Neil DMonte

Neil D’Monte (Born on 30th June 1971) is one of the famous Hollywood Storyboard artists. His mother holds a doctorate in piano.His father was a guitarist. Born in Chicago,Neil’s story is an inspiration to many. Inspite of being a small-town boy, he made it big on his own. Fascinated by the craft, he started learning theater and acting from ‘The Edgewater center of Dance and Drama’ from the age of nine.He graduated from ‘Saint Gregory High School’ with honors in drafting and further completed his majors in Architectural design from ‘Oakton Community college’. Punk bands like Pride(drummer), Feedback(rhythm guitar),Closer(drummer) are some of the bands Neil has worked with, in the early stages of his career.

His theater love directed him towards taking acting and improvisation classes at ‘The Goodman Theater of Chicago.’Surprisingly, he also designed tattoos for extra cash. Thereafter completing his B.A in the department of fine art and illustration from the University of South California, Neil opted for a nine to five job. Fortunately’ he met Dean Jones. He hired him as a conceptual designer for the film ‘Dead Inn.’ This opportunity opened doors for him. He began creating monster make-up and effects for small independent films,that included in-house storyboards and character designs for Dream Works SKG Interactive, Disney TV Animation, and creature designs for " The Mummy Click to look into! >> Read More... " (1999).

The turning point came when his work on "Vampires Anonymous" (2003) as a storyboard artist got attention from the film’s director/producer/writer Michael Keller. Keller was mighty impressed by Neil’s comic skill and therefore asked him to audition for the role of “Juan Rodrigo’’ a lovelorn Spanish vampire. He cracked the audition. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest(2005) was Neil’s first big break. He played the role of a drunken pirate. He has the habit of wearing different types of hats in his performances. Also, he follows a routine that includes making his bed every morning, working out twice a day. According to him, these habits play a vital role in his life. They keep his focus intact. Neil dedicates his success to his parents , because they supported him to follow his dream. Whatever he has achieved today is because of the love, mentorship, and support given by his parents. Neil continues to follow his passion and explores various forms of craft. Website links used for research