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Rebecca Miller
Miller at the 2023 Berlinale
Miller at the 2023 Berlinale
Born Rebecca Augusta Miller
(1962-09-15) September 15, 1962 (age 62)
Roxbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation Screenwriter, director, novelist
Alma mater Yale University
Years active 1988–present
Spouse
(m. 1996)
Children 2
Parents Arthur Miller
Inge Morath
Relatives Joan Copeland (aunt)
Cecil Day-Lewis (father-in-law)
Jill Balcon (mother-in-law)

Rebecca Miller (born September 15, 1962) is an American filmmaker and writer. She is known for writing and directing movies like Angela (1995), Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002), and Maggie's Plan (2015). She has also written novels, including The Private Lives of Pippa Lee and Jacob's Folly.

Rebecca Miller has won several awards for her work. She received the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for Personal Velocity. She also won the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Director for her film Angela.

Rebecca is the daughter of Arthur Miller, a famous writer who won a Pulitzer Prize. Her mother was Inge Morath, a well-known photographer.

Early Life and Education

Rebecca Miller was born in Roxbury, Connecticut. Her father, Arthur Miller, was a playwright, and her mother, Inge Morath, was a photographer from Austria. Her younger brother, Daniel, was born in 1966.

Growing up, Rebecca was surrounded by many artists. Her neighbors included the sculptor Alexander Calder and the choreographer Martha Clarke. She loved drawing and even had lessons from a sculptor named Philip Grausman.

In 1980, Rebecca went to Yale University. There, she studied painting and literature. After graduating in 1985, she traveled to Munich, Germany, on a special fellowship.

Later, in 1987, Miller moved to New York City. She showed her paintings and sculptures in art galleries. She also studied film at The New School, where she learned from photographer and filmmaker Arnold S. Eagle. This is when she started making short films without dialogue.

Career Highlights

Starting in Film and Theater (1988–1994)

In 1988, Rebecca Miller began her acting career. She appeared in a play called The Cherry Orchard and later in The American Plan. She also acted in movies like Regarding Henry (1991) and Consenting Adults (1992).

However, Miller was more interested in making her own films. In 1991, she wrote and directed a short film called Florence. This film was about a woman who would start to feel the symptoms of other people's illnesses. Florence helped her get invited to direct plays, including one written by her father.

Rebecca Miller is known for supporting women in the film industry. She was featured in a 2003 documentary called In The Company of Women.

Directing Award-Winning Films (1995–2009)

In 1995, Miller wrote and directed her first feature film, Angela. The movie is about a 10-year-old girl trying to help her mother. Angela was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. For this film, Miller won the Open Palm Award and the Filmmaker Trophy at Sundance.

Rebecca Miller at TIFF 2009
Miller at the premiere of The Private Lives of Pippa Lee in 2009

In 2001, Miller's book Personal Velocity was named a "Best Book" by The Washington Post. She then turned her book into a movie called Personal Velocity: Three Portraits, which came out in 2002. This film tells three different stories about women changing their lives. It was praised by The New York Times. For Personal Velocity, Miller won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award in 2002.

In 2003, Miller also wrote and illustrated a book called A Woman Who. It featured drawings of women in various situations. She also wrote the screenplay for the 2005 movie Proof, which starred Gwyneth Paltrow.

In 2005, Miller directed The Ballad of Jack and Rose. This film starred Daniel Day-Lewis and Catherine Keener. It is a story about a 16-year-old girl who grew up isolated with her father.

Her fourth film, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, was released in 2009. It was based on her own novel. The movie explores the life of a 50-year-old woman moving to a new community. It featured a cast including Robin Wright, Alan Arkin, and Julianne Moore. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2009, Rebecca Miller received the Maureen O'Hara Award for her achievements in film.

Recent Works (2013–Present)

In 2013, Miller published her novel Jacob's Folly. This book is about an 18th-century French character who is reborn as a housefly in modern New York. Critics praised her writing style in this book.

In 2015, Miller directed the movie Maggie's Plan, a funny romantic comedy. She also wrote the screenplay for it. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. It starred Greta Gerwig, Julianne Moore, and Ethan Hawke. Vanity Fair called it "A smart, goofy delight!" Maggie's Plan was released in movie theaters in 2016.

Her most recent film, She Came to Me, was released in 2023.

Personal Life

Daniel Day-Lewis and Rebecca Miller - 2008 Academy Awards (cropped)
Rebecca Miller and husband Daniel Day-Lewis at the 80th Academy Awards on February 24, 2008

Rebecca Miller met her husband, actor Daniel Day-Lewis, at a movie screening in 1996. They got married on November 13, 1996. They have two sons together: Ronan, born in 1998, and Cashel, born in 2002. Rebecca is also a stepmother to Daniel's older son, Gabriel Kane Day-Lewis.

Filmography

As Director and Writer

Year Title Director Writer Producer
1995 Angela Yes Yes
2002 Personal Velocity: Three Portraits Yes Yes
2005 The Ballad of Jack and Rose Yes Yes
Proof Yes
2009 The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Yes Yes
2015 Maggie's Plan Yes Yes Yes
2017 Arthur Miller: Writer Yes Yes
2023 She Came to Me Yes Yes Yes
TBA Mr. Scorsese Not yet released Yes Yes

Acting Roles

Year Title Role Notes
1988 The Murder of Mary Phagan Lucille Frank 2 episodes
1989 Seven Minutes Anneliese
1991 Regarding Henry Linda
1992 Wind Abigail Weld
1992 Consenting Adults Kay Otis
1993 The Pickle Carrie
1993 The American Clock Edie Television movie
1994 Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle Neysa McMein
1994 Love Affair Receptionist
2017 The Meyerowitz Stories Loretta Shapiro

Awards and Recognition

Year Award Category Title Result
1995 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Angela Nominated
Filmmakers Trophy Won
2002 Grand Jury Prize Personal Velocity: Three Portraits Won
2003 Independent Spirit Award John Cassavetes Award Won
2005 Deauville Film Festival Grand Special Prize The Ballad of Jack and Rose Nominated
2016 Edinburgh International Film Festival Audience Award Maggie's Plan Nominated
2019 News and Documentary Emmy Award Outstanding Arts & Culture Documentary Arthur Miller: Writer Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Rebecca Miller para niños

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