Penelope Ann Miller facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Penelope Ann Miller
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Miller in 2012
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Penelope Andrea Miller
January 13, 1964 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Penelope Miller |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1985–present |
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| Children | 2 |
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Penelope Ann Miller, born Penelope Andrea Miller on January 13, 1964, is an American actress. She started her acting journey on Broadway in the play Biloxi Blues in 1985. Later, she also appeared in the 1988 film version of the same play.
After taking on smaller roles in comedies like Adventures in Babysitting (1987) and Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Miller became well-known for her main roles in several movies. These included The Freshman, Awakenings, and Kindergarten Cop (all from 1990). She also starred in Other People's Money (1991), Chaplin (1992), The Shadow (1994), and The Relic (1997). For her role as Gail in Carlito's Way (1993), she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Miller's other film roles include Along Came a Spider (2001), The Messengers (2007), and the Academy Award-winning film The Artist (2011). On television, she played Molly Hooper in the Fox show A Minute with Stan Hooper (2003–2004). She also had important roles in Men of a Certain Age (2009–2011) and Mistresses (2013–2014). In 2015, she starred as Eve Carlin in the first season of ABC's American Crime. More recently, she co-starred as Joyce Dahmer in the Netflix series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022).
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Early Life and Education
Penelope Ann Miller was born in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Beatrice, worked as a costume designer and writer. Her father, Mark Miller, was a television actor and producer. Penelope's mother was also the goddaughter of the famous businessman Aristotle Onassis.
Penelope graduated from high school in Los Angeles. She then attended Menlo College in California for two years, from 1981 to 1983. After that, she moved to New York City to study acting at HB Studio.
Acting Career Highlights
Penelope Ann Miller got her big break on Broadway in 1985. She was cast in a main role in the play Biloxi Blues, acting alongside Matthew Broderick. She later joined Matthew Broderick again for the 1988 film version of the play.
She appeared in an episode of the TV series Miami Vice in 1987. She also took on other small roles in movies and TV shows. Miller returned to Broadway for a new version of Our Town. Her performance earned her a nomination for a Tony Award, which is a very important award for theater actors. In 1988, she played Winnie Johnston, the fiancée of Pee-wee Herman (played by Paul Reubens), in the movie Big Top Pee-wee. She also had a supporting role in the 1989 thriller Dead Bang, starring Don Johnson.
Notable Film Roles
In 1990, Miller played Paula in Awakenings, a film that starred Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. That same year, she appeared in Downtown with Anthony Edwards and Forest Whitaker. She also starred in Kindergarten Cop alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. In this movie, she played a teacher named Joyce Palmieri, who was hiding with her son from her criminal husband.
She continued to appear in many other movies. In 1992, she played Edna Purviance in Chaplin and Margaret "Maggie" Harwood in Year of the Comet. The next year, in 1993, she was the love interest of Al Pacino's character in Carlito's Way.
Miller co-starred with Marlon Brando in the 1990 film The Freshman, again with Matthew Broderick. In 1991, she played a lawyer in Other People's Money, acting alongside Gregory Peck. She also played Margo Lane in The Shadow with Alec Baldwin. In 1997, she had a main role as Dr. Margo Green in the creature feature The Relic.
Television and Recent Work
In 1998, Miller played Barbara Henry in Ruby Bridges, a TV movie made by Disney. This movie was about Ruby Bridges, the first Black student to attend an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. In 2000, she played Mary Kay Letourneau in the TV film All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story.
In 2002, Miller starred in the film Dead in a Heartbeat. She also appeared in two episodes of A&E's series A Nero Wolfe Mystery. Her 2005 film Funny Money was chosen as the top film at the Sarasota Film Festival. She was in six episodes of the Fox series Vanished, playing the ex-wife of a U.S. senator. In 2007, she appeared in the comedy Blonde Ambition with Jessica Simpson and Luke Wilson. She also made a guest appearance as Fran on Desperate Housewives.
Miller was in the horror film The Messengers with Dylan McDermott and Kristen Stewart. This film was produced by director Sam Raimi's company. In 2011, she played Doris, the wife of the main character George Valentin, in the Academy Award-winning film The Artist.
After having a recurring role on the ABC show Mistresses, Miller was cast in 2015 as a regular in the first season of ABC's drama series American Crime.
In October 2020, Miller was cast as First Lady Nancy Reagan in Reagan. This biographical film is about the life of President Ronald Reagan. Reagan was released in theaters on August 30, 2024. For her performance in the film, she and Dennis Quaid were nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo.
Personal Life
In 1994, Penelope Ann Miller married actor Will Arnett. They divorced in 1995.
Miller married James Huggins in 2000. They have two daughters together.
Awards and Nominations
Penelope Ann Miller has received several awards and nominations throughout her career.
- In 1991, she won the Most Promising Actress award from the Chicago Film Critics Association for her role in The Freshman.
- In 1994, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her work in Carlito's Way.
- She received nominations for the Saturn Award for Best Actress for The Shadow (1995) and The Relic (1997).
- In 1998, she won a Special Jury Award for Best Acting in a Feature at the Hollywood Film Awards for Rhapsody in Bloom.
- In 2012, she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the cast of The Artist.
- In 2016, she won the Best Ensemble – Television Series award for American Crime.
- In 2024, she received the Gregory Peck Award for Lifetime Achievement at the San Diego International Film Festival.
- In 2025, she was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo (shared with Dennis Quaid) for Reagan.
See also
In Spanish: Penelope Ann Miller para niños
