John Mills | |
|---|---|
 Mills in the 1979 serialQuatermass | |
| Born | Lewis Ernest Watts Mills (1908-02-22)22 February 1908 North Elmham,Norfolk, England |
| Died | 23 April 2005(2005-04-23) (aged 97) Denham,Buckinghamshire, England |
| Resting place | St Mary the Virgin Churchyard, Denham |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1929–2005 |
| Known for | Ryan's Daughter Tunes of Glory Swiss Family Robinson Great Expectations The Vicious Circle Ice Cold in Alex |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3, includingJuliet andHayley |
| Relatives |
|
Sir John Mills (bornLewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 1908 – 23 April 2005)[1] was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing Britisheveryman who often portrayed guileless, wounded war heroes. In 1971, he received theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance inRyan's Daughter.
For his work in film, Mills wasknighted byElizabeth II in 1976. In 2002, he received aBAFTA Fellowship from theBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts and was named aDisney Legend byThe Walt Disney Company.
John Mills was born on 22 February 1908 inNorth Elmham,Norfolk,[1] the son of Edith Mills (née Baker), a theatre box office manager, and Lewis Mills, a mathematics teacher.[2]Mills was born atWatts Naval School, where his father was a master. He spent his early years in the village ofBelton where his father was the headmaster of the village school. He first felt the thrill of performing at a concert in the school hall when he was six years old.[3] He then lived in a modest house on Gainsborough Road,Felixstowe,Suffolk, until 1929. His elder sister wasAnnette Mills, remembered as presenter of BBC Television'sMuffin the Mule (1946–55).
He was educated atBalham Grammar School in London,Sir John Leman High School inBeccles andNorwich High School for Boys,[1][4] where it is said that his initials can still be seen carved into the brickwork on the side of the building in Upper St Giles Street. Upon leaving school he worked as a clerk[2] at a corn merchant's, R & W Paul & Sons, inIpswich before finding employment in London as a commercial traveller for the Sanitas Disinfectant Company.
In September 1939, at the start of the Second World War, Mills enlisted in theBritish Army, joining theRoyal Engineers.[5] He was later commissioned as aSecond Lieutenant, but in 1942 he received a medical discharge because of a stomach ulcer.[5]
Mills took an early interest in acting, making his professional début at theLondon Hippodrome inThe Five O'Clock Girl in 1929. He followed this with a cabaret act.
Mills then got a job with a theatrical company that toured India, China and the Far East performing a number of plays.Noël Coward saw him appear in a production ofJourney's End in Singapore and wrote Mills a letter of introduction to use back in London.[6]
On his return, Mills starred inThe 1931 Revue, Coward'sCavalcade (1931) and the Coward revueWords and Music (1932).
He made his film debut inThe Midshipmaid (1932). He also appeared inThe Ghost Camera (1933) withIda Lupino andBritannia of Billingsgate (1934).
Mills was promoted to leading roles inA Political Party (1934), a comedy. He was in a series ofquota quickies:The River Wolves (1934);Those Were the Days (1934), the first film ofWill Hay;The Lash (1934);Blind Justice (1934);Doctor's Orders (1934); andCar of Dreams (1935). He didJill Darling (1934) on stage and was one of many names inRoyal Cavalcade (1935).
Mills had the star role in an A film,Brown on Resolution (1935). It was back to quota quickies forCharing Cross Road (1935) andThe First Offence (1936). He had another excellent part in an "A", playingLord Guildford Dudley inTudor Rose (1936). He didAren't Men Beasts? (1936) on stage and worked for Hollywood directorRaoul Walsh inO.H.M.S. (1937).
Mills starred inThe Green Cockatoo (1937) directed byWilliam Cameron Menzies. He appeared as Colley in the hugely popular 1939 film version ofGoodbye, Mr Chips, oppositeRobert Donat.
At the Old Vic he was inA Midsummer Night's Dream (1939),She Stoops to Conquer (1939) andOf Mice and Men (1939–40). He joined the army in 1939 but occasionally made films on leave. He went back to movies withOld Bill and Son (1940) and madeCottage to Let (1941), a war film forAnthony Asquith. Mills went back to supporting Will Hay inThe Black Sheep of Whitehall (1942) and he was one of many names in the war film,The Big Blockade (1942).
