Dacre Montgomery is an Australian actor best known for his role as Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things. He began his career in Australia, appearing in short films such as Betrand the Terrible in 2010, where he played a character named Fred, and Godot’s Clinic in 2011, playing Barnabus Stottle. These early roles provided him with on-camera experience while he continued his acting training, including theatre work.
Montgomery’s first major studio role was as Jason Scott, the Red Ranger, in the 2017 film Power Rangers. In this film, he portrayed a high school student who struggles with personal challenges while taking on a leadership role within the team. His performance was noted by critics for showing emotional range, even though the film itself received mixed reviews.
In the same year, Montgomery joined the cast of Stranger Things for its second season as Billy Hargrove, a new student at Hawkins High School. Initially introduced as an antagonist, the character’s background and personal struggles were explored in later seasons, particularly in Season 3. Montgomery’s portrayal shifted from a hostile character to one with more complexity, culminating in Billy’s death in the Season 3 finale. This role increased Montgomery’s international recognition.
Montgomery has also appeared in several other films. In 2016, he played a supporting role as Jeremy in the horror-comedy Better Watch Out. In 2017, he appeared as Mike in the Australian comedy A Few Less Men. In 2020, he starred as Nick Danielson in the romantic comedy The Broken Hearts Gallery, portraying a hotel manager who helps the protagonist with a creative project. In 2022, he appeared in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis as Steve Binder, the television producer responsible for Elvis Presley’s 1968 comeback special.
Montgomery has projects in development, including Went Up the Hill, a psychological thriller in which he plays a man attending his estranged mother’s funeral and encountering unexplained events, and Faces of Death, a reimagining of the 1978 film. He has also participated in other media, including appearing in the music video for Make Them Suffer’s Old Souls in 2017 and creating a podcast, DKMH, which features his poetry and spoken-word projects.
Before his screen career expanded, Montgomery trained and performed in theatre, an experience that informs the physicality and intensity of his performances. He has expressed interest in working on more Australian productions to maintain a connection to his home country.
Through his work in Stranger Things, Montgomery has become associated with characters who display both vulnerability and intensity. His portrayal of Billy Hargrove added depth to the series’ narrative and contributed to ongoing fan interest in the character’s potential appearances in future seasons. Montgomery continues to pursue roles across film, television, and independent projects, often choosing characters that explore complex emotional and psychological themes.
