Monte Collins

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Monte Collins (December 3, 1898 – June 1, 1951) was an American film actor and writer. He acted in more than 160 films from 1920 to 1948 and wrote for about 32 films from 1930 to 1951. In the late 1920s he played in silent short comedies for Educational Pictures, often directed by Jules White; before that, he worked as a director in Portland, Oregon. He adapted to sound movies without trouble, but he never became a major star, mostly taking supporting roles in features and shorts during the 1930s.

Collins was a dependable comedian who frequently worked with Jules White and was often cast in supporting parts. He teamed with Tom Kennedy as the Collins & Kennedy duo for a few years and appeared in Columbia short subjects, including the Three Stooges' Woman Haters as “Mr. Zero.” He acted alongside Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon, Charley Chase, El Brendel, Andy Clyde, Vera Vague, and The Three Stooges, and he played the Stooges’ mother in Cactus Makes Perfect (1942).

He began receiving screen credits as a writer in 1942 (credited as Monty Collins) and continued to work behind the scenes in the 1940s as a writer or dialogue coach. In 1947 he co-produced The Green Promise with Robert Paige. One of his last credits was contributing gags for Laurel and Hardy’s Atoll K (1951). He died of a heart attack in Hollywood at age 52 and is buried in Sylmar, California.