Vera Miles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vera Miles
Vera Miles, c. 1950s
Born	Vera June Ralston (1929-08-23) August 23, 1929 (age 95) Boise City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1950–1995
Spouse(s)	Bob Miles ​ ​ (m. 1948; div. 1954)​ Gordon Scott ​ ​ (m. 1956; div. 1960)​ Keith Larsen ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1971)​
Children	4

Vera June Miles (born August 23, 1929) is an American actress who is now retired. She became famous for her roles in classic movies. These include the Western films The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), both directed by John Ford.

She is also well-known for playing Lila Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Psycho (1960). She returned to this role in the sequel Psycho II (1983). Vera Miles also appeared in other films like Tarzan's Hidden Jungle (1955) and The Wrong Man (1956).

Early Life and Beginnings

Vera June Ralston was born in Boise City, Oklahoma, on August 23, 1929. Her parents were Thomas and Bernice Ralston. She had two older brothers.

Vera grew up in Pratt, Kansas, and later in Wichita. She worked at night as a typist for Western Union. In 1947, she graduated from Wichita North High School. The next year, in 1948, she was crowned Miss Kansas. She also placed third in the Miss America contest.

Her Acting Career

Vera Miles moved to Los Angeles in 1949. She started getting small parts in TV shows and movies. One of her early roles was a chorus girl in the musical Two Tickets to Broadway (1951). In this movie, she worked with Janet Leigh. Nine years later, they would star together in the famous Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho.

Vera used her first husband's last name, Miles. This was because another actress named Vera Ralston was already famous. Vera Miles signed contracts with different movie studios. She once said that even the best studios would drop her.

First Movie Roles

Vera Miles's first movie where she was officially credited was The Rose Bowl Story (1952). It was a romantic comedy where she played a queen for the Tournament of Roses parade. While working for Warner Bros., she acted with her future husband, Gordon Scott. This was in the 1955 film Tarzan's Hidden Jungle, where she played Tarzan's love interest.

In 1956, director John Ford chose her for the Western movie The Searchers. She played the love interest of Jeffrey Hunter and starred alongside John Wayne. That same year, she also appeared in Wichita and 23 Paces to Baker Street.

Working with Alfred Hitchcock

Also in 1956, Vera Miles starred in The Wrong Man. She played Rose Balestrero, the wife of a musician who was wrongly accused of a crime. Henry Fonda played her husband. This movie was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It was one of the few Hitchcock films based on real-life events.

In 1957, Vera Miles signed a five-year contract with Hitchcock. Many people thought she would become his next big star, like Grace Kelly. Two years before, Hitchcock had directed her in an episode of his TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The episode was called "Revenge."

Hitchcock planned for Vera Miles to star in his movie Vertigo (1958). But the movie faced delays, and Vera became pregnant. Because of this, she lost the main role, which went to Kim Novak instead. Even though Vertigo was not a big success at first, Hitchcock continued to work with Miles.

He later cast her in her most famous role: Lila Crane in Psycho. In the film, she played the determined sister of Marion Crane, a woman who disappears at a motel. Lila teams up with Marion's boyfriend to find her. Vera Miles also appeared in two episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in the early 1960s.

More Films and TV Shows

In 1962, Vera Miles worked with director John Ford again for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. She starred with John Wayne and James Stewart. Both men tried to win her affection in the movie.

Besides movies, Vera Miles appeared in many popular TV shows. These include Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, The Twilight Zone, and Laramie. She was in the first episode of The Fugitive. She also guest-starred in The Outer Limits and Ironside.

Miles in The Twilight Zone, 1960

In 1965, she had a supporting role in three episodes of My Three Sons. She also co-starred in the pilot episode of I Spy.

Other notable films include the Walt Disney movie Follow Me, Boys! (1966) with Fred MacMurray. In Hellfighters (1968), she played Katharine Ross's mother. She also reunited with John Wayne in this film. She had filmed scenes for The Green Berets (1968) as Wayne's character's wife, but these scenes were cut.

Vera Miles continued to appear in many TV films and series during the 1970s. She was in the pilot for the TV series Cannon in 1971. In 1973, she appeared with Peter Falk in an episode of Columbo. She played a cosmetics queen who commits murder. She also made guest appearances in Hawaii Five-O and Fantasy Island.

Later Career and Retirement

In 1983, over 20 years after Psycho, Vera Miles played Lila Crane again in Psycho II. She and Anthony Perkins were the only original stars to return for the sequel. She continued acting in movies and TV shows in the 1980s. These included The Initiation (1984) and Into the Night (1985). She guest-starred in The Love Boat and Hotel.

She appeared in three episodes of Murder, She Wrote between 1985 and 1991. Her last TV role was in the 1991 episode "Thursday's Child." Her final acting role was in the 1995 film Separate Lives. After this, she retired from acting.

Personal Life

Vera Miles has been married three times. Her first husband was Bob Miles, a stuntman and actor. They were married from 1948 to 1954 and had two daughters, Debra and Kelley.

Her second husband was actor and bodybuilder Gordon Scott. They met while filming Tarzan's Hidden Jungle. They were married from 1956 to 1960 and had one son, Michael.

Her third husband was actor Keith Larsen. They were married from 1960 to 1971 and had one son, Erik.

One of her grandsons, Jordan Essoe, is also an actor. In 2012, he met with actress Jessica Biel. She was preparing to play Vera Miles in the film Hitchcock.

Vera Miles is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has often visited Salt Lake City, Utah. She was also very involved with the Boy Scouts of America. She supported the re-election of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Vera Miles para niños