He was inMen in Shadow (1942) on stage, written by his wife. He achieved acclaim for his performance as an able seaman in Noël Coward'sIn Which We Serve (1942), a huge hit. Mills had another good support role inThe Young Mr. Pitt (1942) playingWilliam Wilberforce oppositeRobert Donat. He was invalided out of the army in 1942.[7]
Mills's climb to stardom began when he had the lead role inWe Dive at Dawn (1943), a film directed by Asquith about submariners. He was top billed inThis Happy Breed (1944), directed byDavid Lean and adapted from aNoël Coward play.
Also popular wasWaterloo Road (1945), fromSidney Gilliat, in which Mills played a man who goes AWOL to retrieve his wife from a draft-dodger (played byStewart Granger). Mills played a pilot inThe Way to the Stars (1945), directed by Asquith from a script byTerence Rattigan, and another big hit in Britain. He didDuet for Two Hands (1945) on stage.
Mills had his greatest success to date as Pip inGreat Expectations (1946), directed by David Lean. It was the third biggest hit at the British box office that year and Mills was voted the sixth most popular star.[8]
Less successful critically and financially wasSo Well Remembered (1947) which used American writers and directors.[9]The October Man (1947) was a mildly popular thriller fromRoy Ward Baker.
Mills played the title role inScott of the Antarctic (1948), a biopic ofCaptain Scott. It was the fourth-most-watched film of the year in Britain and Mills was voted the eighth-biggest star in an exhibitors' poll.[10]
Mills turned producer withThe History of Mr Polly (1949) from the novel byH. G. Wells.[11] It was directed byAnthony Pelissier and Mills said it was his favorite film.[12] Pelissier also madeThe Rocking Horse Winner (1949) which Mills produced; he also played a small role. More liked at the box office was a submarine drama,Morning Departure (1950), directed by Baker. By this stage his fee was a reported £20,000 a film.[13]
AfterMorning Departure Mills took almost two years off.[14] The films he made on his return were not popular: a thriller,Mr Denning Drives North (1951);The Gentle Gunman (1952), where he andDirk Bogarde playedIRA gunmen forBasil Dearden; andThe Long Memory (1953), a thriller fromRobert Hamer.[15]
Mills had his first hit in a number of years withHobson's Choice (1954), directed by Lean. He appeared in the war filmThe Colditz Story (1955).
Mills played a supporting role in a movie forMGM,The End of the Affair (1955), withDeborah Kerr andVan Johnson. More liked in Britain was another war story,Above Us the Waves (1955); this was the sixth-most-popular film at the British box office that year, and it helped Mills become the fifth-most-popular star in the country.[16]
AfterEscapade (1955), Mills made the popular military comedyThe Baby and the Battleship (1956), one of the biggest hits of 1956. Also on that list was another Mills comedy,It's Great to Be Young (1956).[17]
Mills had a key support role as a peasant inWar and Peace (1956) and made a cameo inAround the World in 80 Days (1956).
Mills appeared in the thrillers:Town on Trial (1957) directed byJohn Guillermin andThe Vicious Circle (1957).[18] More popular with the public were the war films:Dunkirk (1958), the second-most-popular film of the year in Britain;Ice Cold in Alex (1958), directed byJ. Lee Thompson; andI Was Monty's Double'(1958), directed by Guillermin.[19]
In the 1959 crime dramaTiger Bay, directed by Thompson, Mills played a police detective investigating a murder that a young girl has witnessed. His daughterHayley was cast, and earned excellent reviews.
Mills went to Australia to play a cane cutter in the Hollywood financedSummer of the Seventeenth Doll (1959). The movie was poorly received critically and commercially.[20]
Better received wasTunes of Glory (1960), a military drama directed byRonald Neame co-starringAlec Guinness. Mills's performance earned him a Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival.
Walt Disney sawTiger Bay and offered Hayley Mills the lead role inPollyanna (1960). Disney also offered John Mills the lead in the adventure filmSwiss Family Robinson (1960), which was a huge hit. He didRoss (1960–61) on stage.
