Poppy Montgomery
Encyclopedia
Poppy Montgomery is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Samantha Spade
on Without a Trace
. She currently stars in the hit CBS
television series Unforgettable
(2011-present).
.
She hated school, being expelled from six private academies before finally dropping out at age 15 to pursue stage acting and to also travel around Bali with her then-boyfriend. Montgomery emigrated to the United States at age 18, arriving in Florida to meet a boy whom she'd met when he was an exchange student. After five days, she realized "I couldn't stand him" and then took a bus to Los Angeles
to pursue an acting career.
Montgomery and boyfriend, actor Adam Kaufman
, have a son together named Jackson Phillip Deveraux Montgomery Kaufman.
' former manager, Bob McGowan, until he signed her. She worked a string of television bit parts through the late-1990s, including NYPD Blue
with the most visible being an appearance on Relativity, where Montgomery shared one of the first lesbian kisses on US network TV. Her first big break was when she snagged the role of Marilyn Monroe
in the 2001 CBS
mini-series Blonde
, based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates
. The next role she was offered was Samantha Spade on Without A Trace
, where she was picked out of over 100 women. On being offered the part, she later said "They (the producers) called me up and said, 'Will you do it?' I said, 'Um' and they said, 'Anthony LaPaglia
is in it' and I said, 'sure'. It was that simple."
As of April 2011, she has completed filming a biopic Magic Beyond Words, playing J. K. Rowling
. She plays the lead in the television series Unforgettable
, a police procedural drama about a former detective with perfect recall. Until the debut of ABC
's new family-oriented, late-arriving, Sunday night fairy-tale drama Once Upon a Time
, CBS had been airing promos that Unforgettable was the #1 new drama of the 2011-12 season. According to the prime-time Nielsen television ratings released through Sunday, November 6, 2011, season-to-date, Unforgettable has averaged 13.9 million viewers. For a snapshot rating, on Tuesday, November 1, 2011, the series was first in its regular timeslot, with 11.3 million viewers and ranked #24 overall for the week.
Samantha Spade (Without a Trace)
Special Agent Samantha "Sam" Spade is a fictional character portrayed by actress Poppy Montgomery on the CBS television drama Without a Trace.Samantha is a Special Agent in the New York City FBI missing persons case squad led by Special Agent Jack Malone...
on Without a Trace
Without a Trace
Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
. She currently stars in the hit CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series Unforgettable
Unforgettable (TV series)
Unforgettable is an American crime/mystery television series about a police detective with an unusually detailed memory. The hour-long program, which is based on J...
(2011-present).
Personal life
Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth Deveraux Donahue was born in Sydney, Australia, the daughter of Nicola (née Montgomery), an executive and market researcher, and Phil Donahue, a restaurateur. Her parents named her and her sisters (Rosie Thorn, Daisy Yellow, Lily Belle and Marigold Sun) after flowers, and their brother after Jethro TullJethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
.
She hated school, being expelled from six private academies before finally dropping out at age 15 to pursue stage acting and to also travel around Bali with her then-boyfriend. Montgomery emigrated to the United States at age 18, arriving in Florida to meet a boy whom she'd met when he was an exchange student. After five days, she realized "I couldn't stand him" and then took a bus to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to pursue an acting career.
Montgomery and boyfriend, actor Adam Kaufman
Adam Kaufman (actor)
Adam Kaufman is an American actor, who portrayed Charlie Keys in the science fiction miniseries Taken from Steven Spielberg. He made his first TV-appearance in the show Brookfield....
, have a son together named Jackson Phillip Deveraux Montgomery Kaufman.
Career
On arriving in Los Angeles, she stayed with two friends of her brother while sending a head shot every day to Julia RobertsJulia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
' former manager, Bob McGowan, until he signed her. She worked a string of television bit parts through the late-1990s, including NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
with the most visible being an appearance on Relativity, where Montgomery shared one of the first lesbian kisses on US network TV. Her first big break was when she snagged the role of Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
in the 2001 CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
mini-series Blonde
Blonde (film)
Blonde is a 2001 made-for-television film on the life of Marilyn Monroe. Australian actress Poppy Montgomery steps into the role of the blonde bombshell who transformed herself from Norma Jean Baker to the sexy Hollywood Icon.-Plot:...
, based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates is an American author. Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction...
. The next role she was offered was Samantha Spade on Without A Trace
Without a Trace
Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
, where she was picked out of over 100 women. On being offered the part, she later said "They (the producers) called me up and said, 'Will you do it?' I said, 'Um' and they said, 'Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony M. LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
is in it' and I said, 'sure'. It was that simple."
As of April 2011, she has completed filming a biopic Magic Beyond Words, playing J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling
Joanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE , better known as J. K. Rowling, is the British author of the Harry Potter fantasy series...
. She plays the lead in the television series Unforgettable
Unforgettable (TV series)
Unforgettable is an American crime/mystery television series about a police detective with an unusually detailed memory. The hour-long program, which is based on J...
, a police procedural drama about a former detective with perfect recall. Until the debut of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's new family-oriented, late-arriving, Sunday night fairy-tale drama Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time (TV series)
Once Upon a Time is an American fairy tale drama television series that premiered on Sunday October 23, 2011, on ABC. New episodes air Sunday nights at 8:00 pm ET/7:00 pm CT....
