Born: May 11, 1982, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Died: July 13, 2013 (aged 31) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Cause of Death: Heroin and alcohol overdose
Occupation: Actor, Singer
Known for: Finn Hudson on Glee
Cory Allan Michael Monteith (May 11, 1982 – July 13, 2013) was a Canadian actor and musician, known for his role as Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and raised in Victoria,
British Columbia, Canada, Monteith had a troubled adolescence involving
substance abuse from age 12, and he left school at 16. After an intervention by family and friends, he entered drug rehabilitation at age 19, and began rebuilding his life.
As an actor based in Vancouver, he had minor roles on television series before an audition tape of him singing "Can't Fight This Feeling" helped to land him the biggest role of his career, Finn on Glee. Following his success on Glee, Monteith's film work included the movie Monte Carlo and a starring role in Sisters & Brothers. In a 2011 interview with Parade
magazine, he discussed his history of substance abuse as a teen, and in
March 2013, he again sought treatment for addiction. In July 2013, he
died of a toxic combination of heroin and alcohol in a Vancouver hotel room.
Early Life
Monteith was born in Calgary, Alberta, on May 11, 1982, the younger son of Ann McGregor, an interior decorator, and Joe Monteith, a military man who served in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. He had an older brother named Shaun. Monteith's parents divorced when he was seven years old, and he and his older brother were raised by their mother in Victoria, British Columbia.
After the divorce he saw little of his father due to Joe Monteith's
military service, and he had social difficulties at school. From age 13,
he used alcohol and marijuana and started being truant from school.
After attending 16 schools,
including alternative programs for troubled teens, he dropped out
altogether at age 16. By that time, his drug and alcohol dependency had
increased and Monteith turned to petty crimes, such as stealing money
from friends and family, to fund his addictions.
The turning point in Monteith's life came when his mother and a group
of friends staged an intervention when he was 19, and he began attending
a rehabilitation program. Monteith stated, "I'm lucky on so many counts. I'm lucky to be alive." He eventually received his high school diploma in 2011 from an alternative school he attended in his youth in Victoria.
Before breaking into show business, Monteith worked various jobs, including Walmart people greeter, taxicab driver, school bus driver, and roofer.
Monteith began his acting career in Vancouver, British Columbia. He played minor roles in Final Destination 3, Whisper, and Deck the Halls. He had a recurring role in Kyle XY. He also made guest appearances in television serials such as Smallville, Supernatural, Flash Gordon, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate SG-1. In 2005, he appeared in Killer Bash,
about a tormented geek's soul that was taking revenge on his murderer's
children by taking over a girl's twin body. The following year, he made
a brief appearance in Urban Legend: a Bloody Mary. In 2007, he starred in the MTV series Kaya as Gunnar. In April 2010, Monteith was cast in the romantic comedy movie Monte Carlo.
In 2009, Monteith was cast in the Fox series Glee. He portrayed Finn Hudson. In December 2010, it was announced that Monteith would be starring in
and co-producing a new untitled workplace-caper comedy for Fox 2000.
In January 2011, he shot the film Sisters & Brothers with Dustin Milligan, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2011. Canadian director Gia Milani's film All The Wrong Reasons stars Monteith as "a big box department store manager whose wife is struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder."
Milani suggests he was excited to play his own age, in a "heavy role."
He filmed his part on weekdays, flying to Los Angeles on weekends to do
promotional work for Glee.
In 2011, he filmed a PSA
for Straight But Not Narrow, an online PSA organization aimed at
changing the minds of young, straight guys and girls in their attitude
and viewpoint towards the LGBT community. In 2012, he co-hosted the 23rd GLAAD Media Awards in New York City with co-star Naya Rivera. On August 8, 2010, he co-hosted the Teen Choice Awards. Monteith hosted the Gemini Awards in Toronto on November 13, 2010.
Death
On July 13, 2013, at the age of 31, Monteith was found dead in his room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver.
He had been scheduled to check out that day following a seven-night
stay, but when he failed to do so, hotel staff entered his room and
discovered his body around noon. The Vancouver Police Department stated that the cause of death was not immediately apparent, but ruled out foul play. An autopsy was completed by the BC Coroners Service on July 15. The autopsy report stated that Monteith died from "a mixed drug toxicity" consisting of heroin and alcohol, and that his death appeared to have been accidental.
Monteith's body was cremated in Vancouver on July 17, following a private viewing by his immediate family and girlfriend, Lea Michele. On July 25, Michele and Glee creator Ryan Murphy
held a celebration of life for Monteith in Los Angeles, attended by
cast, crew, and creators of the show, as well as colleagues from the
show's network and studio. After consultation with Michele, who also plays Monteith's girlfriend on Glee, showrunners postponed production of Glee's fifth season
to August rather than late July. Consequently, the season is set to
premiere a week later than planned. The third episode of the season is
scheduled to be a tribute to Monteith, and is to incorporate the death
of his character, Finn Hudson.
This episode is to be followed by an extended hiatus so that writers
can determine how to proceed with the show following the death.
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