Sidney Miller (actor)

Sidney L. Miller (born Sid Miller; October 22, 1916 – January 10, 2004) was an American actor, director and songwriter.[1]

Sidney L. Miller
Miller (at the piano) performing with Donald O'Connor on The Colgate Comedy Hour (1952)
Born
Sid Miller

(1916-10-22)October 22, 1916
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 10, 2004(2004-01-10) (aged 87)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor, television director, writer and songwriter
Years active1931–1997
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1956; div. 1967)​

Dorothy Green
​
(m. 1967⁠–⁠1984)​

June Rohlrlick
​
(m. 1994)​
Children4 (incl. Barry)

Biography

Sidney Miller was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania.[2]

His first acting role was in the movie Penrod and Sam (1931), although uncredited. In 1937, he made his radio debut on the Jack Benny Program episode "Christmas Shopping", as a man whom Benny mistakes for a department store floorwalker.[3] The actor was also a regular performer on Cavalcade of America, Suspense and Nightbeat. Miller had a small, but memorable role as would-be wrestling announcer Mo Kahn in MGM's Boys Town (1938), alongside Mickey Rooney. He reprised the character in the sequel, Men of Boys Town (1941).

He co-starred and co-directed, alongside his good friend Donald O'Connor, in one of the first musical sitcoms on television, Here Comes Donald. After joining Disney, he wrote for and directed The Mickey Mouse Club (1955).

Miller directed episodes of numerous successful television programs throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including Damon Runyon Theater,[4] Bachelor Father, Peter Loves Mary, Get Smart, Bewitched, The Ann Sothern Show and My Mother the Car. (He had been a regular on Sothern's radio show The Adventures of Maisie.)

In 1958, he played Roscoe Dewitt, an impressionist who bothers Bob Collins in The Bob Cummings Show episode "Bob Judges a Beauty Pageant". In 1968, he played Lucille Ball character Helen North's date Doctor Ashford, who was shorter than North's three children. In 1974, he briefly appeared as a drunk driver in the Michael Sarrazin and Barbra Streisand comedy For Pete's Sake.

From 1983-1985, Miller played the voice of The Dungeon Master in the animated series Dungeons & Dragons, which was based on the role-playing game of the same name. He also provided voices for several other animated shows.

In 1980, Miller and O'Connor had a nightclub show described as "a fast-paced vaudeville act" that they performed in cities including Denver, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.[2]

In the 1980s and 1990s, he had a small role as Slow-Burn in Memories of Me, appeared as Sol on The Father Dowling Mysteries episode "The Confidence Mystery" in 1990 and also dubbed the voice of Oompe for the 1992 American version of Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland. He had retired by the late 1990s.

He was married three times, and had an actor son, Barry Miller, from his marriage to Iris Burton.[5] Miller died in Los Angeles from Parkinson's disease on January 10, 2004.[6] His resting place is in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Selected filmography

As actor

As director

Composer and songwriter
  • 1943: O, My Darling Clementine ("Diggin the Docey Doe")
  • 1943: Moonlight in Vermont ("Something Tells Me", "Be A Good Girl", They Got Me in the Middle of Things", "Pickin' the Beets", "Dobbin and a Wagon of Hay", "After the Beat")
  • 1944: This Is the Life ("Yippee-I-Voot", "Gremlin Walk")
  • 1944: Follow the Boys ("Kittens With Their Mittens Laced")
  • 1944: Hot Rhythm ("Shampoo Jingle")
  • 1944: Hi, Good Lookin'! ("By Mistake")
  • 1944: Chip Off the Old Block ("I've Gotta Give My Feet a Break")
  • 1944: Sing a Jingle ("Sing a Jingle", "We're the Janes Who Make The Planes", "Mademoiselle")

References
  1. "Sidney Miller, 87; Prolific Actor, Director, Songwriter". Los Angeles Times. January 17, 2004. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
  2. Shaikowsky, Anne E. (February 9, 1980). "Sidney Miller has fond memories of Shenandoah". Republican and Herald. Pennsylvania, Pottsville. p. 1. Retrieved June 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Copyright 2013, J. David Goldin". www.radiogoldindex.com.
  4. Scheuer, Steven H. (November 12, 1955). "Real Pro At Helm Of Runyon". The Record. New Jersey, Hackensack. p. 40. Retrieved June 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Obituary: Iris Burton, Hollywood agent, The Age, April 17, 2008.
  6. Willis, John; Monush, Barry (2006). Screen World: 2005 Film Annual. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 385. ISBN 978-1-55783-668-7. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
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