Hal Monty (born Albert Sutan; 21 December 1907 – 17 November 1967) was a British comedian and actor.
Life and career Sutan was born in Glasgow, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, and grew up in London.1911 England Census, Mile End In the late 1920s, he performed as one half of a dance act, Grade and Sutton, with Boris Winogradsky, who later took the name Bernard Delfont.
He worked as both Albert Sutton and Eddie May, before taking the stage name Hal Monty. Adrian Wright, Melody In The Dark: British Musical Films 1946-1972, 2023, ISBN 978-1-78327-749-0, pp.49-50 He developed a career in variety shows as a dancer and comedian, with the billing "Laugh and Be Happy". He also worked as a booking agent. "New Comics Click On London Cirks", Billboard, 24 July 1943, p.17 By the time of the Second World War he was established as a slapstick comedian, and performed balloon modelling.Roy Hudd and Philip Hindin, Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts, Robson Books, 1998, , p.124 He was popular as an armed forces entertainer, and toured with his own revue, Hal Monty's Blackbirds. He appeared on BBC Radio shows including Variety Bandbox and The Happidrome, sometimes credited as "the khaki-clad comedian" or "The General Forces Favourite".Hal Monty, BBC Genome. Retrieved 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023 He toured with ENSA in 1945.Al Jacobs, "Jewish Lives", San Diego Jewish World, 16 November 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2023
In 1949 he starred in two British comedy films as a military recruit, Bless 'Em All (alongside Max Bygraves in his screen debut), and its sequel Skimpy in the Navy, which he co-wrote.Hal Monty, BFI. Retrieved 26 October 2023 He toured Sweden in 1949 with his Blackbirds revue;Alf Björnberg, Thomas Bossius, Made In Sweden: Studies In Popular Music , 2017, p.17 performed in pantomimes in Britain; and appeared in the television show Variety Parade in 1953. He continued to tour through the 1950s and later, appearing in Singapore in 1966."Hal Monty (59) is hale and hearty", Eastern Sun, 12 November 1966, p.13
He died in Saigon, Vietnam, in 1967, at the age of 59.
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