Known for his breakthrough performance as Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things and his depiction of the Red Ranger in Power Rangers (2017), Dacre Montgomery is one of Hollywood’s most promising young performers. Montgomery has swiftly gained popularity in the entertainment business thanks to his unquestionable talent, attractive appearance, and commitment to his job. However, his path to fame wasn’t always straightforward. This is the motivational tale of Dacre Montgomery, who overcame self-doubt to succeed in the cutthroat field of acting.
Quick introduction
Nickname | Darce |
Gender | Male |
Age | 30 years old (in 2025) |
Date of Birth | November 22, 1994 |
Full Name | Dacre Kayd Montgomery-Harvey |
Profession | Actor |
Nationality | Australian |
Birthplace | Perth, Australia |
Religion | Christianity |
Published on | November 25, 2019 on 11:09 AM |
Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
Physical Stats & Height, Weight
Body Measurements | 42-33-15 inches |
Bodytype | Athletic |
Height | 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) |
Weight | 77 kg (170 lbs) |
Hair Color | Dark Brown |
Eye Color | Brown |
Dacre Montgomery Early Life and Background
On November 22, 1994, Dacre Kayd Montgomery-Harvey was born in Perth, Western Australia. His father, Scott Montgomery-Harvey, is from New Zealand, while his mother, Judith Barrett-Lennard, is from Canada. Dacre was exposed to the entertainment industry at a young age because both of his parents were employed in the film industry.
Being the only kid, he was exposed to movie sets at a young age because of his parents’ jobs. His mother was a film producer, while his father was a sound engineer. His love of performing and storytelling was fuelled by this environment.
Acting captivated Montgomery from an early age. His love for performing began when he appeared in a short film for the first time at the age of nine. His early years weren’t without difficulties, though. He was overweight as a child, battled body image issues, and experienced bullying at school. He stayed committed to his goals in spite of these obstacles.
Dacre Montgomery Childhood and Early Interests
Montgomery referred to himself as a “big kid” and battled with his weight as a youth. He struggled to make friends and experienced bullying. He described himself as a “lost” child who found it difficult to fit in and was not into athletics. He later drew from his own experiences when playing Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things, a character with intense emotional issues and insecurities, as his battles with anxiety and low self-esteem moulded his empathy for others.
Montgomery’s mother encouraged him to do creative things instead of watching television until he was around five years old. His profound admiration of television and films was influenced by this early limitation. His early interest in aesthetics and interior design was prompted by his mother’s habit of regularly moving the furniture in their home, a passion that still exists now. Even as a young boy, he enjoyed playing around with lighting and atmosphere and was picky about how his room was set up.
According to Montgomery, he was a huge, daring child who was constantly searching for original ways to amuse himself. He was also a huge movie and television nerd, experiencing periods of infatuation with various films and shows, including Batman and Spider-Man. The contrast between heroes and villains fascinated him, and he gravitated towards darker, more nuanced characters. His approach to acting would later be influenced by this early interest in psychological depth.
High School Years and Parkour Enthusiasm
Montgomery was exposed to the famous drama school on a regular basis because he went to high school on the same campus as WAAPA. His passion in acting was further stoked by this closeness. He developed a passion for parkour around this time, frequently jumping from rooftops with friends and occasionally getting into problems for it. Even while he relished the rush, he was constantly aware of his limitations and prevented severe harm. His latter acting career was influenced by his spirit of adventure, as he took on physically taxing roles that involved stunt work.
Montgomery was a drama buff, but he had academic difficulties. He struggled further after failing his high school acting examinations at the age of 15 and being told he needed to lose weight at the age of 16. He persisted in his desire to become an actor, nevertheless, and at the age of 17, he was urged to enrol in a theatre school for official instruction.
Gap Year and Personal Transformation
During his gap year in Vancouver after graduating from Year 2012, Montgomery was told by an agency that he needed to shed 25 kg in order to pursue a career in acting. He took this counsel seriously, made a commitment to exercise, and experienced a dramatic change that improved his confidence and aided his work. In order to land gigs in Hollywood, he also took the time to develop his American accent.
Dacre Montgomery Personal Life and Relationships
Montgomery has maintained a very modest personal life despite his growing notoriety. He and Liv Pollock, an actress and model who is also from Australia, have been together for a long time. The pair has a close relationship and frequently uses social media to show their love and appreciation for one another.
Montgomery has also been candid about his battles with worry and self-doubt. He has inspired numerous young people dealing with comparable problems by sharing in interviews how he conquered anxieties and pessimistic ideas.
Birth and Family Background
On November 22, 1994, Dacre Kayd Montgomery-Harvey was born in Perth, Western Australia. His family has a long history in the arts and is quite creative. His Canadian mother worked in film and television production, and his New Zealand-born father was a sound recordist. His father was a lecturer in the sound department at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), and his mother was employed there in the 1990s as a broadcaster.
