Millie Perkins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Millie Perkins
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Publicity photo (1959)
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| Born | May 12, 1936 Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Education | Fair Lawn High School |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1959–2006 |
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| Children | 2 |
Millie Perkins, born on May 12, 1936, is an American actress who is now retired. She became famous for her very first movie role, playing Anne Frank in the 1959 film The Diary of Anne Frank. She also had important roles in two Western movies from 1966, called The Shooting and Ride in the Whirlwind.
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Millie Perkins' Early Life and Acting Start
Millie Perkins was born in Passaic, New Jersey, on May 12, 1936. She grew up in Fair Lawn and went to Fair Lawn High School. Before she became an actress, Millie worked as a receptionist in New York City. A photographer noticed her, and she began a new career as a model. By 1958, she was a well-known model, appearing on magazine covers around the world.
How Millie Became Anne Frank
Soon after her modeling success, Millie Perkins was chosen for a very special role. She was picked to play Anne Frank in the 1959 movie The Diary of Anne Frank. Anne Frank was a young Jewish girl who wrote a famous diary while hiding during World War II. Millie had never planned to be an actress. However, the movie's director, George Stevens, saw her photo and really wanted her to try out for the part.
Millie flew to Hollywood for a screen test, which is like an audition for a movie. She got the role, and it was a big deal! A magazine called LIFE even featured a seven-page story about her movie debut. Millie received excellent reviews for her acting as Anne Frank.
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Millie's Career in Hollywood
After her first movie, Millie Perkins signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. She was seen as one of Hollywood's promising new stars. However, the old studio system, where actors signed long contracts, was changing. Millie, who grew up with the free-spirited Beat Generation in New York, found it hard to fit in. Director George Stevens later said she was "10 years too early" for Hollywood.
Millie was suspended for not wanting to star in the 1960 film Tess of the Storm Country. She felt it was a step backward for her career. Later, 20th Century Fox cast her in the 1961 movie Wild in the Country. In this film, she played the girlfriend of the famous singer and actor Elvis Presley. Interestingly, Millie later played Elvis's mother, Gladys Presley, in a TV miniseries about him in 1990. After Wild in the Country, the studio ended her contract.
Millie also starred in two Western movies in 1965, The Shooting and Ride in the Whirlwind. These films were made at the same time and were some of the first movies produced by Jack Nicholson. In 1968, she co-starred in Wild in the Streets, a movie written by her husband at the time, Robert Thom.
Millie Perkins' Later Career
In 1976, Millie Perkins moved to Jacksonville, Oregon, with her two daughters, Lillie and Hedy. A magazine reported in 1977 that she was leading a drama workshop and speaking to high school drama groups. By 1982, she was teaching drama at Southern Oregon University.
Returning to Movies and TV
In 1983, Millie returned to feature films, playing Jon Voight's ex-wife in Table for Five. For the next 20 years, she often played "mother roles" in movies. She was Sean Penn's mother in At Close Range and Charlie Sheen's mother in the 1987 movie Wall Street. She also played a grieving mother in The Chamber (1996) and Andy García's mother in The Lost City (2005).
Millie made her television debut in 1961 on Wagon Train. Her TV appearances became more frequent in the 1980s. She appeared in seven episodes of Knots Landing and fourteen episodes of Any Day Now. She also had a role in an episode of Murder, She Wrote in 1986. Millie Perkins retired from acting after appearing in six episodes of the soap opera The Young and the Restless in 2006.
Millie Perkins' Marriages
Millie Perkins married actor Dean Stockwell on April 15, 1960. They divorced on July 30, 1962. In December 1964, she married writer and director Robert Thom. He wrote the script for the 1968 movie Wild in the Streets, which Millie starred in. Millie and Robert had two daughters, Lillie and Hedy. They were separated when Robert passed away in 1979.
Films and Television Roles
Millie Perkins appeared in many films and television shows throughout her career.
Selected Films
- The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) - Anne Frank
- Wild in the Country (1961) - Betty Lee Parsons
- Ensign Pulver (1964) - Scotty
- The Shooting (1966) - Woman
- Ride in the Whirlwind (1966) - Abigail
- Wild in the Streets (1968) - Mary Fergus
- Table for Five (1983) - Kathleen
- At Close Range (1986) - Julie
- Wall Street (1987) - Mrs. Fox
- The Chamber (1996) - Ruth Kramer
- The Lost City (2005) - Doña Cecilia Fellove
Selected Television Series
- Knots Landing (1983-84; 1990) - Jane Sumner
- Elvis (1990, TV miniseries) - Gladys Presley
- Any Day Now (1998-2002) - Irene O'Brien Otis
- The Young and the Restless (2006) - Rebecca Kaplan
See also
In Spanish: Millie Perkins para niños
