BAFTA-Winning Actor Lee Montague Has Died

Lee Montague, the BAFTA-winning actor whose stage and screen career spanned six decades, has died.

Montague’s death was confirmed in an obituary shared by Keats Community Library, in which Lee was the President For Life. A cause of death was not disclosed. Montague was 97.

Born Leonard Goldberg in Bow in London in 1927, Montague trained at the Old Vic theatre school and made his debut there in 1950, according to Ham and High. Two years later, he transitioned his career to the screen when he made film debut in John Huston’s 1952 film Moulin Rouge in the role of Maurice Joyant. He went on to enjoy a career that spanned six decades, with roles on both the stage and screen.

“Lee was a highly respected actor,” his obituary read. “Moving into film he worked with great directors (such as Zeffirelli) appearing in some 30 films including Moulin Rouge in 1952, Bill Budd, Brother Sun, Sister Moon, and Jesus of Nazareth with Robert Powell.”

Montague is perhaps best remembered for the BBC Kids program Jackanory. The series was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996 and featured an actor reading from children’s novels or folk tales. Montague became the first Jackanory reader when the show launched, and narrated a total of 15 episodes between 1965 and 1966, for which he won a BAFTA.

The late BBC legend’s other credits include the TV series Bergerac, Casualty, Jekyll and Hyde, and The Sweeney, as well as films such as The Camp on Blood Island (1958), The Silent Enemy (1959), How I Won the War (1967), and Lady Jane (1986), starring Helena Bonham Carter, per his IMDb profile. He also maintained an active stage career, performing at the Old Vic London, the Bristol Old Vic, the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, among others. His final acting credit was in 2017’s Gatwick Gangsters.

Paying tribute to Montague, Monty Python legend Michael Palin, who performed on stage with the late star, told Ham and High, “Very sad to hear that I shall not see Lee again. He was such good company, wise, experienced, empathetic, funny. It was always a pleasure to share a stage with him.” Robert Lindsay, who starred alongside the actor in Seconds Out, said he was “devastated.” He remembered Montague as his “theatrical Dad,” adding that he had “kept in touch with him over many years.”

Montague was married to actress Ruth Goring for 67 years until her death in 2023. The couple shared two children.