Dacre’s career path would subsequently be significantly shaped by this familial link to WAAPA. Montgomery was exposed to the world of film at a young age while growing up in this setting, working on movie sets and becoming fascinated by music, narrative, and aesthetics. He has royal ancestry dating back to King Charles II of England, making him distantly related to actors Kit Harington and Rose Leslie. He is also a triple citizen of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Family Bonds and Name Significance
Dacre’s first name means “trickling stream” and is derived from the Cumbrian dialect of Northern England. It wasn’t until someone brought it up in an interview that he realised this meaning. Saskia, his younger sister, means “saviour of mankind” in Hungarian. They are twelve years apart in age, but they have maintained their emotional bond. One of his most cherished items is a plush owl that Saskia gave him; he travels with it, and she maintains a matching one at home.
Dacre Montgomery Hobbies and Interests
Beyond acting, Montgomery has a variety of interests and hobbies, including:
• Writing poetry
• Photography
• Listening to music (he has shared his love for classic rock)
• Traveling
• Fitness and working out
• Watching classic films
Dacre Montgomery Net Worth and Financial Success
Dacre Montgomery’s projected net worth is $2 million as of 2025. His primary sources of income include brand endorsements, his work in television and movies, and his artistic endeavours, like his poetry podcast. His financial performance is anticipated to increase dramatically over the next several years as a result of new positions and business endeavours in the works.
Drama School and Career Preparation
Montgomery’s parents’ affiliation with the esteemed Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) had a significant impact on his choice to enrol there. But it wasn’t a smooth first year for him. He had a bad attitude, had trouble staying disciplined, and disliked some of the curriculum, especially the voice exercises like Feldenkrais. He was asked to leave the program three times because of his conceit and lack of participation.
Montgomery also experienced personal setbacks during this tumultuous time; he lost his job and went through a challenging relationship. He was eventually counselled to take a step back and consider his strategy. He reevaluated his attitude during the summer and came back with fresh determination. He was able to participate in modern plays like Punk Rock and The Golden Age, as well as performances like Measure for Measure and The Grapes of Wrath, because to this change of perspective. His efforts were rewarded when, on his 21st birthday, two weeks prior to graduating, he secured his first professional acting part.
Montgomery honed his systematic acting style while attending WAAPA, emphasising the psychological nuance of his roles. He appreciated working with directors who promoted creative cooperation and researched real-life cases to give his performances credibility. He taught himself screenwriting in addition to performing, learning about story structure and script sales with Final Draft software. He finally founded DKMH, a poetry podcast that combines spoken word and music, as a result of his love of storytelling.
A Look into His Professional Career
The Journey to Becoming an Actor
During his early career, Montgomery starred in television shows and short films. He played Fred in the short film “Bertrand the Terrible” in 2010 and was chosen to star in the TV pilot “Family Tree” in 2011. Additionally, he appeared in the 2015 music video for the Australian band Make Them Suffer’s song “Old Souls.”
When he played Red Ranger Jason Scott in the 2017 “Power Rangers” reboot, he made his breakthrough. He had to swiftly become acquainted with the Power Rangers franchise because, unlike some of his co-stars, he did not watch the show growing up. But because he had no prior attachment, he was able to approach Jason Scott from a new angle, providing the character with a realistic, contemporary viewpoint instead of depending on nostalgia.
Montgomery remembered being blown away when he got the part and turning to his mother in shock. Training, which focused on endurance, fight choreography, and stamina, lasted more than a month and a half. He had to learn intricate stunt sequences, such as wirework and hand-to-hand combat, for the physically demanding part. To guarantee realism in the action scenes, he and his co-stars received intense martial arts instruction from qualified stunt coordinators.
Montgomery accepted the task of giving Jason Scott more emotional depth. He portrayed Jason as a flawed but relatable adolescent struggling with personal responsibility, which was different from previous iterations of the character. To make sure Jason’s transformation into a leader felt natural and emotionally engaging, he collaborated closely with director Dean Israelite. He especially liked how the Power Rangers were portrayed in the movie as “screw-ups” who needed to develop into their positions rather than being flawless heroes right away.
Wearing the Power Rangers outfit was one of the most difficult parts of the filmmaking process. In the brown undersuits they wore prior to the complete armour being connected, Montgomery playfully recounted how the cast felt like “big pieces of poop” due to the costume’s restricted nature, which made movement challenging. He was committed to making Jason’s body seem heroic and genuine in spite of the discomfort.
Montgomery thought back on Power Rangers and was thankful for the experience. The movie gave him vital exposure to CGI-heavy productions and action choreography, even though it didn’t start a franchise. Additionally, it brought him to friendships that lasted a lifetime, especially with co-stars RJ Cyler and Naomi Scott. Most significantly, it prepared him for bigger ventures, such as his breakthrough part in Stranger Things, and gave him his first taste of Hollywood.
Audition and Casting for Stranger Things
Montgomery’s Stranger Things audition was a unique experience. At his parents’ house in Perth, Australia, he self-recorded his audition, creating a performance that blended theatrical unpredictableness with unadulterated emotion. He was shirtless when the tape started, and his tumultuous and violent monologue demonstrated Billy Hargrove’s volatile personality.
