Biography
Date of Birth
11 December 1982, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Birth Name
Cory Allan Michael Monteith
Height
6' 3½" (1.92 m)
Death
13 December 2013, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, heroin and alcohol overdose
Mini Biography
Cory Monteith was born on May 11, 1982 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada as Cory Allan Michael Monteith. He was an actor, known for playing the singing jock Finn on the American TV show Glee (2009) and films such as Monte Carlo (2011), and Final Destination 3 (2006). He died on July 13, 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Trivia
Enjoyed skimboarding and surfing in his free time.
Listed hockey and basketball as two of his favorite sports.
Before he got his big break as an actor, he worked a variety of odd jobs, including Wal-Mart people greeter, cab driver, and roofer.
He moved from Calgary, Alberta to Victoria, British Columbia at age 2, after his parents divorced. He grew up in Victoria and considered it his hometown.
Was the drummer for a band called Bonnie Dune.
In June 2011, Monteith told Parade Magazine that he had a "serious" drug problem from around age 13.
Had a part in Final Destination 3 (2006), playing a student from McKinley High. His character, "Finn Hudson", on Glee (2009), also goes to McKinley High.
Was in a relationship with actress and co-star Lea Michele from 2011 until his death in 2013.
Described himself on his personal Twitter page as a 'tall, awkward, Canadian, actor, drummer, person'.
Dropped out of school at 16, after attending 16 different schools.
He was of Scottish, Irish, English, and one quarter Dutch/Frisian, descent. His maternal grandmother was born in Hengelo, Gelderland, Netherlands.
Parents are interior decorator Ann McGregor and serviceman Joe Monteith.
On July 16, 2013, the British Columbia coroner's office released a report that concluded that Monteith died from "mixed drug toxicity, involving heroin and alcohol." The report also said "there is no evidence to suggest Mr. Monteith's death was anything other than a most tragic accident.".
Died July 13, 2013, in a hotel room on the 21st floor of the Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was 31.
Entered rehab for substance addiction. [March 2013]
Left rehab and reunited with Lea Michele at LAX. [April 2013]
Lea Michele Told ELLE Magazine that Cory's last words to her were "if you say so." During her first red carpet appearance since his death, those words were visible tattooed on her ribcage.
Lea Michele added two songs to her debut album after Cory's death. One, called "Cannonball," will be her first single off of the album. The second song, "If You Say So," is the last thing he said to her.
Some of his ashes were given to friend and co-star Kevin Zegers. The two worked on the movie All the Wrong Reasons (2013), which was released in November.
Born on exactly the same date as Jonathan Jackson of "General Hospital" fame.
Quotes
Maybe it'll be like The Simpsons (1989), and everybody will remain unchanged. Maybe that's what Glee (2009)'s about. Maybe this is kind of a stasis show. I don't know.
It's always exciting to explore adult roles when the vast majority of viewers that have seen me on TV know me from Glee (2009), from something of a different tone.
I've worked as a labourer, driven taxis and school buses, and been a car mechanic - whatever I could do just to get by. But it does mean that I know a little bit about a lot of things.
I'm a big fan of Glee (2009). I think it's really smart. And I think it's well-timed. But you can't not be surprised at the reception this show's received. It's really something else.
I'll go out, but I leave early, before the shenanigans. I don't really do the Hollywood party thing. I'd rather watch sports or play video games or work out or sleep, to be totally honest.
I was dirt-poor. I could barely hold down a job. Eventually, though, I started getting small parts on shows like Smallville (2001), Supernatural (2005)... and lots of really bad sci-fi movies. I was running around the woods in wolf contacts, covered in fake blood made out of pancake syrup, roaring.
I was 20 years old, working as a roofer and a telemarketer and driving a taxi, just barely getting by. A friend of a friend suggested I try acting. I was like, 'Why? What am I going to do? Community theater?' But I took a class, and the teacher thought that I had potential, so I moved to Vancouver and started auditioning.
I took out a whole fireplace and put in broken glass and installed a burner underneath, so it looks like fire on ice. I did that in my bedroom suite. I'm pretty handy.
I think having worked in a department store setting, if my life had not taken a drastically different turn when I became an actor, there's a very high probability I would have continued to work at the department store.
I stole a significant amount of money from a family member. I knew I was going to get caught, but I was so desperate I didn't care. It was a cry for help.
I see the people in the tabloids, the ones that get bad press, who have kind of gone off the edge, and I try to study them so that I don't do that. It seems like they lost focus at some point - that's the one thing they all have in common.
I remember I'd come home from fifth, sixth grade, and I'd watch Saved by the Bell (1989) and be like, "I hope my high school experience is like that". And it totally wasn't. It sucked.
I recently had a few days off while shooting a movie in Budapest, so I took a cab from the set to the airport, looked at the departure board, and decided where I wanted to go right then and there. I spent four days in Rome and didn't tell anyone I was going.
I like the idea of dating, but I'm not dating anyone exclusively, particularly right now. It's hard to be in a relationship unless you're ready to go public with it. So it's a lot easier for me to not be in a relationship. I really don't want that part of my life to be tabloid fodder.
I have a solo deal with Columbia Records. So it's about, do I want to release an album, when can we do it, what kind of album should it be, how should it be released and marketed and what's the right timing? Do I have time to do it? It's all about questions.
It's really annoying when you're trying to get to know someone and she doesn't pay attention to you because she's obsessed with her phone.
If people are taking pictures of me at Starbucks, it's not the end of the world. It's cool, it's fun, it's exciting.
I've been very inspired by Virgin's model of business as a force for good.
I'm really pale.
I'm pretty focused on my career, and if it comes down to hanging out with somebody or learning my lines, it's gonna be learning my lines.
I'm lucky on so many counts - I'm lucky to be alive.
I'm Joe Canada, who never went to high school. I've never even been to a football game.
I'm a pretty good snowboarder but a terrible surfer.
I'm a cat whisperer. When I go to people's houses, their cats always like me better than the owners.
I used to do tech support for MSN in Canada.
I say eat fast and die young.
I probably tweet every other day, which I know isn't half as much as some people.
I play a lot of ultra-violent video games.
I like Lady Gaga!
I keep a pretty low profile. I live in Culver City with some roommates. I don't do the whole 'Hollywood' thing.
I don't read that many novels, I'm more of a nonfiction fan.
I don't need to be wildly famous for my life to make sense.
How do I put this? Glee (2009) is like High School Musical (2006) if "High School Musical" had its stomach punched and its lunch money stolen.
But when the Glee (2009) audition came around, my manager literally had to talk me into it. I was petrified to sing in front of anyone.
I'm Canadian, but no, I don't speak French.
At some point, you realize your parents are human. They make the best decisions they can with the options available to them.
I want to get married and have children and live happily ever after. That's important to me.
I think if you show up and you work hard and you're straightforward, you can always create your own opportunities. I hope I'm right.
I don't want kids to think it's O.K. to drop out of school and get high, and they'll be famous actors, too. But for those people who might give up: Get real about what you want and go after it.