, CBS had been airing promos that Unforgettable was the #1 new drama of the 2011-12 season. According to the prime-time Nielsen television ratings released through Sunday, November 6, 2011, season-to-date, Unforgettable has averaged 13.9 million viewers. For a snapshot rating, on Tuesday, November 1, 2011, the series was first in its regular timeslot, with 11.3 million viewers and ranked #24 overall for the week.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Silk Stalkings Silk Stalkings Silk Stalkings is a TV crime drama originally shown on CBS in 1991 as part of the network's late-night Crimetime After Primetime programming package, and rebroadcast on the USA Network. After CBS ended the Crimetime experiment in 1993, the series ran exclusively on USA until its finale in the... |
Angel | U.S. TV Series (Episodes: "Natural Selection," parts 1 and 2) |
| 1994 | Tammy and the T-Rex Tammy and the T-Rex Tammy and the T-Rex is a 1994 science fiction/comedy starring future stars Denise Richards and Paul Walker. The low budget film centres around the life of small town high school student Tammy... |
Party Girl #1 | |
| 1995 | Jake Lassiter: Justice on the Bayou | Cindy | TV movie |
| 1995 | Devil in a Blue Dress Devil in a Blue Dress (film) Devil in a Blue Dress is a 1995 American neo-noir film directed by Carl Franklin and photographed by Tak Fujimoto.The film was based on Walter Mosley's novel of the same name, was executive produced by Jonathan Demme, and starred Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, and Don Cheadle.In... |
Barbara's Sister | |
| 1996 | Marilyn 'Lee' Cross | TV movie | |
| 1996 | Peacock Blues | TV short | |
| 1996 | Party of Five Party of Five Party of Five is an American teen drama television series that aired on Fox for six seasons, from September 12, 1994, until May 3, 2000.Critically acclaimed, the show suffered from low ratings and after its first season was slated for cancellation... |
Allison | Episode: "Poor Substitutes" |
| 1996 | NYPD Blue NYPD Blue NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan... |
Lisa | Episode: "Burnin' Love" |
| 1996 | Relativity Relativity (TV series) Relativity is an American drama television series which followed a twenty-something couple, Isabel Lukens and Leo Roth , and the lives and loves of their friends and siblings... |
Jennifer Lukens | U.S. TV series (7 episodes) |
| 1997 | Desert's Edge | Mary | TV short |
| 1998 | Dead Man on Campus | Rachel | |
| 1999 | Dr. Sarah Coleman | TV movie | |
| 1999 | Caroline Tate | ||
| 1999 | Life Life (film) Life is a 1999 American comedy-drama film directed by Ted Demme, and starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. The supporting cast includes Obba Babatundé, Bernie Mac, Anthony Anderson, Miguel A. Núñez Jr. and Bokeem Woodbine... |
Older Mae Rose Abernathy | |
| 2000 | Men Named Milo, Women Named Greta | Barri Noodleman | Short film |
| 2000 | Elizabeth Waclawek | U.S. TV series (3 episodes) | |
| 2001 | Blonde Blonde (film) Blonde is a 2001 made-for-television film on the life of Marilyn Monroe. Australian actress Poppy Montgomery steps into the role of the blonde bombshell who transformed herself from Norma Jean Baker to the sexy Hollywood Icon.-Plot:... |
Norma Jean Baker / Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s.... |
TV miniseries |
| 2001 | Going to California | Penelope | Episode: "Hurricane Al: A Tale of Key Largo" |
| 2002 | Glory Days Glory Days (TV series) Glory Days is an American horror/mystery-based television series broadcast from January to March 2002 on The WB Television Network... |
Ellie Sparks | U.S. TV series (9 episodes) |
| 2002–09 | Without a Trace Without a Trace Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:... |
Samantha Spade Samantha Spade (Without a Trace) Special Agent Samantha "Sam" Spade is a fictional character portrayed by actress Poppy Montgomery on the CBS television drama Without a Trace.Samantha is a Special Agent in the New York City FBI missing persons case squad led by Special Agent Jack Malone... |
U.S. TV series (160 episodes) |
| 2004 | Raising Waylon Raising Waylon Raising Waylon is a 2004 romantic comedy television film by Sam Pillsbury.-Synopsis:Réginald and Julia are obliged to raise the son of their friends who have died in an accident, because they are his godfather and godmother.-Credits:... |
Julia Bellows | TV special |
| 2004 | Allison | ||
| 2005 | Between (film) | Nadine Roberts | |
| 2005 | Murder in the Hamptons Murder in the Hamptons Murder in the Hamptons is a true story made for TV movie, based on the events leading to the murder of multi-millionaire Ted Ammon and the conviction of Ammon's estranged wife's lover Daniel Pelosi.-Plot:... |
Generosa Rand | TV movie |
| 2005 | Snow Wonder | Paula | TV movie |
| 2010 | True Blue | Katherine Miller | TV pilot |
| 2010 | Lying to Be Perfect Lying to Be Perfect Lying to Be Perfect is a made-for-television movie from Lifetime based on the novel The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer.-External links:*... |
Nola Devlin | TV movie |
| 2011 | Magic Beyond Words Magic Beyond Words Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story is a made-for-TV film starring Australian actress Poppy Montgomery. The film, which was shot in B.C. Canada locations altered to look like British locations, details the journey of struggling single mother J. K... |
J. K. Rowling J. K. Rowling Joanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE , better known as J. K. Rowling, is the British author of the Harry Potter fantasy series... |
TV Movie |
| 2011–present | Unforgettable Unforgettable (TV series) Unforgettable is an American crime/mystery television series about a police detective with an unusually detailed memory. The hour-long program, which is based on J... |
Carrie Wells | U.S. TV series |