Penelope Dale Milford (born March 23, 1948) is an American stage and screen actress. She is best known for her role as Vi Munson in '' Coming Home'' (1978) for which she was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...

. She also originated the role of Jenny Anderson in the Broadway musical '' Shenandoah'', for which she was nominated for a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

in 1975.

Early life and education

Milford was born March 23, 1948, in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Illinois. She is the daughter of Richard George Milford and Ann Marie (nee Felt) Milford. She graduated from

New Trier High School New Trier High School (, also known as New Trier Township High School or NTHS) is a public four-year high school whose main campus for sophomores through seniors is in Winnetka, Illinois, United States, with a campus in Northfield, Illinois, for ...

in Winnetka, Illinois. Her younger brother, Kim, was an actor and musician until his death from heart failure at age 37.

Career

Theatre

In 1972, she joined the Broadway cast of the play ''Lenny'', about the life of actor

Lenny Bruce Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of come ...

. In 1974, she was cast as Jenny Anderson in the musical '' Shenandoah'', based on the 1965 film of the same name. ''Shenandoah'' opened on Broadway on January 7, 1975, and was nominated for the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Musical. For her performance, Milford was nominated for the first

for Best Featured Actress.

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in 1971, Milford starred as Judith opposite

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film), Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Hea ...

in ''Long Time Coming and a Long Time Gone'', a musical about artist

Richard Fariña Richard George Fariña (; March 8, 1937 – April 30, 1966) was an American Folk music, folksinger, songwriter, poet and novelist. Early years and education Fariña was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the son of an Irish mother, Ther ...

. Milford has appeared in ''Felix'' (1974), ''Fishing'' (1981) by Michael Weller, and ''Territorial Rites'' (1983). She also performed in a revue show titled ''The Second Hottest Show in Town.'' In 2013, Milford played the role of Deborah in the

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

play '' A Kind of Alaska'' at the Cocoon Theatre in Rhinebeck, New York.

Television

Her first television appearance was on a 1976 episode of '' The Blue Knight''. In 1980, Milford starred in ''Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris'', as Kathy Morris. Also in 1980 she co-starred in the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

winning television movie ''The Oldest Living Graduate'' starring

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway theatre, Broadway and in Hollywood. On screen and stage, he often portrayed characters who embodied an everyman image. Bo ...

and

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She received many accolades including 22 Primetime Emmy nominations and won eight, tying Julia Louis-Dreyfus ...

. In 1982 she starred opposite

Sondra Locke Sandra Louise Anderson (née Smith; May 28, 1944 – November 3, 2018), professionally known as Sondra Locke, was an American actress and director. An alumna of Middle Tennessee State University, Locke broke into regional show business with ass ...

in the Jackie Cooper directed

winning television film ''Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story''. In this film she played Betty Clooney, the sister of

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccin ...

. In 1984, Penelope appeared in the

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

award-winning television movie '' The Burning Bed'' starring

Farrah Fawcett Farrah Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she played a ...

. In 1985 she guest starred on an episode of '' The Hitchhiker''.

Film

Milford's first film appearance was as an extra on the

Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American writer, journalist and filmmaker. In a career spanning more than six decades, Mailer had 11 best-selling books, at least ...

film ''

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

'' (1970). In 1974, she appeared in the movie '' Man on a Swing''. She next played a fictional actress named Lorna Sinclair in

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

-nominated 1977 film '' Valentino'', about the life of actor

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...

. In 1978, she was cast as Vi Munson in '' Coming Home'', and she was nominated for an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actress. In 1980, she appeared in the movie ''The Last Word''. She plays a supporting role in ''

Take This Job and Shove It "Take This Job and Shove It" is a 1977 country music song written by David Allan Coe and popularized by Johnny Paycheck, about the bitterness of a man who has worked long and hard with no apparent reward. The song was first recorded by Paycheck o ...

'' and '' Endless Love''. In 1982, she starred in the horror film ''Blood Link'' and then starred in the 1983 adventure film ''The Golden Seal''. After this time, her film appearances became less frequent, not appearing until the 1988 cult film '' Heathers''. Her last few films include ''Cold Justice'' (1989), ''Miss Missouri'' (1990), ''

Normal Life ''Normal Life'' is a 1996 American Crime film, crime drama film based on the real lives of husband-and-wife bank robbers, Jeffrey and Jill Erickson. The film stars Ashley Judd and Luke Perry and was directed by John McNaughton. The original scr ...

'' (1996), '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part II'' (1996) and ''Night of the Lawyers'' (1997).

Filmography

* 1970 ''

'' (uncredited) * 1974 '' Man on a Swing'' as Evelyn Moore * 1976 '' The Blue Knight'' (1 episode) * 1977 '' Valentino'' as Lorna Sinclair * 1978 '' Coming Home'' as Vi Munson * 1979 ''The Last Word'' as Denise Travis * 1980 ''Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris'' (TV) as Kathy Morris * 1980 '' The Oldest Living Graduate'' (TV) as Martha Ann * 1981 ''

'' as Lenore Meade * 1981 '' Endless Love'' as Ingrid Orchester * 1982 ''Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story'' (TV) as Betty Clooney * 1982 '' Blood Link'' as Julie Warren * 1983 '' The Golden Seal'' as Tania Lee * 1984 '' The Burning Bed'' (TV) as Gaby * 1985 '' The Hitchhiker'' as Diane Hampton (1 episode) * 1989 '' Heathers'' as Pauline Fleming * 1989 ''Cold Justice'' as Eileen * 1990 ''Miss Missouri'' as Ann * 1996 ''

'' as Adele Anderson * 1996 '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part II'' as Woman In Woods, Henry's First Victim * 1997 ''Night of the Lawyers'' as Anna Carroll

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Milford, Penelope 1948 births Living people American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from St. Louis New Trier High School alumni People from Saugerties, New York 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses