Cory Monteith

Cory Allan Michael Monteith (born May 11, 1982) is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee. --- Monteith, born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is the youngest son of Ann McGregor, an interior decorator, and Joe Monteith, a military man who served in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. He has an older brother named Shaun. Monteith's parents divorced when he was seven, and he and his older brother were raised by their mother in Victoria, British Columbia. Dealing with the intermittent absence of his father, and feeling like an outsider among his peers, he started to display signs of a troubled youth; Monteith - once a promising student, who, at age 5, could read at a fourth-grade level - began delving into drugs and alcohol, which in turn affected his studies and school attendance. After attending 16 different schools, including alternative programs for troubled teens, he eventually quit school at the age of 16. By that time, his drug and alcohol addiction had increased and Monteith turned to petty crimes, such as stealing money from friends and family, in order to fund his addictions. The turning point in Monteith's life came when his mother and a group of friends staged an intervention, and he was sent to rehab at 19. Looking back, Monteith stated, "I'm lucky on so many counts—I'm lucky to be alive." He eventually received his high school diploma in 2011 from an alternative school he had attended in his youth in Victoria, British Columbia. Prior to breaking into show business, Monteith worked various jobs, including Wal-Mart people greeter, taxicab driver, school bus driver, and roofer. Monteith began his acting career in Vancouver, British Columbia. He played minor roles in Final Destination 3, Whisper, and Deck the Halls. He had a recurring role in Kyle XY. He also made guest appearances in such Canadian-filmed television serials as Smallville, Supernatural, Flash Gordon, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1. --- In 2009, Monteith was cast in the Fox series Glee. Monteith portrays Finn Hudson. When Glee was being cast, Monteith's Vancouver agent, Elena Kirschner, submitted a video of him drumming with some pencils and Tupperware containers. Series creator (Ryan Murphy) took notice of the video, but pointed out that he had to be singing, as auditioning actors for Glee with no theatrical experience were required to prove they could sing and dance as well as act. Monteith submitted a second, musical tape, in which he sang "a cheesy, '80s music-video-style version" of REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling". He then attended a mass audition in Los Angeles; his vocal skills were considered weak, but he later performed very well with one of Glee's casting directors, who said that his audition captured the most elusive quality of Finn's, his "naive, but not stupid sweetness". Monteith said of his casting process, "I was like a lot of kids, looking for something to be interested in. Something to be passionate about. All you need is permission. Not only for Glee, but for anything in life." --- Monteith began working with American actress Lea Michele in 2009, when they were cast as love interests on Glee. In early 2012, it was reported that they had begun dating. They remained together until his death a year and a half later. On March 31, 2013, Monteith's publicist announced that Monteith had admitted himself into a treatment facility for substance addiction. He had previously received substance abuse treatment over a decade earlier, when he was 19, following a history of drug use that began around the age of 12. According to Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy, Monteith's admission to rehab in March resulted from an emergency intervention on the Paramount lot, in which Murphy and other members of the Glee cast and crew urged Monteith to accompany doctors to the rehab facility, which had been arranged by the show. Monteith agreed, and was consequently written out of the final two episodes of Glee's fourth season, after being assured that he would still have his job upon his return. On April 26, 2013, it was reported that Monteith had completed his treatment. At the time of his death, Monteith was living in Los Angeles, where Glee is filmed. --- On July 13, 2013, at the age of 31, Monteith was found dead in his room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver. He had been scheduled to check out that day following a seven-night stay, but when he failed to do so, hotel staff entered his room and discovered his body around noon. The Vancouver Police Department stated that the cause of death was not immediately apparent, but ruled out foul play. An autopsy was completed by the BC Coroners Service on July 15. The autopsy report stated that Monteith died from "a mixed drug toxicity" consisting of heroin and alcohol, and that his death appeared to have been accidental. Monteith's body was cremated in Vancouver on July 17, following a private viewing by his immediate family. On July 25, Glee creator Ryan Murphy held a celebration of life for Monteith in Los Angeles, attended by cast, crew, and creators of the show, as well as colleagues from the show's network and studio. After consultation with Lea Michele, who also plays Monteith's ex-girlfriend on Glee, show runners postponed production of Glee's fifth season to August rather than late July. Consequently, the season is set to premiere a week later than planned. The third episode of the season is scheduled to be a tribute to Monteith, and is to incorporate the death of his character, Finn Hudson. This episode is to be followed by an extended hiatus so that writers can determine how to proceed with the show following the death.