Background
Montano was born in Bayside, Queens, New York, and raised in Hempstead on Long Island, close enough to smell manure from Belmont Park racetrack, which led to his first career as a professional racehorse jockey.
Montano was born in Bayside, Queens, New York, and raised in Hempstead on Long Island, close enough to smell manure from Belmont Park racetrack, which led to his first career as a professional racehorse jockey.
Montano attended Adelphi University, where a couple of teachers told him that he would never become a dancer. The day after Montano graduated from Adelphi in 1983, choreographer Gillian Lynne signed him to a small role in the Vienna production of Cats.
However, by 18, Mother Nature caught up to him, and he outgrew his silks. His struggles and addictions as a jockey were the impetus for his screenplay, Under the Wire, currently in negotiations with major Hollywood production companies. Montana had a life before Broadway: three years as a jockey at Aqueduct, Belmont, Saratoga, Atlantic City, and Hialeah.
Two years later he played Mr.
Mistoffelees in the New York production. At Actors Theatre of Louisville, Robert portrayed Cal in East of Eden, directed by Jon Jory, later to be invited back by Mr.
Jory to exercise his Shakespeare in The Comedy of Errors. He has also played Ralph, opposite John C. Reilly, in Marty.
In 2000 he played the role of Hector Gallardo in the film The Yards.
In television he appeared as one of Kim Cattrall"s lovers, "We William," in Sex in the City. He has guest starred in Computer Society of India: Miami, Third Watch, Six Degrees, Law & Order, New York Undercover, Law & Order: SVU, Harrison: Cry of the City, numerous soaps, and as Resto in the Home Box Office film Undefeated, directed by John Leguizamo. In 2006, Montano played Sergio Francone in several episodes of As the World Turns.
In May 2007, Montano filled in for an injured Kamar de los Reyes in the role of Antonio Vega for seven episodes of the American Broadcasting Company soap opera One Life to Live between May 17, 2007 and May 28, 2007 due to an undisclosed injury.
In 2013 he played the role of Tommy Vasquez in "Number Regrets" the 18th episode of the 3rd season of the Columbia Broadcasting System police procedural drama Blue Bloods.