Sir Ronald Graeme Millar (12 November 1919 – 16 April 1998) was an English actor, scriptwriter, and dramatist.

Life and career

After attending Charterhouse School, Millar studied at

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...

for a year before joining the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

in 1940, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. He established himself as a playwright after the war and, between 1948 and 1954, lived in Hollywood, where he wrote scripts for

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

. These included '' The Miniver Story'' and ''

Scaramouche Scaramouche () or Scaramouch (; from Italian Scaramuccia , literally "little skirmisher") is a stock clown character of the 16th-century commedia dell'arte (comic theatrical arts of Italian literature). The role combined characteristics of the ...

'', both with George Froeschel. On his return to Britain, he successfully adapted several

C. P. Snow Charles Percy Snow, Baron Snow, (15 October 1905 – 1 July 1980) was an English novelist and physical chemist who also served in several important positions in the British Civil Service and briefly in the UK government.''The Columbia Encyclope ...

novelsand, in 1967, William Clark's novel ''Number 10''for the stage. He also wrote the book and lyrics for the musical ''

Robert and Elizabeth ''Robert and Elizabeth'' is a musical with music by Ron Grainer and book and lyrics by Ronald Millar. The story is based on an unproduced musical titled ''The Third Kiss'' by Judge Fred G. Moritt, which in turn was adapted from the play '' The ...

''. Millar acted as speechwriter for three British prime ministers, including

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

for whom he wrote the line " The lady's not for turning". He was knighted after Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979. He wrote the line, ''Where there is discord, let us bring harmony'', which was one of her promises on arrival at 10 Downing Street. Millar was the son of a professional actress, Dorothy Dacre-Hill. Prior to becoming a full-time dramatist and then a

speechwriter A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors. They can also b ...

, he acted in a number of West End productions during and after World War II, in the company of luminaries as Ivor Novello,

Alastair Sim Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE (9 October 1900 – 19 August 1976) was a Scottish character actor who began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his ...

and

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Brit ...

. He also appeared in the 1943 war film '' We Dive at Dawn'' directed by

Anthony Asquith Anthony William Landon Asquith (; 9 November 1902 – 20 February 1968) was an English film director. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on ''The Winslow Boy'' (1948) and '' The Browning Version'' (1951), among oth ...

. One of his most well-received productions was ''Abelard and Heloise'' featuring

Keith Michell Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in the United Kingdom, and was best known for his television and film portrayals of King Henry VIII. He appeared extensively in Shakespeare ...

and

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 193810 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series '' The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in ''On H ...

Selected filmography

* '' Frieda'' (1947) * '' So Evil My Love'' (1948) * ''

Train of Events ''Train of Events'' is a 1949 British portmanteau film made by Ealing Studios and directed by Sidney Cole, Charles Crichton and Basil Dearden. It begins with a train that is heading for a crash into a stalled petrol tanker at a level crossing a ...

'' (1949) * '' The Miniver Story'' (1950) * ''

The Unknown Man ''The Unknown Man'' is a 1951 American courtroom drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Walter Pidgeon, Ann Harding and Barry Sullivan. Plot Defense attorney Dwight Bradley Masen ( Walter Pidgeon) is successful in seeking the acqui ...

'' (1951) * ''

'' (1952) * '' Never Let Me Go'' (1953) * ''

Rose Marie Rose Marie (born Rose Marie Mazzetta; August 15, 1923 – December 28, 2017) was an American actress, singer, comedian, and vaudeville performer with a career ultimately spanning nine decades, which included film, radio, records, theater, night ...

'' (1954) * '' Betrayed'' (1954)

Selected plays

* '' Frieda'' (1946) * '' Waiting for Gillian'' (1954) * '' The Bride and the Bachelor'' (1956) * '' The Big Tickle'' (1958)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Millar, Ronald 1919 births 1998 deaths 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English novelists 20th-century British screenwriters British male dramatists and playwrights English male novelists English male stage actors English gay actors English gay writers English LGBT novelists LGBT screenwriters British male screenwriters Royal Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century LGBT people