{{Short description|American trick rider and roper}} {{Redirect|Monte Montana|the mountain|Monte Montana}}
thumb|250px|right|Lobby card for ''The Circle of Death'' (1935) with Tove Linden and Montie Montana '''Montie Montana''' (born '''Owen Harlen Mickel'''; June 21, 1910 – May 20, 1998) was a rodeo trick rider and trick roper, actor, stuntman and cowboy inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1994.<ref name="ProRodeo">{{Cite news|url=https://www.prorodeohalloffame.com/inductees/contract-personnel/montie-montana/|title=Montie Montana - Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame|work=Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame|access-date=April 22, 2017}}</ref>
==Biography== Montana was born in Wolf Point, Montana, in 1910. He was a perennial participant in the Tournament of Roses Parade until his death in Los Angeles, California, in 1998.<ref name="montie">{{cite web|author1=Tribune Staff|title=125 Montana Newsmakers: Montie Montana|url=http://www.greatfallstribune.com/multimedia/125newsmakers2/montana.html|website=Great Falls Tribune|access-date=August 26, 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125154046/http://www.greatfallstribune.com/multimedia/125newsmakers2/montana.html|archive-date=January 25, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Television viewers know him from more than 60 appearances, waving to the crowd from his silver saddle. During the first inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower as the 34th President of the United States on January 20, 1953, Montana lassoed the president after his swearing-in.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Djordjevic |first1=Patrick |title=The most unusual past presidential inaugurations: ListThe most unusual past presidential inaugurations: List |url=https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/most-unusual-presidential-inaugurations/ |publisher=News Nation |access-date=18 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Deamer |first1=Kacey |title=The 15 Weirdest Presidential Inaugurations in US History |url=https://www.livescience.com/57570-weirdest-presidential-inaugurations-in-history.html |publisher=Live Science |access-date=18 January 2025}}</ref> He can be seen as a contestant on the May 7, 1959 television broadcast of ''You Bet Your Life'', along with his horse Rex.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://variety.com/1998/legit/news/montie-montana-dead-at-87-1117471220// | title=Montie Montana, dead at 87 | date=May 26, 1998}}</ref>
Montana would go to elementary schools and perform with Rex. He was at Camellia Avenue Elementary School in North Hollywood, California, in 1959, and he would talk about the rubber horseshoes Rex would be fitted with so Rex would not slip on the asphalt playground while Montie was riding Rex. He performed rope tricks on and off of Rex, and would pass out photos of him and Rex to the students at the end of his show.
In 1996, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.<ref>{{cite web |title=Palm Springs Walk of Stars |url=https://www.palmsprings.com/walk-of-stars/ |website=PalmSprings.com |access-date=April 7, 2020}}</ref> He was buried at the Oakwood Memorial Park in Chatsworth, California.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-27-me-53758-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|title=Montie Montana Given Cowboy Send-Off|date=May 27, 1998|author=Amy Oakes}}</ref>
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1932|| ''The Saddle Buster'' || Rodeo Performer || Uncredited |- |1934|| ''Stand Up and Cheer!'' || Rope Spinner || Uncredited |- |1935|| ''The Circle of Death'' || Little Buffalo, alias Jim Little || |- |1935|| ''Border Vengeance'' || Montie Montana, Trick Rider || Uncredited |- |1935|| ''Melody Trail'' || Rodeo Rider || Uncredited |- |1936|| ''Comin' Round the Mountain'' || Roper || Uncredited |- |1936|| ''Gun Smoke'' || || |- |1939|| ''The Kid from Texas'' || Trick Rider || Uncredited |- |1943|| ''Riders of the Deadline'' || Ranger Kelton || |- |1944|| ''Take It Big'' || Show Performer || Uncredited |- |1944|| ''Man from Frisco'' || Montana || Uncredited |- |1949|| ''Down Dakota Way'' || Sheriff Holbrook || |- |1952|| ''The Story of Will Rogers'' || Trick Roping Double for Will Rogers Jr. || Uncredited |- |1954|| ''The Boy from Oklahoma'' || Roper || Uncredited |- |1960|| ''The Rifleman'' || Stage Driver|| |- |1962|| ''The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'' || Cowboy on Pinto Pony || Uncredited |- |1963|| ''Hud'' || Cowboy || Uncredited |- |1964|| ''Cheyenne Autumn'' || Trooper || Uncredited |- |1968|| ''Arizona Bushwhackers'' || Stage Driver || |- |1972|| ''The Young Rounders'' || || (final film role) |}
== Honors == * 1989 Rodeo Hall of Fame of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum<ref>{{cite web|title=Montie Montana {{!}} Rodeo Hall of Fame|url=https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/rodeo-hall-of-fame/5176/|website=National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum|access-date=May 20, 2017}}</ref> * 1990 Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame<ref>{{cite web|title=Montie Montana|url=https://rounduphalloffame.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/hof-inductess-1969-present.pdf|website=Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame|publisher=pendletonhalloffame.com|access-date=January 3, 2018}}</ref> * 1994 ProRodeo Hall of Fame<ref name="ProRodeo" /> * 1997 Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame<ref>{{cite web|title=Montie Montana {{!}} Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame|url=https://ellensburgrodeohalloffame.org/inductees/|website=erhof.com|access-date=May 20, 2017}}</ref> * 2011 Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame<ref>{{cite web |title=Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame Inductees |url=https://www.cfdrodeo.com/cfd-old-west-museum/our-story/history/cheyenne-frontier-days-hall-of-fame-inductees |website=Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum |access-date=October 2, 2018}}</ref> * 2015 Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage<ref>{{cite web|title=2015 Inductee Biographies - Montie Montana|url=http://montanacowboyfame.org/2015-inductee-biographies.html|website=Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center|access-date=May 20, 2017}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} * {{IMDb name|0598936}}
{{Authority control}} {{Use American English|date=September 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montana, Montie}} Category:People from Wolf Point, Montana Category:American male film actors Category:Tournament of Roses Category:1910 births Category:1998 deaths Category:20th-century American male actors Category:ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees Category:Trick roping Category:Trick riders Category:Burials at Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery