Manny Montana is an American-Mexican actor, born on 6 September 1983, known for portraying Johnny Tuturro in the USA Network series “Graceland” and Rio in the NBC series “Good Girls”. He appeared in a variety of student films after graduating in 2006, which ultimately led him to guest star in single episodes of different television series. His impressive performances in these small roles set him up for his big break, which came in 2012.
From making appearances in TV series such as 2008 “ER” as a football orderly, and the American legal drama series “Raising the Bar”, to minor film roles in “30” and “The Ghost Crenshaw”, Manny paved his road to the moment that birthed his breakout role. Today, he has over 20 TV series features under his belt, and currently, he is a main cast in the popular NBC series “Good Girls”.
The journey to the top takes very different shapes. While for some, it is long and treacherous, for others, it is paved and short. One thing that is always constant, however, is talent. It is what shines through and is the vehicle that conveys one through the journey. Of course, factors like hard work, resilience and grit act as the fuel the vehicle runs on. For Manny, the journey was one that required some patience while waiting for an ultimate breakthrough.
With more major roles gradually piling up in the last few years, Manny is well on his way to wherever he hopes to be as an actor. Let’s take a closer look at his career and journey so far while we also learn a few things about his personal life. We kick off with these ten facts about Manny Montana.
10 facts about Manny Montana
- Manny’s parents weren’t around during his childhood, and as a result, he was brought up by his uncles and aunts. There is, however, no information on why his parents weren’t present.
- He grew up alongside two younger siblings who of course were also raised by the same people.
- He got a football scholarship while at Jordan High School to study at California State University, but the actor abandoned it due to a recurrent arm injury that threatened his potential footballing career.
- During his undergraduate days, he worked as a DJ at a university radio station, mixing beats and turning tables. His mastery of the art landed him a job at Power 100.3 as an intern until his first acting opportunity came calling.
- Manny’s portrayal of a gay character in the series “Graceland” led to a controversy about his sexual orientation, with many fans assuming that he was indeed gay.
- Contrary to assumptions about his sexuality, Manny is happily married to a member of the opposite sex. He got married in 2015 to blogger Adelfa Marr, and they have a son whose name is unknown.
- Manny’s family weren’t so sure about his career choice, and they felt he was throwing his degree away by going into acting, and they always advised him to have a side job just in case.
- Asides from DJing, football, and acting, Manny has also tried his hands at boxing, and he competed in the Silver Gloves amateur boxing championship.
- Due to his circumstantial upbringing, the actor now mentors many youngsters within his community and extended family.
- There are different reports about Manny’s net worth. Some sources say he is worth $5 million, while in some other place his net worth is around $88 million and above.
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Early life and education
Manny Montana was born and raised in Long Beach, California, alongside his two younger brothers. There is no info about who his parents are, but it is known that they weren’t present in his life. He and his siblings were raised by their uncles and aunts.
Manny completed his high school education at Jordan High School, where he was actively involved in football. He got a football scholarship to California State University Sacramento but quit after an arm injury and dislocating his shoulder for the eighth time. He feared the injury was bound to cut short his career if he decided to pursue it full time. Montana transferred to California State University, Long Beach, to major in Journalism and Broadcasting. He worked as a DJ in the school’s student radio station, which landed him an intern position at Power 100.3.
Career – Manny Montana movies and TV shows
After graduating in 2006, Montana acted in many student films, which eventually led him to guest star in single episodes of various television series. He made his television debut on the series “ER” in a minor role as an orderly in 2008. The following year he appeared as Romeo Vasquez in the series “Raising the Bar”, and he went on to feature in many other small roles before his big break in with “Graceland” in 2012.
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Graceland
“Graceland” is an American drama television series that premiered on the USA Network on 6 June 2013, and got cancelled after 3 seasons. It follows a group of undercover agents from various US law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, the FBI, and ICE, who live together in a confiscated Southern California beach house known as “Graceland”. Rookie FBI agent Mike Warren is assigned to the house fresh out of Quantico training.
Manny plays the main role of Johnny Tuturro, the fun-loving prankster of the house. Johnny is Briggs’ right-hand man and the heart of “Graceland”. Growing up, Johnny almost followed in his brother’s footsteps and joined a gang. Instead, he became a Navy Seal trainee, where he learned everything from undersea recoveries to diffusing bombs and then finally joined the FBI.
Conviction
“Conviction” is an American legal drama television series on ABC. On the show, Former First Daughter Hayes Morrison is blackmailed into heading the Conviction Integrity Unit, a department of the New York County District Attorney’s Office comprising lawyers, detectives, and forensic experts, who re-examine cases where there is suspicion of wrongful conviction. The team has only five days to prove each case.
Manny played the role of Frankie Cruz, who was previously incarcerated for three years in Queensboro Correctional Facility. While there, he studied forensic science and developed a romantic relationship with his cellmate, Rey Armas, who he credits for saving his life.
Miles From Tomorrowland
“Miles From Tomorrowland” is an American CGI animated children’s television series set in the year 2501. It centres on the Callisto family, who live on a spaceship called the Stellosphere and work for the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA). Each episode consists of two 11-minute stories as Miles and his family explore extraterrestrial planets.
Manny starred in the series as the computer voice of starship Zenith, the Mission Center’s fastest starship, with similar functions to other ships in the TTA, whose mission is to connect and protect the universe.
Rio from Good Girls
“Good Girls” is an American crime comedy-drama television series that premiered on 26 February 2018 and concluded on 22 July 2021 on NBC. The series follows three suburban Michigan mothers, two of whom are sisters, who are having a hard time trying to make ends meet. They are tired of having everything taken away from them so they decide to pull off an unlikely heist by robbing a supermarket, only to discover that they are in for more than they expected.
Manny featured as a main cast member, portraying the character of Christopher, also known as Rio. He is a high-ranking criminal who has a money-laundering business. Rio supports his business through wrapping paper, pills, cars and other creative ways. He takes a particular interest in Beth, forming a complicated relationship with her.
Christina Hendricks
Born Christina Rene Hendricks, Christina is an American actress, producer, and former model. She is a well-decorated actress with six Primetime Emmy Award nominations, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
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Christina co-stars Manny on the TV series “Good Girls” as Elizabeth “Beth” Boland, a mother of four and housewife whose car salesman husband of 20 years cheated on her. She is the unofficial leader of the group and grows to enjoy life as a criminal. Beth is also Rio’s love interest, and they share a rather complicated affair.
There have been rumours that both actors, (Manny and Christina) don’t quite get along in real life and that their working relationship is a bit strained. Both actors have answered questions about this in interviews over the years, and they try to say as little as possible about the rumours.
In an additional panel about the show, Christina noted that Manny called her a name she’s never been called in her life. “Manny calls [me]…Chris,” she said. “No one in my life calls me Chris. It’s not my name. I think it’s totally stupid. And he’s never taken the chance to realize that I hate it. It’s really weird.”
Personal life
Manny Montana, although active on social media, keeps his personal life very hush-hush. Apart from this, it is noteworthy that his life is actually drama free. One might want to think this is so because he is a family man who has a wife and kid, but he hardly ever had his name mixed up in drama, even as a single guy. To this point, all that is known about Manny’s personal life are positive.
There was a period when fans assumed he was gay because of his role as a gay person in “Graceland”. That, however, is not a new phenomenon as fans more often than not take film and tv characters too literally.
Manny Montana wife
Manny is not just married, but happily so. His face literally lights up whenever he speaks of his wife. He is married to writer and blogger Adelfa Marr, with whom he has a son. The pair got married in 2015, but not much is known about the event. In an interview in 2018, he talked about how things happened quickly for him and his spouse, and how within three years together they had achieved what a normal couple could only have in ten years.
Manny Montana net worth
It is hard to say for sure how much Manny is worth. Though many reports place his worth between $2 to $5 million, a couple of others say he is worth upwards of $88 million due to investments.
Latest news on Manny Montana
After a successful fourth season, and to the utter shock of fans, the TV series “Good Girls” was cancelled. In fact, some of the cast members, like Christina Hendricks and Mae Whitman, were surprised by the news. Although NBC cited financial issues as the reason for the cancellation, some other news has surfaced that Manny Montana may have contributed to the situation.
Justjared.com reports that when negotiations with the cast started in mid-June, the series hit a wall with Manny. There are speculations that the strained working atmosphere between Manny and Christina may have made it impossible for him to accept the kind of financial pay NBC was offering. None of this is confirmed of yet, but you know what they say about rumours.
Conclusion
Considering his background and the absence of his parents, Manny has come a long way. It is always refreshing to see things working out for people from humble beginnings. He is on the right path and trajectory in his acting career, and it is exciting to see. Having soldered through a long wait for his big break, he is finally getting the visibility he needs. It is however a bit unsettling that majority of his projects keep getting canceled along the line. He certainly will keep landing lucrative jobs however, and hopefully one of them tarries. Who knows, maybe some awards await him somewhere down the line. Amen to that!
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