Manny Montana is a first generation Mexican American. The actor was born in Long Beach, California and he remained in the Golden State throughout his childhood and into his adult years. The future star was reportedly raised mainly by his aunt and uncle due to his parents working long hours in order to support their young family. They were new to the country and were trying hard to establish themselves in the States. Montana once said that his humble beginnings made acting seem like a goal that was out of reach.
In an interview published on his wife’s blog (via The Netline), the Cali native said that a career in acting “seems like something that doesn’t happen to the first gen kid whose dad works in a warehouse and whose mom has always had odd jobs. I never imagined this happened to people who came from normal families. Because of that, though, I never shared that I wanted to become an actor with too many people, because it seemed like a far reach to them.” Montana didn’t pursue his acting dream until he reached adulthood, but his leap of faith was quickly rewarded.
These days, he loves to give advice to kids coming from similar backgrounds. In fact, he believes that they’re uniquely qualified for careers in Hollywood. “I feel like every kid, especially from the hood, knows how to act because a lot of us don’t want to be hood,” he told En Fuego. “We just want to be able to laugh and joke and have fun like we did as kids.”
