Penelope Milford

Penelope Milford (born March 23, 1948) is an American stage and screen actress. She is best known for her role as Vi Munson in Coming Home (1978) for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also originated the role of Jenny Anderson in the Broadway musical Shenandoah, for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award in 1975.

Penelope Milford
Born (1948-03-23) March 23, 1948
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1968–present
FamilyKim Milford (brother)

Early life and education

Penelope Dale Milford was born March 23, 1948 in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Illinois. She is the daughter of Richard George Milford and Ann Marie (Felt) Milford. She graduated from New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, an affluent suburb of Chicago. Her younger brother, Kim Milford, was an actor and musician until his death from heart failure at age 37.[1][2]

Career

Theatre

In 1972 Milford joined the Broadway cast of the play Lenny, about the life of actor Lenny Bruce. In 1974, she was cast as Jenny Anderson in the musical Shenandoah, based on the 1965 film of the same name. Shenandoah opened on Broadway on January 7, 1975 and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical. For her performance, Milford was nominated for the first Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress.

Off-Broadway in 1971, Milford starred as Judith opposite Richard Gere in Long Time Coming and a Long Time Gone, a musical about artist Richard Fariña.[3] Milford has appeared in Felix (1974), Fishing (1981) by Michael Weller, and Territorial Rites (1983). She also performed in a revue show titled The Second Hottest Show in Town.

In 2013, Milford played the role of Deborah in the Harold Pinter play A Kind of Alaska at the Cocoon Theatre in Rhinebeck, New York.[4]

Television

Her first television appearance was on a 1976 episode of The Blue Knight. In 1980, Milford starred in Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris, as Kathy Morris. Also in 1980 she co-starred in the Emmy Award winning television movie The Oldest Living Graduate starring Henry Fonda and Cloris Leachman. In 1982 she starred opposite Sondra Locke in the Jackie Cooper directed Emmy Award winning television film Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story. In this film she played Betty Clooney, the sister of Rosemary Clooney. In 1984, Penelope appeared in the Golden Globe award-winning television movie The Burning Bed starring Farrah Fawcett. In 1985 she guest starred on an episode of The Hitchhiker.

Film

Milford's first film appearance was as an extra on the Norman Mailer film Maidstone (1970). In 1974, she appeared in the movie Man on a Swing. She next played a fictional actress named Lorna Sinclair in Ken Russell's BAFTA-nominated 1977 film Valentino, about the life of actor Rudolph Valentino. In 1978, she was cast as Vi Munson in Coming Home, and she was nominated for an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actress. In 1980, she appeared in the movie The Last Word. She plays a supporting role in Take This Job and Shove It and Endless Love. In 1982, she starred in the horror film Blood Link and then starred in the 1983 adventure film The Golden Seal.[5]

After this time, her film appearances became less frequent, not appearing until the 1989 cult film Heathers. Her last few films include Cold Justice (1989), Miss Missouri (1990), Normal Life (1996), Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part II (1996) and Night of the Lawyers (1997).

Filmography

Personal life

Milford lives in Saugerties, New York.

References
  1. http://saugerties.ulsterpublishing.com/view/full_story/11405299/article-11405299
  2. "The Milwaukee Journal - Google News Archive Search". google.com. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  3. "Long Time Coming Musical". richardandmimi.com. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  4. "Pinter plays revived in Rhinebeck". Hudson Valley Almanac Weekly. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  5. "'Coming Home' to Penny Milford Means Climbing Hollywood's Greasiest Poll—the Oscars". People. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
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