THE Gladstone school boy who was bullied for being "a poofter" in the 1970s returns this weekend as one of Australia's leading film and television agents.

His career, one any aspiring performer would die for, includes dancing for Prince Charles and Princess Diana and six years on the Moulin Rouge in Paris.

This weekend's Capricorn Film Festival brings him 'home'.

Michael Montgomery says it was during the inaugural Capricorn Film Festival in 2015 when he reconnected with his home town.

His client, Steve Le Marquand starred in the locally produced feature film, Broke and which introduced Montgomery to festival director, Luke Graham. .

"I was really surprised at the festival's international reach, with so many films from all over the world," he told The Observer yesterday.

"I was immediately on board.

"Having grown up here with so few opportunities and now to have that to aspire to is incredible.

"Seeing the steady growth in local entries, particularly from young people...it's not a mysterious thing that happens in other places anymore."

Montgomery is the son of Patti Gleeson (below), the ballet teacher who taught thousands of local children to dance between 1968 - 1988.

His talent was obvious as a very young child and after years of performing locally and taking out countless awards in the Gladstone Eisteddfod, he left home in 1983 to study at the Australian Ballet School.

"Gladstone was this little tiny town that exploded overnight with QAL and then the power station," he recalled.

"Everybody came from somewhere else and the schools exploded.

"But it was a strange mixture for me.

"Growing up with the dance school and Gladstone Light Opera Society (GLOS), the artistic community was amazing, but school was hell."

Montgomery says he knew he was gay from four-years-old and there was barely a day he could walk through the school corridors without being bullied and called "a poofter".

"Especially in high school," he said.

"It was so closeted back then and I was afraid to admit it.

"Being a ballet dancer, the bullying was quite horrific.

"I felt like I was the only one...there must have been more, but it was very underground.

"Being gay was illegal in those days under Joh Bjelke-Peterson and men were imprisoned for up to 10 years.

"I think that shaped a lot of things."

It was at 16, during his second year at the Australian Ballet School when he finally 'came out'.

He told his mum over dinner one night and says she didn't take it well, blaming herself.

But he says the recent postal survey gave him a chance to talk about being gay in way that was different to the past.

"You just always preferred not to speak about it, but a lot has changed over time," he said.

"I called Mum and asked her if she voted and she had, so I checked she'd voted yes.

"She said that absolutely she had and it's time things moved on, so a lot has changed since 1984."

After leaving the Australian Ballet School, Montgomery embarked on a career that took him around Europe and the world.

He's performed for royalty in the Royal Command Performance, spent more than three years as the slave master in Phantom of the Opera on London's West End and danced for five years at the Lido and for a year in the Moulin Rouge in Paris, which he says was "amazing to be part of such an incredible creative experience".

"There were brilliant dancers from all over the world," he said.

"I remember on the first day I just stood there looking at the stage and thinking 'oh my God, everyone is beautiful'.

"But as glamorous as it was, it was very hard work.

"It's a factory, with two performances every night.

"But then I did get to live in Paris in the most formative years of my adult life."

In 2004 Montgomery was offered a position with Hugh Jackman's agent Penny Williams, which opened the door for a new chapter in his life and led to him joining forces with leading casting agent, Mark Morrissey in 2010.

He has represented some of Australia's most famous faces, including Tina Arena and Prinnie Stevens.

Clients, Lisa Gormley and Kyle Pryor from Home and Away and Melina Vidler and Benson Jack Anthony from 800 Words have all accompanied him to previous Capricorn Film Festivals.

This year he returns with Outlander star, David Berry.

But most important on his agenda, is to catch up with his brother Tony and his nephews, who still live in town he calls home.