The Rank Organisation insisted Mills play the role of the priest inThe Singer Not the Song (1961) opposite Dirk Bogarde. Mills and Baker reteamed on an interracial drama,Flame in the Streets (1961), and an Italian-British war film,The Valiant (1962).
Mills did a comedy withJames Mason,Tiara Tahiti (1962). He had a support role inThe Chalk Garden (1964) starring Hayley.
After a cameo on the war filmOperation Crossbow (1965), Mills made a third film with his daughter,The Truth About Spring (1965). He had a cameo inKing Rat (1965) forBryan Forbes, who then directed Mills inThe Wrong Box (1966). Mills played Hayley's father-in-law on screen inThe Family Way (1966). He then directed her inSky West and Crooked (1966) from a script written by his wife.[21]
He was the subject ofThis Is Your Life on two occasions, firstly in 1960 when he was surprised byEamonn Andrews outsidePinewood Studios,[citation needed] and again in 1983 when Andrews surprised him on the stage of London'sWyndham's Theatre at the curtain call of the playLittle Lies.[citation needed]
Mills began to move into character roles, supportingHugh O'Brian inAfrica Texas Style (1967) andRod Taylor inChuka (1967). He went to Italy for a giallo,A Black Veil for Lisa (1968) and playedWilliam Hamilton inEmma Hamilton (1968).
Mills had a cameo inOh! What a Lovely War (1969) for director Richard Attenborough and supportedMark Lester (though he was top billed) inRun Wild, Run Free (1969). He went to Australia to star in a convict drama,Adam's Woman (1970).
For his role as the village idiot inRyan's Daughter (1970)—a complete departure from his usual style—Mills won aBest Supporting Actor Oscar.
He was inDulcima (1971), then had support roles inYoung Winston (1972) for Attenborough,Lady Caroline Lamb (1972) andOklahoma Crude (1973). On stage he didVeterans at the Royal Court,At the End of the Day (1973),The Good Companions (1974),Great Expectations (1975) andSeparate Tables (1977).
Also on the small screen, in 1974 he starred as Captain Tommy "The Elephant" Devon in the six-part television drama seriesThe Zoo Gang, about a group of former underground freedom fighters from the Second World War, alongsideBrian Keith,Lilli Palmer andBarry Morse.
In the late 1970s Mills could still get lead roles in films, as shown byThe "Human" Factor (1975),Trial by Combat (1976) andThe Devil's Advocate (1977). He had filmed supporting roles inThe Big Sleep andThe Thirty Nine Steps (both 1978).
His most famous television role was probably as thetitle character inQuatermass forITV in 1979. He followed this with a sitcom inYoung at Heart (1980–82).
On the big screen he was now mainly playing upper-crust types as inZulu Dawn (1979),Gandhi (1982) andSahara (1983). He performedGoodbye Mr Chips on stage (1982) followed byLittle Lies (1983).
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In 1986 he didThe Petition at the National and the following year didPygmalion on Broadway. He provided a voice forWhen the Wind Blows (1986) and supportedMadonna inWho's That Girl (1987). His best roles were on TV inHarnessing Peacocks (1993) andMartin Chuzzlewit (1994). Mills also starred asGus: The Theatre Cat in the filmed version of the musicalCats in 1998.
In 2000, Mills released his extensive home cine-film footage in a documentary film entitledSir John Mills's Moving Memories, with interviews with Mills, his childrenHayley,Juliet and Jonathan andRichard Attenborough. The film was produced and written by Jonathan Mills, directed and edited byMarcus Dillistone, and features behind the scenes footage and stories from films such asIce Cold in Alex andDunkirk. In addition the film also includes home footage of many of Mills's friends and fellow cast members includingLaurence Olivier,Harry Andrews,Walt Disney,David Niven,Dirk Bogarde,Rex Harrison andTyrone Power. He portrayed a charming old gent as head of an art museum in 1997'sBean. Mills's last cinema appearance was playing a tramp inLights 2 (directed byMarcus Dillistone); the cinematographer wasJack Cardiff. They had last worked together onScott of the Antarctic in 1948.
