Cory Allan Michael Monteith (/mɒnˈtiːθ/; May 11, 1982 – July 13, 2013) was a Canadian actor and musician, known for his role as Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee. As an actor based in British Columbia, Monteith had minor roles on television series before an audition tape of him singing "Can't Fight This Feeling" helped to land him the most significant role of his career, Finn Hudson on Glee. Following his success on Glee, Monteith's film work included the movie Monte Carlo and a starring role in Sisters & Brothers.Monteith had a troubled adolescence involving substance abuse from age 12; he left school at age 16. After an intervention by family and friends he 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, he again sought treatment for addiction. On July 13, 2013, he died of a toxic combination of heroin and alcohol in a Vancouver hotel room.
Monteith was born in Calgary, Alberta, on May 11, 1982, the younger son of Ann McGregor, an interior decorator, and Joe Monteith, a military man 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 Joe Monteith's military service, and he had social difficulties at school. From age 13, he used alcohol and marijuana and started being 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 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, and roofer.
