Miller was born inChipping Norton,Oxfordshire, England, to American parents.[2] His mother, Roxann (née Palm), is a special education teacher, and his father, Wentworth E. Miller II, is a lawyer and teacher, who was studying at theUniversity of Oxford on aRhodes Scholarship at the time of Miller's birth.[1][3][4] Miller said in 2003 that his father is black and his mother is white.[5] His father is of African-American, Jamaican, German, and English ancestry; his mother is ofRusyn,[6] Swedish, French, Dutch,Syrian, and Lebanese ancestry.[7][8] He has two sisters, Leigh and Gillian.
In 1995, Miller relocated to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.[13] He has stated that his rocky road to stardom "was a long time in the coming and there were a lot of upsets and a lot of failures and roadblocks, but I couldn't walk away from it. I needed it like I needed air, it was just something I had to do."[14] Miller's first TV appearance was as student-turned-sea monster Gage Petronzi onBuffy the Vampire Slayer ("Go Fish", 1998).
Miller's first starring role was in 2002 as the sensitive, introverted David Scott inABC'smini-seriesDinotopia. After appearing in a few minor television roles, he moved on to co-star in the 2003 filmThe Human Stain, playing the younger version of theAnthony Hopkins character, Coleman Silk. He identified strongly with the core dilemma of the movie, about a black man who chooses to "pass" as white. Miller worked extensively on the role, not only in researching Anthony Hopkins, but by embarking on a four-month regimen to accurately portray Silk as a boxer. Also in 2003, he had a minor role in the filmUnderworld, playing a doctor and friend of the characterMichael Corvin.
In 2005, Miller was cast as Michael Scofield inFox Network'stelevision dramaPrison Break. He played the role of a gifted structural engineer who created an elaborate scheme to help his brother,Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell), escape death row after being found guilty of a crime he did not commit. His character had a full upper body (front and back)tattoo. Covering both the front of Miller's torso and his back, along with both arms from shoulders to wrists, the special effects for the tattoo took over four hours to apply. His performance in the show earned him a 2005Golden Globe Award nomination forBest Actor in a Dramatic Series.[15] The show was finished in 2009 after four seasons, but a new nine-episodefifth season was released April 4, 2017, with Miller reprising his role.
Miller appeared in twoMariah Careymusic videos, "It's Like That" as a party guest and "We Belong Together" as her love interest. DirectorBrett Ratner, who directed the pilot episode ofPrison Break, was also signed on to direct the two Carey videos. Ratner decided to use Miller in the videos as well.[16]
Miller wrote the screenplay for the filmStoker, as well as aprequel toStoker,Uncle Charlie.[19] He used thepseudonym Ted Foulke, later explaining, "I just wanted the scripts to sink or swim on their own."[20] Miller's script was voted to the 2010 "Black List" of the 10 best unproduced screenplays then making the rounds in Hollywood.[21] The film is about a teenage girl who must deal with a mysterious uncle following the death of her father. Miller described it as a "horror film, a family drama and a psychological thriller".[22] Although influenced byBram Stoker'sDracula, Miller has clarified thatStoker is not a vampire story.[22][23] Hitchcock'sShadow of a Doubt also influenced the film but only as a jumping-off point, from which the story takes a different direction.[22]Park Chan-wook directed, with starsMia Wasikowska as the teenager,Nicole Kidman as the mother, andMatthew Goode as the uncle.[24] The film was released in 2013, and received generally positive reviews from critics.[25]
In July 2014, it was announced that Miller had joined the cast ofThe CWsuperhero seriesThe Flash in a recurring role asLeonard Snart / Captain Cold.[26] He made his first appearance in the fourth episode of the first season, and reprised his role onLegends of Tomorrow.[27] These shows reunited him with hisPrison Break co-starDominic Purcell, who portrayedMick Rory / Heat Wave. Miller exitedLegends of Tomorrow as a series regular at the end of season one, but signed a contract withWarner Bros. TV to continue portraying Snart simultaneously on multiple shows in theArrowverse.[28]
Millercame out as gay in 2013, and in 2020 announced that he was no longer interested in portraying straight characters in film or television, and thus would not participate in a sixth season ofPrison Break if it were produced.[32]
In 2023, theaudiobook for the 1995 bookPrayers for Bobby was released onAudible, narrated by Miller.[33] In 2024, it was reported that Miller will reunite with hisPrison Break co-star, Dominic Purcell, for a new hostage recovery drama calledSnatchback.[34]
Personal life
Miller in 2015
Miller lives inVancouver,British Columbia. He holds American citizenship by virtue of his birth in the United Kingdom to American parents.[23]
In 2007, Miller denied toInStyle magazine that he wasgay.[35] However, hecame out as gay in August 2013, when he posted a letter onGLAAD's website declining an invitation to attend theSaint Petersburg International Film Festival because he felt "deeply troubled" by the Russian government's treatment of its gay citizens (referring to theRussian LGBT propaganda law, enacted the previous June, which banned "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations").[36][37] Miller wrote that he "cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly".[36]
At the 2013Human Rights Campaign Dinner inSeattle, Washington, Miller said he had attempted suicide multiple times as a teenager before coming out as gay.[38] He stated: "When someone asked me if that was a cry for help, I said no, because I told no one. You only cry for help if you believe there's help to cry for."[38] He discussed struggling in Hollywood as a closeted actor, and talked about how his involvement in theManKind Project helped him learn about brotherhood, sisterhood, and being part of a community.[39]
On October 17, 2016,Active Minds, a mental health charity, announced that Miller would be an ambassador for the organization.[40] In a 2016 Facebook post, he revealed that he "[had] struggled withdepression since childhood. It's a battle that's cost [him] time, opportunities, relationships, and a thousand sleepless nights." He made this emotional post in reaction to a meme of himself that poked fun at his weight gain in 2010. Miller said that his weight gain was due to him finding comfort in food as he was suicidal.[41] Near the end of the post he provided links for organizations such as theNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline andActive Minds.[42]Wentworth revealed he had been diagnosed withautism "a year ago" on July 27, 2021. He posted onInstagram: "This isn't something I'd change ... immediately being autistic is central to who I am. To everything I've achieved/articulated."[43]
^"From Princeton to Primetime".The Daily Princetonian. Princeton University. November 10, 2005. Archived fromthe original on August 25, 2013. RetrievedFebruary 4, 2010.
^Dutch television programJensen!, September 10, 2007.
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