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Lisa Montell Profile
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Photo gallery |
| (Irena Ludmila Vladimirovna Augustynowic) |
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| 5 July 33 | is born in Warsaw, Poland, of Russian-Polish ancestry, to Walery Montwill and his wife |
| ? | her brother, Andrew, is born |
| Late 30s | goes with her family to the States. When her father adopts the family name of his paternal grandmother, Montville, Lisa is raised as Irene Montwill. |
| ? | attends the High School of Music and Art and the High School of Performing Arts in New York |
| ? | moves with her family to Fort Pierce, Florida |
| ? | studies drama for a year at the University of Miami |
| ? | moves with her family to Lima, Peru, where her father becomes director of a mining company |
| ? | performs with the Lima Theater Workshop |
| ? | gets engaged to a Peruvian |
| c. 53 / 54 | debuts in Cecobolo, a.k.a. The Daughter of the Sun God, filmed on location in Peru and produced by Dick Welding, ex-hubby of John Wayne's wife Pilar Palette. Due to financial problems the film won't be released until 1962. |
| ? | does a few local films in Peru |
| Late 53 | her father dies unexpectedly |
| c. early 54 | following the death of her father, she, her mother and her brother return to Fort Pierce |
| Mid-February 54 | moves with her mother to Hollywood to complete additional soundtracks for Cecobolo. Her brother will attend a private school in the north. |
| ? | signs with the Mitch Hamilburg Agency, which also handles Gene Autry |
| ? | gets married and divorced |
| c. 55 | signed to do Pearl of the South Pacific, she catches the eye of billionaire Howard Hughes, who wants to sign her to a personal contract. At their first meeting, she tells him about her love of opera and poetry and Russian literature; she never hears from him again. |
| attends the premiere of Liberace’s Sincerely Yours at the Pantages Theater |
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| September 55 | attends a South American newspaper party with young actor Dick Davalos |
| 56 | doesn’t date co-star Rod Taylor while filming World Without End |
| c. 56 | double dates with fellow actress Ruta Lee while filming Gaby |
| during the filming of Gaby, director Curtis Bernardt takes her, Ruta and Narda Onyx out to dinner |
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| becomes a member of the Baha’i faith |
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| 57 | becomes friends with Hawaiian actor Johnny Kieoni while filming Naked Paradise on location in Hawaii |
| c. 57 | marries actor David Janti |
| 58 | films She Gods of Shark Reef on location on the island of Kauai. Director Roger Corman shoots it back-to-back with his Thunder Over Hawaii. |
| 19 January 59 | her daughter, Shireen J., is born in Los Angeles |
| ? | divorces Janti |
| ? | becomes chairman of The Human Relations Committee in Culver City and is active with the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations |
| Early 70s | resides in Tucson, Arizona |
| ? | becomes executive director of a Head Start program in Tucson, Arizona |
| ? | becomes a member of the executive staff of Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley |
| 04 | resides in Santa Monica, California |
| May 08 | is scheduled to attend the Memphis Film Festival, June 5 to 7 at the Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center in Olive Branch, Mississippi |
| ? | authors her book, Baha'i: The New Vision |
| 7 March 23 | dies at age 89 in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California |
| Sources: Giseld Dervishi, "Lisa Montell - A Great Way to Make a Living!" by Mike Barnum for Classic Images, Movie News, Picture Show's Who's Who, The Bridgeport Telegram, Screen Stars, News-Tribune, www.LisaJanti.com, www.Ancestry.com | |
| Recommended Books: Baha'i: The New Vision by Lisa Janti | |
| Links: Filmography Official Website | |