Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth Deveraux Donahue Montgomery, an Australian actress, was born in Sydney, Australia, to Nicola Montgomery, a market researcher and executive, and Phil Donahue, a restaurateur. Her parents, who had named each of their five daughters after a flower, raised her in Sydney.
From the age of 12, Montgomery had a profound fascination with the cultural icon Marilyn Monroe. Her parents' naming convention, however, led to ridicule from her peers, causing her to leave school at the age of 14. At 16, she departed her home to embark on a journey abroad, and at 18, she traveled to America.
In Los Angeles, penniless and armed with a copy of "How to Make it in Hollywood", Montgomery adopted her mother's maiden name as a stage name and established daily contact with Julia Roberts's agent, who initially declined to represent her but arranged for her to be signed with another agent.
After securing several minor roles, Montgomery received several breaks in 1996, including guest appearances on TV series NYPD Blue and Party of Five, a regular part in the TV series Relativity, and a starring role in the TV movie The Cold Equations. Her career has since experienced a steady upward trajectory.
In 2001, Montgomery landed the role of a lifetime when CBS commissioned a TV mini-series based on author Joyce Carol Oates' novelization of Marilyn Monroe's life, titled Blonde. Montgomery's childhood idol, she was ecstatic to be cast as her childhood icon. Her portrayal received widespread critical acclaim.
In 2002, Montgomery joined the original cast of the soon-to-be successful TV series Without a Trace, portraying FBI agent Samantha Spade. She shared the cast's 2004 SAG Award nomination for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series.
