Penelope Ann Miller | |
|---|---|
 Miller in 2012 | |
| Born | Penelope Andrea Miller (1964-01-13)January 13, 1964 (age 61) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Other names | Penelope Miller |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Father | Mark Miller |
Penelope Ann Miller (bornPenelope Andrea Miller; January 13, 1964),[1] sometimes credited asPenelope Miller, is an American actress. She began her career onBroadway in the original run ofBiloxi Blues (1985–1986), later appearing in the 1988film adaptation of the same name. After playing small roles in the comediesAdventures in Babysitting (1987) andBig Top Pee-wee (1988), and receiving aTony Award nomination for her leading role in the Broadway revival ofOur Town (1988–1989), Miller came to prominence with a succession of major parts in films such asThe Freshman,Awakenings,Kindergarten Cop (all 1990),Other People's Money (1991),Chaplin (1992),The Shadow (1994), andThe Relic (1997). For her portrayal of exotic dancer Gail inCarlito's Way (1993), she was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Other film credits includeAlong Came a Spider (2001),The Messengers (2007),The Artist (2011),The Birth of a Nation (2016), andReagan (2024). On television, Miller starred as Molly Hooper on theFox sitcomA Minute with Stan Hooper (2003–2004), played recurring roles onMen of a Certain Age (2009–2011) andMistresses (2013–2014), starred as Eve Carlin on the first season ofABC'sAmerican Crime (2015), and co-starred as Joyce Dahmer in theNetflix seriesMonster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022).
Miller was born inLos Angeles,California, to Beatrice (née Ammidown), a costume designer, publicist, and journalist, andMark Miller, a television actor and producer. Her mother was the goddaughter of businessmanAristotle Onassis and an editor ofHarper's Bazaar.[2] She has two sisters: older, Marisa Miller, who is also a film actress, and younger, Savannah Miller, asocial worker.
Miller graduated from high school in Los Angeles and attendedMenlo College in Atherton, California for two years from 1981 to 1983, then moved to New York City to study theatre atHB Studio.[3]
Her Broadway theatre break came in 1985 when she was cast in the lead (oppositeMatthew Broderick) in theNeil Simon playBiloxi Blues. (She also starred with Broderick in the1988 film version of that play).She played a role in one episode ("Death and the Lady") of the television seriesMiami Vice (which aired on October 16, 1987), and accepted several other small roles in film and television work. She then returned to Broadway in a revival ofOur Town; her portrayal of Emily garnered her aTony Award nomination. She then appeared asPee-wee Herman's (Paul Reubens) fiancée, Winnie Johnston, in the 1988 release ofBig Top Pee-wee. She played a supporting role in 1989'sDead Bang, a cop thriller starringDon Johnson.
In 1990, she played Paula inAwakenings, starringRobert De Niro andRobin Williams. She also appeared in the 1990 moviesDowntown, withAnthony Edwards andForest Whitaker, andKindergarten Cop, alongsideArnold Schwarzenegger, playing a teacher, hiding with her son Dominic from her criminal drug-dealing husband Cullen Crisp (Richard Tyson).She subsequently appeared in a number of other theatrical movies, notably asEdna Purviance inChaplin and withTim Daly as Margaret "Maggie" Harwood inPeter Yates' filmYear of the Comet, both in 1992, and the following year she appeared as the love interest ofAl Pacino's character inCarlito's Way.
Miller co-starred as the daughter of the character played byMarlon Brando in 1990'sThe Freshman, again oppositeMatthew Broderick, and as the lawyer and stepdaughter of the character played byGregory Peck in 1991'sOther People's Money. She appeared asMargo Lane inThe Shadow withAlec Baldwin, as well as in the filmMiles from Home directed byGary Sinise.She had the lead role in the big-budget creature featureThe Relic (1997) as Dr. Margo Green. In 1998, she portrayedBarbara Henry inRuby Bridges a made-for-television movie that was made byDisney, aboutRuby Bridges, the first Black student to attend an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. In 2000, she playedMary Kay Letourneau in the TV filmAll-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story.
