring in Indie Comedy 'Drive, She Said' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- "Janet Montgomery to Star in NBC'S Bellevue Medical Drama Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- "Al Kirtley – and another thing… – Jerry Stooks, The Downstairs Club and the naming of Zoot Money's Big Roll Band". Alkirtley.co.uk. 26 March 1964. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- "Jason Montgomery". IMDb.
- Mizoguchi, Karen; Leon, Anya (5 November 2018). "New Amsterdam Star Janet Montgomery Expecting First Child: 'I've Always Wanted to Be a Mother'". People. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- "Janet Montgomery on Instagram: "Introducing Sunday Juno Fox 🦊 born March 1st 2019 #Sunday #newborn"". Instagram. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- Todisco, Eric (15 December 2019). "New Amsterdam's Janet Montgomery Marries Boyfriend Joe Fox: 'One of the Greatest Days of My Life'". People. Retrieved 7 December 2020.