In a brief moment of spontaneity that gave the performance an unpredictable, wild energy, he danced to Come On Eileen while wearing a black leather jacket and black sunglasses before moving into his second scene. He was able to switch between explosive anger and unnerving charisma with ease, fusing menace and charm. To better emphasise Billy’s menacing aura, he also reimagined Kiefer Sutherland’s malevolent monologue from Stand By Me.
Taking cues from William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence from The Karate Kid and Jack Nicholson’s The Shining, Montgomery organised the video to have the sense of an 80s villain showcase. The Duffer Brothers were immediately drawn to his ability to portray Billy’s unfiltered, erratic personality in such a unique way, and he was eventually cast.
Stranger Things and the Evolution of Billy Hargrove
Billy Hargrove was once perceived as a one-dimensional adversary when he was first introduced in Stranger Things Season 2. To give the character more nuance, Montgomery collaborated closely with the Duffer Brothers. By emphasising Billy’s violent relationship with his father as a major driving force behind his violent actions, he attempted to humanise Billy. Montgomery personally pushed for further backstory and was successful in getting a scene that highlighted Billy’s tumultuous relationship with his father included. He gave an especially strong performance in Season 3, which culminated in an emotional arc in which Billy gives his life to save Eleven.
Montgomery’s preparation demonstrated his commitment to the position. In order to emphasise the fears that motivate aggressive behaviour, he drew on his own experiences with bullying. He researched dissociative identity disorder and bipolar disorder for the Season 3 possession scenes in order to portray Billy’s internal conflict truthfully. In order to improve the physicality of Billy’s metamorphosis under the Mind Flayer’s influence, he also worked with the show’s stunt unit.
The sauna fight in Season 3 Episode 4 was one of the most emotionally and physically taxing scenes. Montgomery had to exert all of his physical and emotional might throughout the week-long filming of this sequence. After every day’s shoot, he remembered being emotionally spent and losing his voice from the numerous takes of shouting. However, Montgomery has said that this scene marked a turning point in his career because it was the first time he felt like he belonged in the business. His confidence as an actor was strengthened by the performance’s intensity and the show’s creators’ faith in him.
Another pivotal moment occurred during Billy’s last scene in the Season 3 finale. According to Montgomery, it was the most emotionally taxing sequence he had ever shot. He unintentionally crushed his skull through actual glass during one take, a moment that was captured in the final cut. He persevered in delivering a strong performance in spite of the physical strain, which eventually brought him considerable praise.
Directing and Podcast
In Vitro, Montgomery’s debut short film, was written, directed, and self-financed in 2019. It was filmed in Sydney. His mother’s profession in mental health and actual incidents of abandoned infants served as inspiration for the movie’s theme. The story of In Vitro centres on a lady who gives birth in a public lavatory following sexual assault and persuades herself that her child was flawlessly created. The film visually represents the gap between dream and reality by combining live-action photography with animated charcoal segments. A Stranger Things cinematographer helped with location scouting, filming, and colour grading. Because of its depth of theme and artistic ambition, the short film earned positive reviews.
Montgomery’s six-track poetry-music fusion podcast, DKMH, was released on July 11, 2019, later that year. He worked with artists all around the world and wrote beat poetry for years, combining spoken word with music in a unique way. In Stockholm, a full orchestra recorded one of the tunes on a cassette deck. He regarded the effort as very personal, cathartic, and meditative, demonstrating his love of narrative outside of acting. The podcast was praised for its experimental and introspective style.
Awards and Recognition
Given how quickly he went from acting school to international acclaim, Montgomery called his 2018 GQ Men of the Year Awards honour in Australia “surreal.” He promoted awareness of the world’s water shortage at the 9th Annual Thirst Project Gala that same year. He looked into a number of nonprofits before deciding to back the Thirst Project because of its goal of giving impoverished areas access to clean drinking water. Montgomery highlighted environmental awareness, citing minor daily practices like taking quick showers as part of his sustainability efforts, and drew on his own experiences in drought-prone Australia. His participation in the gala demonstrated his expanding interest in charitable endeavours outside of the entertainment sector.
Conclusion
Dacre Montgomery’s transformation from a budding Australian actor to a global celebrity is quite remarkable. His ascent to prominence was not immediate; he had to overcome obstacles in the industry, self-doubt, and rejection. But he has made a name for himself in Hollywood thanks to his talent, tenacity, and hard work.
FAQ.
1. What is Dacre Montgomery’s nationality?
He is Australian.
2. How old is Dacre Montgomery?
As of 2025, he is 30 years old.
3. What was his breakthrough role?
His breakthrough role was Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things.
4. Is Dacre Montgomery married?
No, but he has been in a long-term relationship with Liv Pollock.
5. Does he have any upcoming projects?
He is rumored to be involved in several upcoming action and drama films.
Disclaimer:Â The information provided above is for educational and informational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, Top100update.com does not guarantee the completeness or reliability of the information. Users are encouraged to verify any facts before drawing conclusions or making decisions based on the content.