In 2002, Miller starred in the filmDead in a Heartbeat and in a two-part episode ofA&E's seriesA Nero Wolfe Mystery. Her 2005 filmFunny Money was voted the top film of theSarasota Film Festival. She appeared in the Fox seriesVanished for six episodes, playing the ex-wife of a U.S. senator whose wife has mysteriously disappeared. In 2007, she appeared in the comedyBlonde Ambition co-starringJessica Simpson andLuke Wilson. She guest starred as Fran onDesperate Housewives. Miller appeared in the horror filmThe Messengers, co-starringDylan McDermott andKristen Stewart. The film was produced by directorSam Raimi's production company, Ghost House Pictures. In 2011, she portrayed Doris, the wife of protagonist George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), in theAcademy Award-winning filmThe Artist.
After a recurring role on theABC soap operaMistresses, Miller was cast in 2015 as a regular in the first season of ABC's drama seriesAmerican Crime.[4]
In October 2020, Miller was cast asFirst LadyNancy Reagan inReagan, a biographical film based on the life of PresidentRonald Reagan.[5]Reagan was theatrically released in the United States on August 30, 2024.[6] For her performance in the film, she andDennis Quaid were nominated for aGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo at the45th Golden Raspberry Awards.[7]
In 1994, Miller married actorWill Arnett. They divorced in 1995.[8]
Miller married James Huggins in 2000, and they have two daughters.[9] On March 14, 2012, Miller filed for legal separation from Huggins after 12 years of marriage.[10] On June 15, 2012, Miller withdrew her request for separation.[11]
| † | Denotes projects that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Hotshot | Mary | Film debut |
| Adventures in Babysitting | Brenda | ||
| 1988 | Biloxi Blues | Daisy Hannigan | |
| Big Top Pee-wee | Winnie Johnson | ||
| Miles from Home | Sally | ||
| 1989 | Dead Bang | Linda Kimble | |
| 1990 | Downtown | Lori Mitchell | |
| The Freshman | Tina Sabatini | ||
| Awakenings | Paula | ||
| Kindergarten Cop | Joyce Palmieri / Rachel Crisp | ||
| 1991 | Other People's Money | Kate Sullivan | |
| 1992 | Year of the Comet | Margaret Harwood | |
| The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag | Mrs. Elizabeth Louise "Betty Lou" Perkins | ||
| Chaplin | Edna Purviance | ||
| 1993 | Carlito's Way | Gail | |
| 1994 | The Shadow | Margo Lane | |
| 1997 | The Hired Heart | Garnet Hadley | |
| The Relic | Dr. Margo Green | ||
| Little City | Rebecca | ||
| 1998 | Break Up | Grace | |
| Outside Ozona | Earlene Demers | ||
| 1999 | Chapter Zero | Cassandra | |
| 2000 | Lisa Picard Is Famous | Penelope Ann Miller | |
| Forever Lulu | Claire Clifton | ||
| 2001 | Along Came a Spider | Elizabeth Rose | |
| Full Disclosure | Michelle | Video | |
| 2006 | Funny Money | Carol Perkins | |
| 2007 | The Messengers | Denise Solomon | |
| The Deal | Laura Martin | ||
| Blonde Ambition | Debra | ||
| 2008 | Free Style | Jeannette Bryant | |
| 2009 | Saving Grace B. Jones | Bea Bretthorst | |
| 2010 | Flipped | Trina Baker | |
| 2011 | The Artist | Doris Valentin | |
| About Sunny | Louise | ||
| 2013 | Saving Lincoln | Mary Todd Lincoln | |
| Robosapien: Rebooted | Joanna Keller | ||
| 2016 | The Birth of a Nation | Elizabeth Turner | |
| The Bronx Bull | Debbie Forrester | ||
| 2018 | American Dresser | Vera | |
| 2020 | Adverse | Nicole | |
| 2024 | Reagan | Nancy Reagan | |
| TBA | Murder at Hollow Creek† | Lori Rhodes | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Tales from Hollywood Hills: Closed Set | Tina | |