His first wife was the actressAileen Raymond, They were married in 1932 and divorced in 1941. Raymond later became the mother of actorIan Ogilvy.
His second wife was thedramatistMary Hayley Bell. Their marriage, on 16 January 1941, lasted for 64 years until his death in 2005. They were married in a rushed civil ceremony, because of the war; it was not until sixty years later that they were married in a church.[22] They lived inThe Wick, London, for many years. They sold the house to musicianRonnie Wood in 1971 and in 1975, moved toHills House, Denham,Buckinghamshire.
Mills and Bell had two daughters,Juliet, star of television'sNanny and the Professor andHayley, a Disney child star who appeared inPollyanna,The Parent Trap andWhistle Down the Wind. They had one son, Jonathan Mills, a screenwriter.[2] In 1947, Mills appeared with his daughters in the filmSo Well Remembered. The three also appeared together decades later, on an episode ofABC'sThe Love Boat. Mills's grandson by Hayley,Crispian Mills, is a musician, best known for his work with theraga rock groupKula Shaker.
In the years leading up to John Mills's death, he appeared on television only on special occasions, his sight having failed almost completely by 1992. After that, his film roles werecameos. He wrote anautobiography entitledUp in the Clouds, Gentlemen Please, which was published in 1980 and revised in 2001.
Mills died on 23 April 2005 inDenham,Buckinghamshire, aged 97, following a stroke.[1]
Lady Mills died on 1 December 2005. They are buried in St Mary the Virgin Churchyard,Denham, Buckinghamshire.
Mills was appointed a Commander of theOrder of the British Empire (CBE) in 1960.[2] In 1976 he wasknighted[2] by QueenElizabeth II.
In 1999, at 91 years of age, Mills became the oldest joining member of the entertainment charitable fraternity, theGrand Order of Water Rats.[23]
In 2002, he received a Fellowship of theBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), their highest award, and was named aDisney Legend bythe Walt Disney Company.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | The Midshipmaid | Golightly | |
| 1933 | The Ghost Camera | Ernest Elton | |
| Britannia of Billingsgate | Fred Bolton | ||
| 1934 | A Political Party | Tony Smithers | |
| The River Wolves | Peter Farrell | ||
| Those Were the Days | Bobby Poskett | ||
| The Lash | Arthur Haughton | ||
| Blind Justice | Ralph Summers | ||
| Doctor's Orders | Ronnie Blake | ||
| 1935 | Car of Dreams | Robert Miller | |
| Royal Cavalcade | Young Enlistee | ||
| Brown on Resolution | Albert Brown | (later reissued in the UK asForever England) | |
| Charing Cross Road | Tony | ||
| 1936 | The First Offence | Johnnie Penrose | alternative titleBad Blood |
| Tudor Rose | Lord Guilford Dudley | Released asNine Days a Queen in USA | |
| 1937 | O.H.M.S. | Cpl. Bert Dawson | |
| The Green Cockatoo | Jim Connor | ||
| 1939 | Goodbye, Mr Chips | Peter Colley – as a Young Man | |
| 1941 | Old Bill and Son | Young Bill Busby | |
| Cottage to Let | Flt. Lieutenant Perry | ||
| 1942 | The Black Sheep of Whitehall | Bobby Jessop | |
| The Big Blockade | Tom | ||
| In Which We Serve | Ordinary Seaman Blake | (with daughterJuliet Mills) | |
| The Young Mr. Pitt | William Wilberforce | ||
| 1943 | We Dive at Dawn | Lt. Taylor, R.N. | |
| 1944 | This Happy Breed | Billy Mitchell | |
| Victory Wedding | Bill Clark | Short[24] | |
| 1945 | Waterloo Road | Jim Colter | |
| The Way to the Stars | Peter Penrose | ||
| 1946 | Great Expectations | Pip | |
