John Mills Overview:

Character actor, John Mills, was born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills on Feb 22, 1908 in North Elmham, England. Mills died at the age of 97 on Apr 23, 2005 in Denham, England and was laid to rest in St. Mary the Virgin Cemetery in Denham, England.

MINI BIO:

Staunch, stocky British leading man, trained in musical comedy, but best recalled for war roles that ran from cockney ratings to stiff-upper-lip officers, and for a series of rural worms-that-turned that culminated in his winning an Oscar for his village grotesque in Ryan's Daughter. Sincerity was his best quality, and he projected it throughout the forties and fifties, when he was one of Britain's top box-office stars. Father of Hayley and Juliet Mills. Married actress Aileen Raymond and (from 1941) Mary Hayley Bell, who became a novelist and playwright. Knighted in 1977.

(Source: available at Amazon Quinlan's Film Character Actors: an Illustrated Directory).

HONORS and AWARDS:

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John Mills was nominated for one Academy Award, winning for Best Supporting Actor for Ryan's Daughter (as Michael) in 1970.

Academy Awards

YearAwardFilm nameRoleResult
1970Best Supporting ActorRyan's Daughter (1970)MichaelWon
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On 2002, Mills received the Disney Legends Award for living up to the Disney principals of imagination, skill, discipline, craftsmanship and magic.

BlogHub Articles:

is “The October Man”

By Stephen Reginald on Nov 14, 2023 From Classic Movie Man

is “The October Man” The October Man (1947) is a British mystery film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring and Joan Greenwood. The screenplay was written by novelist Eric Ambler who also served as producer. Jim Ackland (Mills) sustains a brain injury in a b... Read full article


has “Great Expectations” in the David Lean adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic

By Stephen Reginald on Aug 8, 2023 From Classic Movie Man

has “Great Expectations” in the David Lean adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic Great Expectations (1946) is a British drama directed by David Lean and based on the 1861 novel by Charles Dickens and starring and Valerie Hobson. The strong supporting cast i... Read full article


Charles Laughton, , and Brenda de Banzie star in “Hobson’s Choice”

By Stephen Reginald on Jul 17, 2023 From Classic Movie Man

Charles Laughton, , and Brenda de Banzie star in “Hobson’s Choice” Hobson’s Choice (1954) is a British romantic comedy film directed by David Lean and starring Charles Laughton, , and Benda de Banzie. The film is based on the play of the same name wri... Read full article


, Horst Buchholz, and Hayley Mills struggle in “Tiger Bay”

By Stephen Reginald on Feb 12, 2021 From Classic Movie Man

, Horst Buchholz, and Hayley Mills struggle in “Tiger Bay” Tiger Bay (1959) is a British crime drama directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring , Horst Buchholz, and Hayley Mills in her first major film role. The plot centers around a young Polish sailor named Bron... Read full article


A musical

By Judy on Feb 13, 2015 From Movie Classics

I’ve just reviewed an early musical starring , Car of Dreams , released in 1935, over at my British movies blog. Anyone interested is very welcome to take a look! This is the first in a planned?series about ?films starring this great actor.... Read full article


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John Mills Quotes:

Tommy Tyler: You brush your teeth, you hear me? And take a bath once in a while. No Philadelphia lawyer wants his wife smelling like a wharf rat.


Platon Karatsev: [to the French soldier who is about to execute him during the retreat] Are you afraid too, friend?


[after Ashton is knocked almost unconscious by Sellers]
Tommy Tyler: You just lost your first case, son.


read more quotes from John Mills...



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Best Supporting Actor Oscar 1970






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John Mills Facts
Although his eyesight failed almost completely in 1990, he continued to act, playing both blind and seeing characters.

He was voted ninth in the 2001 Orange Film Survey of greatest British actors.

Of the Oscar-winning father-daughter couples, he and his daughter Hayley Mills are one of two couples (the other is Jane Fonda/Henry Fonda) where the daughter won an Academy award before the father did.

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