The Star: - “...My mom is so excited I can't even explain it to you,” the Calgary native says on the phone from the Los Angeles set of Glee last week. “She's just freaking out.” Here's the real shocker: not that long ago, before he became known to millions as Finn Hudson, there was very little glee in Monteith's life. He was, in fact, at genuine risk of being homeless in Vancouver. That came out in a conversation about a cause he backs: the push to create a National Youth Homelessness Awareness Day in Canada on Nov. 17. Monteith is a very committed spokesman for the cause, which is backed by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Unite “Re*Generation Canada” movement. Monteith points out that there are more than 65,000 homeless youth on the streets of Canada, and, yes, he was close to being one of them. After his parents split when he was seven, Monteith dropped out of school in Grade 9 and never went to university. For a while, he took odd jobs as a Wal-Mart greeter, roofer, even working at a car wash. His pursuit of an acting career took him to Vancouver, but he endured poverty and rejection. “I definitely experienced a marginalized situation. I was not homeless but I was definitely at risk.” Monteith was around 20 when things were at their low point. He says it was acting teacher Andrew McIlroy, who mentored him, gave him direction and got him passionate about an acting career. He also credits his “Vancouver acting collectives,” the other young hopefuls who provided family-like support. “That's pretty much where I grew up, where I moved from one period to another, from treading water dangerously to really getting excited about something...” (Cory Monteith: I was on the verge of homelessness)
Cory Allan Monteith (born May 11, 1982) is a Canadian actor and musician best known for his role as Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee. In April 2010, Monteith was cast in the upcoming romantic comedy movie Monte Carlo. In May 2010, the cast of Glee went on a two week live tour with stops in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago and New York City. The cast performed many hits from the show and had several skits between songs. On August 8, 2010, he co-hosted the Teen Choice Awards. Monteith hosted the Gemini Awards in Toronto on November 13, 2010. In January 2011, he shot the movie Sisters and Brothers with Dustin Milligan, and it was announced that Monteith is at the center of a new untitled workplace comedy, starring and co-producing (Wikipedia).
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