| 1947 | So Well Remembered | George Boswell | (with daughtersJuliet Mills andHayley Mills) |
| The October Man | Jim Ackland | ||
| 1948 | Scott of the Antarctic | Captain Scott Captain R.F. Scott R.N. | |
| 1949 | The History of Mr Polly | Alfred Polly | |
| The Rocking Horse Winner | Bassett | (also produced) | |
| 1950 | Morning Departure | Lt. Commander Armstrong | |
| 1951 | Mr Denning Drives North | Tom Denning | |
| 1952 | The Gentle Gunman | Terrence Sullivan | |
| 1953 | The Long Memory | Phillip Davidson | |
| 1954 | Hobson's Choice | Willie Mossop | Nominated-BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role |
| 1955 | The Colditz Story | Pat Reid | |
| The End of the Affair | Albert Parkis | ||
| Above Us the Waves | Commander Fraser | ||
| Escapade | John Hampden | ||
| 1956 | The Baby and the Battleship | Puncher Roberts | |
| War and Peace | Platon Karataev | ||
| Around the World in 80 Days | London Carriage Driver | ||
| It's Great to Be Young | Mr Dingle | ||
| 1957 | Town on Trial | Supt Mike Halloran | |
| The Vicious Circle | Dr Howard Latimer | ||
| 1958 | Dunkirk | Corporal Binns | |
| Ice Cold in Alex | Captain Anson RASC | ||
| I Was Monty's Double | Major Harvey | (also titledHell, Heaven or Hoboken) | |
| 1959 | Tiger Bay | Superintendent Graham | (with daughterHayley Mills) |
| Summer of the Seventeenth Doll | Barney | (also titledSeason of Passion) | |
| 1960 | Tunes of Glory | Lt. Col. Basil Barrow (Battalion Commander) | Volpi Cup for Best Actor Nominated-BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role |
| Swiss Family Robinson | William Robinson | ||
| 1961 | The Singer Not the Song | Father Michael Keogh | |
| The Parent Trap | Mitch Evers' Golf Caddy | Uncredited | |
| Flame in the Streets | Jacko Palmer | ||
| 1962 | The Valiant | Captain Morgan | |
| Tiara Tahiti | Lt. Col. Clifford Southey | ||
| 1964 | The Chalk Garden | Maitland | (with daughterHayley Mills) |
| 1965 | Operation Crossbow | Gen. Boyd | |
| The Truth About Spring | Tommy Tyler | (with daughterHayley Mills) | |
| King Rat | Smedley – Taylor | ||
| 1966 | The Wrong Box | Masterman Finsbury | |
| The Family Way | Ezra Fitton | (with daughterHayley Mills) Silver Shell for Best Actor (tied withMaurice Ronet forThe Champagne Murders) at theSan Sebastián International Film Festival | |
| 1967 | Africa Texas Style | Wing Commander Hayes | |
| Chuka | Colonel Stuart Valois | ||
| 1968 | A Black Veil for Lisa | Inspector Franz Bulon | |
| Emma Hamilton | Sir William Hamilton | ||
| 1969 | Oh! What a Lovely War | Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig | |
| Run Wild, Run Free | The Moorman | ||
| 1970 | Adam's Woman | Sir Phillip MacDonald | |
| Ryan's Daughter | Michael | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated-BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 1971 | Dulcima | Mr Parker | |
| 1972 | Young Winston | General Kitchener | |
| Lady Caroline Lamb | Canning | ||
| 1973 | Oklahoma Crude | Cleon Doyle | |
| 1975 | The Human Factor | Mike McAllister | |
| 1976 | Trial by Combat | Colonel Bertie Cook | (also titledA Dirty Knight's Work) |
| 1977 | The Devil's Advocate | Blaise Meredith | |
| 1978 | The Big Sleep | Inspector Jim Carson | |
| The Thirty Nine Steps | Scudder | ||
| 1979 | The Quatermass Conclusion | Professor Bernard Quatermass | |
| Zulu Dawn | Sir Henry Bartle Frere | ||
| 1982 | Gandhi | The Viceroy Baron Chelmsford | |
| 1983 | Sahara | Cambridge | |
| 1986 | When the Wind Blows | Jim | Voice |
