Dick Miller | |
|---|---|
 Miller at the Chiller Theatre Expo in 2015 | |
| Born | Richard Miller (1928-12-25)December 25, 1928 The Bronx,New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 30, 2019(2019-01-30) (aged 90) Toluca Lake, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | City College of New York Columbia University New York University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1955–2019 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Navy |
Richard Miller (December 25, 1928 – January 30, 2019) was an Americancharacter actor who appeared in more than 180 films,[1] including many produced byRoger Corman. He later appeared in the films of directors who began their careers with Corman, includingJoe Dante,James Cameron, andMartin Scorsese, with the distinction of appearing in every film directed by Dante. He was known for playing the beleagueredeveryman, often in one-scene appearances.
Miller's main roles in films includedNot of This Earth (1957),A Bucket of Blood (1959),The Little Shop of Horrors (1960),Piranha (1978),The Howling (1981),Gremlins,The Terminator (both 1984),Explorers (1985),Chopping Mall,Night of the Creeps (both 1986),The 'Burbs (1989),Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990),Demon Knight (1995), andSmall Soldiers (1998).
Miller was born on Christmas Day, 1928, inThe Bronx,New York, the son ofRussian Jewish immigrants, Rita (Blucher), an opera singer, and Ira Miller, a printer.[2] He served a tour of duty in theUnited States Navy. Miller attended theCity College of New York,Columbia University, andNew York University,[3] eventually attaining aPhD in psychology.[4][5] He was a writer before turning to acting.[6]
While working as a graduate psychologist, Miller performed onBroadway and also worked at theBellevue Hospital Mental Hygiene Clinic and the psychiatric department ofQueens General Hospital.[5] In 1952, he moved toCalifornia seeking work as a writer. One of his earliest acting roles was inApache Woman (1955). He played one of the townspeople and also a separate role as an Indian. In an action scene his townsperson character shoots his Indian character, as related in the documentaryCorman's World.[7]
His movie roles includeWhite Line Fever,The Terminator,All The Right Moves,Night of the Creeps,Small Soldiers,It Conquered the World,A Bucket of Blood,The Little Shop of Horrors, theTales from the Crypt movieDemon Knight,Amazon Women on the Moon,Chopping Mall,The Howling,Piranha andI Wanna Hold Your Hand.[8] His best known role was in the moviesGremlins andGremlins 2: The New Batch as Murray Futterman. He appeared inPulp Fiction as Monster Joe, but his scene and a few others were deleted because of the film's length. He also appeared in Rod Stewart's video for the song "Infatuation" in 1984, withMike Mazurki andKay Lenz.
Histelevision credits include as a Townsman on the 1963 TV WesternGunsmoke (S9E8's "Carter Caper"), inCombat!, as a young soldier in the 5th-season episode "The Outsider";Police Squad! (a 1980s crime spoof series with Leslie Nielsen);V: The Final Battle as Dan Pascal; three seasons as the generous bartender Lou Mackie onFame;Star Trek: The Next Generation, in the season 1 episode "The Big Goodbye", as the newspaper stand man in theholodeck;Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in the season 3 two-part episode "Past Tense", as Vin;Time of Your Life; as a prison guard inSoap (1979); and as the voice of the gangster Chuckie Sol in the animated feature filmBatman: Mask of the Phantasm. He also directed television shows, including "The Fix", a 1986 episode of the seriesMiami Vice.[8]
In 2000, Miller was featured alongside former collaborators includingRoger Corman,Sam Arkoff andPeter Bogdanovich in the documentarySCHLOCK! The Secret History of American Movies, a film about the rise and fall of American exploitation cinema. In 2014 he appeared in a documentary of his life,That Guy Dick Miller.[8] He is also credited for appearing in a Sega CD video game,Prize Fighter, ascorner man for the main character.
Throughout his career, Miller portrayed several fictional characters all namedWalter Paisley. He once noted, "I've played Walter Paisley five times now, I think."[9] By 2011, the character name had actually appeared in Miller's acting credits six times, and twice more with other actors on stage and screen. The name first appeared in theRoger Corman filmA Bucket of Blood, with a story centred on Paisley, a busboy who becomes an artist of sorts by killing his subjects and covering them in plaster.[10] In 1976, Miller again portrayed a Walter Paisley — this time, a talent agent and former actor – in another Corman production,Hollywood Boulevard, directed byAllan Arkush andJoe Dante. In one scene of the film, Miller watches himself onscreen at adrive-in theatre showing ofThe Terror – along with the Paisley name, this was one of several Corman/American International references and in-jokes in the finished production.
Dante cast Miller as another Walter Paisley, the owner of anoccult bookshop, in the 1981 filmThe Howling.[11] Two years later, the name appeared again attached to another Miller role, this time as the owner of a diner in the third segment ofTwilight Zone: The Movie.[12] The 1986 horror filmChopping Mall featured a janitor named Walter Paisley; and the1994 made-for-TV remake ofShake, Rattle and Rock! had Miller playing a policeman, Officer Paisley. Officer Paisley also appeared inNight of the Creeps. Miller played a variation on the role one last time in his final, posthumously released film,Hanukkah. Two other actors have portrayed the Walter Paisley fromA Bucket of Blood:Anthony Michael Hall in the1995 television remake; and James Stanton in themusical adaptation produced by Chicago'sAnnoyance Theatre.
Miller married Sheila Elaine "Lainie" Halpern (1941–2025)[13] on October 6, 1959, and they had one child together, Barbara.[14][15][16]
Miller died at age 90 of a heart attack[2] on January 30, 2019, while being treated for pneumonia inToluca Lake, Los Angeles.[17][18]
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Dragnet 1967 | Harry Johnson | Jack Webb | Episode: "The Shooting" |
| 1979 | Taxi | Ernie the Waiter | James Burrows | Episode: "The Lighter Side of Angela Matusa" |
| 1979 | Soap | The Guard | John Bowab | Episode: # 2.19 |
| 1982 | Police Squad! | Vic | Joe Dante | Episode: "Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don't Laugh)" |
| 1982 | Taxi | Fergie | Michael Zinberg | Episode: "Travels With My Dad" |
| 1984 | V: The Final Battle | Dan Pascal | Richard T. Heffron | 1 Episode |
| 1984-1987 | Fame | Lou Mackie | Various | Recurring role (30 episodes) |
| 1988 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | News Stand Vendor | Joseph L. Scanlon | Episode: "The Big Goodbye" |
| 1990-1991 | The Flash | Fosnight | Various | 6 episodes |
| 1993 | Fallen Angels | Carl | Various | 2 episodes |
| 1994 | Rebel Highway | Roy Farrell | Joe Dante andAllan Arkush | 2 episodes |
| 1994 | Batman: The Animated Series | Boxy Bennett | Bruce Timm | Voice, 2 episodes[19] |
| 1994 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Mike Lane | Robert Singer | Episode: "Church of Metropolis" |
| 1995 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Vin | Reza Badiyi andJonathan Frakes | Episode: "Past Tense" |
| 1999 | ER | Mr Ackerman | David Chameides | Episode: "Double Blind" |
| 2005 | Justice League Unlimited | Oberon | Bruce Timm | Voice, episode: "The Ties that Bind"[19] |