| 1994 | Witch Hunt | Kim Hudson | |
| 1997 | The Last Don | Nalene De Lena | |
| The Hired Heart | Garnet Hadley | ||
| Merry Christmas, George Bailey | Mary Hatch Bailey | ||
| 1998 | Rhapsody in Bloom | Lilah Bloom | |
| Ruby Bridges | Barbara Henry | ||
| 1999 | Rocky Marciano | Barbara Cousins | |
| 2000 | All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story | Mary Kay Letourneau | |
| Killing Moon | Laura Chadwick | ||
| 2001 | Dodson's Journey | Meredith Dodson | |
| A Woman's a Helluva Thing | Zane Douglas | ||
| 2002 | Dead in a Heartbeat | Dr. Gillian Hayes | |
| Scared Silent | Kathy Clifson | ||
| 2003 | Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story | Donna Hanover | |
| National Lampoon's Thanksgiving Family Reunion | Pauline Snider | ||
| 2004 | Carry Me Home | Harriet | |
| 2005 | Personal Effects | Bonnie Locke | |
| 2008 | The Deadliest Lesson | Gloria | |
| 2017 | NY Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell | Joyce Mitchell | |
| 2019 | The College Admissions Scandal | Caroline DeVere | |
| 2026 | "Ms. Berviltuck and the Children" | Ms. Berviltuck |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Tales from the Darkside | Keena | Episode: "Ring Around the Redhead" |
| 1987 | The Facts of Life | Kristen Morgan | Episode: "The Greek Connection" |
| Family Ties | Joyce | Episode: "Higher Love" | |
| The Popcorn Kid | Gwen Stottlemeyer | 6 episodes | |
| Miami Vice | Jill Ryder | Episode: "Death and the Lady" | |
| St. Elsewhere | Laurel | Episode: "Ewe Can't Go Home Again" | |
| 1989 | Great Performances | Emily Webb | Episode: "Our Town" |
| 1991 | Morton & Hayes | Jody | Episode: "The Bride of Mummula" |
| 1997 | The Last Don | Nalene De Lena | Episode: "#1.1" |
| 1998 | The Closer | Erica Hewitt | 10 episodes |
| 2002 | A Nero Wolfe Mystery | Lucy Valdon | 2 episodes |
| 2003–2004 | A Minute with Stan Hooper | Molly Hooper | 13 episodes |
| 2005 | CSI: NY | Rose Whitley | Episode: "What You See Is What You Get" |
| Desperate Housewives | Fran Ferrara | Episode: "Coming Home" | |
| 2006 | Vanished | Jessica Nevins | 9 episodes |
| 2009–2011 | Men of a Certain Age | Sonia Tranelli | 9 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Mistresses | Elizabeth Grey | 10 episodes |
| 2015 | American Crime | Eve Carlin | |
| 2018 | Riverdale | Ms. Wright | 1 episode |
| Criminal Minds | Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes | ||
| 2022 | Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story | Joyce Dahmer | 10 episodes |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Most Promising Actress | The Freshman | Won |
| 1994 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Carlito's Way | Nominated |
| 1995 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress | The Shadow | Nominated |
| 1997 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress | The Relic | Nominated |
| 1998 | Hollywood Film Awards | Special Jury Award for Best Acting in a Feature | Rhapsody in Bloom | Won |
| 2001 | DVD Exclusive Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Full Disclosure | Nominated |
| 2012 | Gold Derby Awards | Best Ensemble Cast | The Artist | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Satellite Awards | Best Ensemble – Television Series | American Crime | Won |
| 2024 | San Diego International Film Festival | Gregory Peck Award | Lifetime Achievement | Awarded |
| 2025 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Screen Combo (shared withDennis Quaid) | Reagan | Nominated |
…actor Penelope Ann Miller in 1964 (age 57)…