| 1987 | Who's That Girl | Montgomery Bell | (credited as Sir John Mills) |
| 1993 | The Big Freeze | Dapper man | |
| 1994 | Deadly Advice | Jack the Ripper | |
| 1995 | The Grotesque | Sir Edward Cleghorn | (also titledGentleman Don't Eat Poets) |
| 1996 | Hamlet | Old Norway | |
| 1997 | Bean | Chairman | (credited as Sir John Mills) |
| 1998 | Cats | Gus the Theater Cat | |
| 2003 | Bright Young Things | Gentleman | |
| 2005 | Lights2 | The Tramp | Cinematographer Jack Cardiff (previously worked on Scott of The Antarctic), (final film role) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Dundee and the Culhane | Dundee | 13 episodes |
| 1974 | The Zoo Gang | Thomas 'The Elephant' Devon | 6 episodes |
| 1978 | Dr. Strange | Thomas Lindmer | TV movie |
| 1979 | Quatermass | Professor Bernard Quatermass | 4 episodes |
| 1980–1982 | Tales of the Unexpected | William Perkins/The Umbrella Man/Sam Morrissey | 3 episodes |
| Young at Heart | Albert Collyer | 18 episodes | |
| 1982 | The Adventures of Little Lord Fauntleroy[25] | The Earl of Dorincort | TV movie |
| 1984 | The Masks of Death | Dr Watson | |
| 1985 | A Woman of Substance | Henry Rossiter | 3 episodes |
| Murder with Mirrors | Lewis Serrocold | TV movie | |
| Edge of the Wind | General Blair | TV play | |
| 1987 | The Dame Edna Experience | Season 1, Episode 6 (as himself) | |
| 1989 | A Tale of Two Cities | Jarvis Lorry | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Harnessing Peacocks | Bernard Quigley | TV movie |
| 1994 | Martin Chuzzlewit | Mr Chuffey | 3 episodes, TV Mini-series |
| Year | Title | Theatre |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | The Five O'Clock Girl | London Hippodrome |
| 1930 | Charley's Aunt | New Theatre |
| 1931 | The 1931 Revue | London Pavilion |
| London Wall | Duke of York's Theatre | |
| Cavalcade | Theatre Royal Drury Lane | |
| 1932 | Words and Music | Adelphi Theatre |
| 1933 | Give Me a Ring | London Hippodrome |
| 1934 | Jill Darling | Saville Theatre |
| 1936 | Red Night | Queen's Theatre |
| Aren't Men Beasts! | Strand Theatre | |
| 1937 | Floodlight | Saville Theatre |
| Talk of the Devil | Piccadilly Theatre | |
| 1938 | Pelissier's Follies of 1938 | Saville Theatre |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | The Old Vic | |
| She Stoops to Conquer | ||
| 1939 | We at the Crossroads | Globe Theatre |
| Of Mice and Men | Gate Theatre/Apollo Theatre | |
| 1942 | Men in Shadow | Lyric Theatre |
| 1945 | Duet for Two Hands | Vaudeville Theatre |
| 1950 | The Damascus Blade | UK Tour |
| Top of the Ladder | St James's Theatre | |
| 1951 | Figure of Fun | Aldwych Theatre |
| 1953 | The Uninvited Guest | St James's Theatre |
| 1954 | Charley's Aunt | New Theatre/Strand Theatre |
| 1961 | Ross | Eugene O'Neill Theatre/Hudson Theatre, New York City |
| 1963 | Powers of Persuasion | Garrick Theatre |
| 1972 | Veterans | Royal Court Theatre |
| 1973 | At the End of the Day | Savoy Theatre |
| 1974 | The Good Companions | Her Majesty's Theatre |
| 1975 | Great Expectations | UK Tour/O'Keefe Centre, Toronto |
| 1977 | Separate Tables | Apollo Theatre |
| 1982 | Goodbye, Mr Chips | Chichester Festival Theatre |
| 1983 | Little Lies | Wyndham's Theatre |
| 1986 | The Petition | National Theatre/Wyndham's Theatre |
| 1987 | Pygmalion | Plymouth Theatre, New York City |
| From 1992 | One-man show | Various venues |
For a number of years, British film exhibitors voted him among the top ten British stars at the box office via an annual poll in theMotion Picture Herald.
