Bull Montana — Blue Book of the Screen (1923) 🇺🇸
Louis Montana, better known as “Bull” Montana [Bull Montana], was born in Voghera, Italy, July 14, 1889. His name then was Luigi Montagna. He is five feet ten inches tall, weighs 185 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes.
His parents were poor, and after he had attended school a short time he was made an apprentice to a shoemaker at three cents a day. At the end of a year he was raised to four cents a day. One day he took an hour from work to carry a drum in a circus parade in order to get a ticket to the show. His employer discovered the deed and “Bull” lost his lucrative position.
From that time until he came to America he worked on a farm. Finally an uncle wrote that there was a great opportunity for the boy in America. He came and was given a fine position in a Connecticut stone quarry swinging a pick.
He had wrestled some in Italy and his prowess became known in the quarry town. He began taking small matches and winning them. He absented himself from work one day to make a trip to another town to fulfill a wrestling engagement and when he came back was told his services were no longer needed. “We have hired a horse to take your place,” he was told. He continued wrestling, gradually climbing the ladder to professional athletic fame. While training in a New York gymnasium a few years ago he was seen by Douglas Fairbanks [Douglas Fairbanks Sr.], who prevailed upon him to go to Hollywood and appear in motion pictures. He has appeared in several Fairbanks’ starring pictures, with May Allison in “Thirty Days,” in “Easy to Make Money” with Bert Lytell, Rex Ingram’s “The Right That Failed,” Hearts Are Trumps, “Go and Get It,” “Victory” and others.
A year ago he was signed by Hunt Stromberg to star in a series of comedies for Metro. Among those produced so far are “A Ladies’ Man,” “A Punctured Prince,” “Glad Rags,” “Rob ‘Em Good” and “The Two Twins.”
“Bull” is an American citizen. During the summer of 1921 he returned to Europe on a visit. He purchased a home for his parents in Voghera and placed money in a bank there sufficient to make them independent for the remainder of their lives.
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(Above) “Bull” Montana lives in a beautiful home in Hollywood.
(Left) And leads a quiet life in spite of his vicious appearance.
Collection: The Blue Book of the Screen (1923)