In the ’70s Belinda Montgomery was cast in the TV series “Man from Atlantis”, starring Patrick Duffy. Growing up, I remember watching the sci-fi TV series with my cousins and my mom. But Belinda is better known for her role in the late ’80s and early ’90s as the hands-on matriarch Katherine Howser, in the medical comedy-drama Doogie Howser, M.D., starring the young Neil Patrick Harris. Both she and her onscreen husband, James Sikking (Dr. David Howser), provided a nice and balanced counterpart to their teenaged genius son who became a public figure. I was in my teens when I became glued to the show Doogie Howser MD; sometimes I fantasized about marrying a genius like Doogie Howser.
Twenty-three years later, I met Belinda Montgomery at one of the Hollywood Show events in Los Angeles. Her infectious smile and sweet personality made her so approachable, and I eventually chatted with her. This was Belinda’s second time at the Hollywood Show. When I asked her thoughts about being part of this event, she enthusiastically said, “We get to meet all you guys. People that were fans. People that have grown up with us. We’re having great fun, and are enjoying the reunion with other actors here. It’s really cool.” She added, “I am so touched how people remember specific episodes of shows that I did a long time ago. I figure I’m a pretty lucky woman. At this age, having people want me to come and say hi and sign autographs…what isn’t cool about that!”
When asked if she still keeps in touch with Neil Patrick Harris, she said, “I haven’t seen him for a while, but we had an art show in Santa Barbara and he happened to be up there with his significant other. By the time I got to the hotel, he was leaving the next morning. So we’ve been missing each other.” She added, “We did the Laguna Art Festival. This was a couple years ago and so we kinda had fun meeting up doing pictures there….and that was neat.”
We all know that Belinda is a gifted actress, but most of us don’t know that she is also a talented painter. In fact, she gave me a very nice card that had her portrait on it. Belinda devotes a large amount of her time to her other passion – art. She does cityscapes, landscapes and portraits. She mentioned on her website, “Each landscape is a mystery I want to solve. Painting helps me gain a clearer perception, by studying what my subjects boldly, but silently, tell me.” These days Belinda has been busy participating in art exhibits across the US.
To check Belinda’s art work, you may visit her website at http://belindamontgomery.com/.
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