Philanthropy Meets Performing Art
Alex MONTALDO
ACTOR, MUSICIAN, ANIMAL LOVER AND PHILANTHROPIST
Alex Montaldo was drawn to acting through his love of make-believe and his fascination with invented personas like Bowie’s. In order to further explore these, he has taken on varied roles.
In addition, as the co-founder of a non-profit that seeks to enhance the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease, Alex is a Philanthropist. More about that later.
Let’s start off with his creative journey, which began in 2008 when he was offered a full scholarship in acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute, Conservatory Program in New York City.
“We believe that programs for people with Parkinson’s disease should be conceived, developed, and run by Parkinson’s experts who know the disease and its motor and non-motor symptoms.”
-Alex Montaldo
Co-Founder of stoPD, a 501(c)(3) bi-coastal public non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease.
I first met Alex in April 2017, on the set of a short film entitled SMACK by D.J. Higgins, where he played a drug addict holding his mother hostage for drug money, for which he received the Best Actor Award at the 2019 Cutting Room International Short Film Festival. The scenes are intense and he totally looked the part of a desperate addict prepared to do anything in order to get his fix. His performance was gripping, so much that I forgot that I was on a film set. It seemed all too real with Alex commanding the scenes the way he did. I was afraid for the actress playing his mother, whose performance was also impressive as her acting had to occur completely through body language and emotions because she was gagged and Alex (in character as her son) was threatening her life.
During the first break of filming, I had a chance to talk to him. After a few minutes with Alex, I was amazed at how such a nice and gentle person in real life could play this scary damaged character in a way that seemed so real. You can get an idea looking at the below photos of the film set but to really understand what I experienced during filming, you have to see his riveting performance in the film.
To do so, here’s the link to Smack TV https://www.smacktv.net
Viewer discretion advised for mature content and profanity.
Pictured above, left and right image: Alex Montaldo as a drug addict in a scene of Smack with Carol Mennie as his mother. Middle image, Alex (left) with Karynne Summars and fellow Smack actor Craig Thomas Rivela during a filming break.
Images by Karynne Summars
During the next break I learned that Alex and his wife Dr. Roberta Marongiu are the co-founders of a non-profit bi-coastal organization entitled stoPD (support and training to overcome Parkinson’s Disease).
stoPD is a 501(c)(3) public non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s disease. They provide support, intense exercise programs, arts programs, and education to encourage proactivity and a positive shift in perspective toward the future.
The organization’s strategic intervention is integrated and personalized to improve self-confidence and social interactions with the following commitments.
Granting scholarships for our intense exercise programs
Raising funds for clinical trials to support the implementation of exercise regimens as part of Parkinson’s treatment
Developing new programs specifically geared towards improving Parkinson’s motor and non-motor symptoms.
The company’s mission is to give those afflicted with Parkinson’s disease the tools and support they need to achieve a higher quality of life.
“We believe that programs for people with Parkinson’s disease should be conceived, developed, and run by Parkinson’s experts who know the disease and its motor and non-motor symptoms,” Alex explained. “Roberta has over 15 years of experience in Parkinson’s research and I have a Master’s degree in clinical psychology, plus extensive physical and vocal training. We are currently collaborating with the New York University Drama Therapy department, Fresco Institute for Parkinson’s Disease, and a private company called Neurostorm Studios on a theater program toward the goal of improving speech, cognition and spatial awareness in PD patients. It’s important for us to help people who are currently dealing with PD, while we strive to find a cure for this devastating disorder.”
Further information about soPD is available on the organization’s website www.stop-pd.org where donations are also accepted.
Back to Alex as a member of the performing arts, his most recent TV credits include the role of Fred in the CBS All Access series ‘One Dollar’ and the role of Keith on USA Network’s ‘Mr. Robot’.
Still shot from the CBS All Access TV series ‘One Dollar’ in which Alex plays a young small-time criminal.
Image Courtesy Alex Montaldo
Additional film credits include “Portraits in Dramatic Time,” produced by the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, with William H. Macy, Lili Taylor and Liev Schreiber, and the lead role in ‘The Will’, a Norwegian/American feature film with a New York cast, released in 2014 in the U.S. and Europe.
He has acted in numerous theater productions, including ‘Zero Hour’, directed by Tea Alagic, ‘Guns, Shackles, Winter Coats’, and ‘La Revolution’ at Symphony Space and Mint Theater, NYC, ‘Split Screen’ at Hellen Mills Theater in NYC and Let Live Theater in Los Angeles.
In 2019, Alex played the role of Thomas Magill in Enda Walsh’s ‘Misterman’, a haunting one-man show that explores a man’s descent into religious mania in a small town in Ireland.
He also played the lead role of Joe Bonaparte in a very well-received 2017 Off-Broadway production of Clifford Odets ‘Golden Boy’. In 2016, he took on the role of Phillip in Lyle Kessler’s ‘Orphans’. These plays were directed by screenwriter and playwright Aaron Latham (‘Urban Cowboy’, ‘The Program’, ‘Perfect’) and director Graydon Gund, and staged in New York City.
Alex Montaldo in “Golden Boy”, Clifford Odets’ 2017 Off-Broadway production.
Image Courtesy Alex Montaldo
In 2020, Alex will play the role of Lynx, a Rock Star with a mysterious past, who is the main character in a new play called ‘Supernova’, developed in collaboration with renowned screenwriter and journalist Aaron Latham (known for ‘Urban Cowboy’ and ‘The Program’).
After reading the below partial synopsis, I can see how Alex is the perfect choice for this role. He loves to play complicated and flawed characters.
‘Supernova’ Synopsis
Some live. Some die. Some kill. For fame.
It’s 1994. In the wake of a high school shooting attributed to his music, Lynx, a Rock Star with a mysterious past, is being interviewed on TV.
With Satanic Panic on the rise, Rock ‘n Roll has become the natural enemy and Seth Wolf, owner of the biggest independent label in Los Angeles, claims Lynx is the Alien Messiah come to Earth to save Rock’n Roll.
Since age 11, Alex has also been following his passion for music. His band KID and The Pagans released its first single ‘Pagan Love’ in 2017 (available on Spotify and Amazon Music).
In his free time, he is an avid swimmer, tennis player, kayaker and boxer as well as a regular fixture on Santa Monica beach volleyball courts. He is also a staunch supporter of animal rights and animal welfare.
For further information about his acting career, please visit Alex’s website here http://www.alexmontaldo.com and his IMDb page here https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3644062/