When Monte Markham came to visit the campus of his alma mater in late February, arrangements were made by a group, which calls itself “The Enquiring Minds Club,” to host the UGA’s accomplished alumnus for a presentation on his career in which he has distinguished himself as an actor, director, and producer.

Markham has had a seamless career on both sides of the camera and, unlike most of the rest of Hollywood, has had only one wife.  Klaire, whom he found back home in Palm Beach County, has been his inspiration and producing partner in the hundreds of documentaries that the Markhams have produced along with Jason, their son.

Growing up in West Palm Beach, Fla, where he could have followed endless distractions with his good looks and authoritative voice in a beach bum environment, he was forever a serious student who embraced the work ethic and enterprise—first at Palm Beach Junior (now State) College and then at UGA.

I remember him from those days in the late fifties when he insightfully understood the basics of earning a degree:  give class and homework the highest priority and find a way to become self-sufficient when it came to underwriting the cost of your education.

One of the best ways to accomplish that latter goal was to make the Dean’s list and cover the cost of meals which could best be done by working behind the steam table and getting free meals in return.

That is how I first met Monte.  We served meals to our fellow students at the Memorial Hall cafeteria.  The coeds were pretty, the food was filling, and a summer camp-like atmosphere enveloped a building constructed to honor 47 University of Georgia men who gave their life for their country in World War I.

We all admired Monte for his acting ability and his modest way.  We were jealous of his role as Hector in the campus production Helen of Troy.  A beautiful coed named Carolann Connor played Helen and was perfect for the role.  Homer penned in the Iliad that Helen had a face that launched a thousand ships.  Those who remember Carolann would certainly agree that she was one of the prettiest girls ever to walk the UGA campus and would be a perfect casting to “launch a thousand ships.” 

While he was pursuing his acting career, Monte spent ten years on active duty and reserves in the Coast Guard which came in handy when his, Klaire’s and Jason’s production company, “Perpetual Motion Films,” created the 35 hours of “The Great Ships” series for the launch of The History Channel, leading to a four-hour documentary on the Royal Navy with Prince Andrew as host.  

Monte has had major roles in at least 38 films, starring in roughly a hundred television series and TV movies.  He won the “Theatre World Award” for his starring role, singing and dancing with Debbie Reynolds, in the Broadway musical, “Irene”.  There hardly has been a more versatile actor who now thrives, even in his sunset years, producing and directing a major feature documentary film. 

His Internet profile confirms that he has often been where the action is, having produced, directed, narrated and appeared as an on-camera host for over 150 hours of documentary films for network television—the “Michelangelo” remaining one of the all-time best sellers in Amazon’s “Epic” biographies series.

His biography confirms, “Monte’s producer/director assignments have taken him from carrier landings and launches, ground zero at the World Trade Center, 30 below on the Greenland icepack, to the most intimate levels of culture, peoples, and governments in China, Japan, the UK, Europe, Russia, Brazil, Africa and the U. S.

“Monte and Klaire were the first Westerners to use an all-Chinese crew for their 2,000 mile journey up the Yangtze River for China’s Great Dam, filming the Dam construction, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.  For the Russian Navy, they were the first Americans to film the Russian ‘Typhoon’ Class Submarine—the world’s largest—at its secret base in the Artic Circle.”

This reflects why he has not been “home” more often.  He was always working, which conflicted with travel opportunities back to Athens.  Proud to be honored as a member of Sphinx, he had pledged ATO fraternity but couldn’t afford to become a member.  He received a graduate assistant scholarship that allowed him to finish graduate school. Monte has often said, “The four years of undergraduate and graduate work at UGA, with the number and variety of great leading roles I experienced, in the highest quality University Theatre productions, gave me the bedrock for an extraordinary professional career and life adventures. I doubt many young actors have ever been provided so much.”  

Though work schedules and rehearsals left no time for football games, Monte has long appreciated the success of the Georgia football team.  “I would often take a few moments to go out on the loading dock of the theatre to look over at Stanford Stadium… and listen. The only time I was there was when I was selected for Sphinx. At the Homecoming halftime, we traditionally dressed in Tuxedos with a huge ‘S” sewn on the back, wore a planter’s hat, carried a cane, and strolled around the field while our names were announced. I doubt anyone in the crowd could hear or had any idea what or who in the hell we were. But it was one of the few times I felt like I was really part of the greater University community. Later, it was an honor to narrate a UGA documentary on Wally Butts”.

He said on his recent visit, “I am so stoked when the ‘Dogs win a national championship, and I am so proud of what UGA is today”.  He was “overwhelmed” that the Research Libraries wanted his professional film and video materials—production tapes and records, home movies, papers, scripts, photos, memorabilia and other artifacts of decades of acting, directing and 20 years of documentary production throughout the world.

Perhaps, out of all this collection, somebody will be inspired to produce “The Monte Markham Story, UGA Renaissance Man.”