Cory Monteith

Cory Allan Michael Monteith (May 11, 1982 July 13, 2013) was a Canadian actor and musician.

Monteith was born in Calgary, Alberta, on May 11, 1982, the younger son of Ann McGregor, an interior decorator, and Joe Monteith, a soldier who served in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

He had an older brother named Shaun.

Monteith's parents divorced when he was seven years old, and he and his older brother were raised by their mother in Victoria, British Columbia.

After the divorce, he saw little of his father due to military service, and he had social difficulties at school.

From age 13, he used alcohol and marijuana and also started playing truant from school.

After attending 16 schools, including alternative programs for troubled teens, Monteith dropped out altogether at age 16.

By that time, his drug and alcohol dependency had increased and Monteith turned to petty crimes, such as stealing money from friends and family, to fund his addictions.

His mother and a group of friends staged an intervention when he was 19, and he began attending a rehabilitation program.

Monteith stated, "I'm lucky on so many counts. I'm lucky to be alive."

He made his acting debut in the television series Stargate Atlantis (2004), and had other roles in shows including Smallville (2005), and Supernatural (2005).

In 2005, he appeared in Killer Bash, about a tormented geek's soul that was taking revenge on his murderer's children by taking over a girl's twin body.

The following year, he made a brief appearance in Bloody Mary, cast as Paul.

After Maureen Webb suggested Cory take acting classes; Monteith started acting classes with Anthony Meindl.

In 2007, he starred in the MTV series Kaya as Gunnar.

In 2009, Monteith was cast in the Fox series Glee as Finn Hudson.

When Glee was being cast, Monteith's 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, in his own words, "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 casting directors, who said that his audition captured Finn's most elusive quality: 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."

Finn is the star quarterback of his high school football team, and risks alienation from his friends by joining the school's glee club.

He is a popular jock at the top of the school's social hierarchy, but when forced to join the glee club, he finds he loves it.

His story lines have seen him struggle with his decision to stay in the club, which is at the bottom of the social ladder, while he maintains his popular reputation and the respect of the other jocks.

The character must deal with his attraction to both head cheerleader Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron) and glee club star singer Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), and his storylines increasingly focus on his relationship with them both.

Monteith felt that Finn had to "grow up a lot" during his time on the show.

He said, "Finn started off as the stereotypical dumb jock but as the show has gone on, Finn's not dumb anymore, really, he's just a little naïve".

Early reviews of Finn from television critics were mixed; Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club said that he and Michele were "both agreeable and a little desperate for an outlet" in the pilot episode.

During his career, he starred in over eighteen dramas and seventeen films, with Monte Carlo (2011), Final Destination 3 (2006), and Sisters & Brothers (2011), all becoming commercially successful.

Monteith is best known for his portrayal of Finn Hudson in the first four seasons of the Fox television series Glee.

For his portrayal he won a Screen Actors Guild Award and Teen Choice Award.

Monteith had a troubled adolescence with substance abuse from age 13, and entered drug rehabilitation at age 19.

In a 2011 interview with Parade magazine, he discussed his history of substance abuse as a teen, and in March 2013, again sought treatment for his addiction.

He eventually received his high school diploma in 2011 from an alternative school he attended in his youth in Victoria.

Before breaking into show business, Monteith worked various jobs, including Walmart people greeter, taxicab driver, mechanic, school bus driver, roofer, and a drummer for a few bands.

Monteith began his acting career in Vancouver, British Columbia.

He had 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 television serials such as Smallville, Supernatural, Flash Gordon, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate SG-1.

On July 13, 2013, he died from an overdose of heroin and alcohol in a Vancouver hotel room.