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:

Willie Mossop: By gum.


Spring Tyler: I ain't much thought about it.
Tommy Tyler: *Haven't*, not *ain't*.
Spring Tyler: It means the same thing.
Tommy Tyler: A shoe means the same thing as a boot, but a boot's what you're gonna get in a minute.


Tommy Tyler: I ain't been much of a father to you have I? The day you were born I said to myself, here's one for freedom. Here's one they won't get. The night you were launched I reckon I was the happiest guy alive. I couldn't stop wondering what the finest thing I could do for you was. And then I knew... or I thought I knew. Well that 'fine thing' is the life you have now. Only now I'm beginning to wonder if it was the right thing after all. Fathers don't usually figure on their little girls growing up.


read more quotes from John Mills...



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Best Supporting Actor Oscar 1970






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John Mills Facts
Despite being two of Britain's most distinguished actors of their generation, he appeared in only two films with Alec Guinness: Great Expectations (1946) and Tunes of Glory (1960).

At age 92, he and wife Mary, age 89, renewed their marriage vows at St. Mary's Church, next to their home, Hills House, in Denham, England. When they had wed 60 years earlier, he was denied a church service because he was serving in the Army during World War II. [January 2001]

Died seven days after his In Which We Serve (1942), The October Man (1947), This Happy Breed (1944) and Tunes of Glory (1960) co-star, Kay Walsh.

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