Penelope Dale Milford (born March 23, 1948) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

stage and screen actress. She is best known for her role as Vi Munson in '' Coming Home'' (1978) for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. 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 Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

in 1975.

Early life and education

Milford was born March 23, 1948 in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

and grew up in Illinois. She is the daughter of Richard George Milford and Ann Marie ( 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, with its main campus for sophomores through seniors located in Winnetka, Illinois, United States, and a campus in Northfield, Illinoi ...

Winnetka, Illinois Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,316 as of 2019. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. It was the second- ...

. Her younger brother,

Kim Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...

, 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), known professionally as Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy which ...

. 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 the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

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 in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

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

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

. Milford has appeared in ''Felix'' (1974), ''Fishing'' (1981) by

Michael Weller Michael Weller (born September 26, 1942) is a Brooklyn-based playwright and screen writer. His plays include '' Moonchildren'', ''Loose Ends'', ''Spoils of War'' and ''Fifty Words''. His screenplays include ''Ragtime'', for which he was nomina ...

, 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 Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanne ...

play ''

A Kind of Alaska ''A Kind of Alaska'' is a one-act play written in 1982 by British playwright Harold Pinter. Summary A middle-aged woman named Deborah, who has been in a comatose state for thirty years as a result of contracting "sleepy sickness," encephalitis l ...

'' 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 American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

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

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and rai ...

and

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nomin ...

. 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. She achieved worldwide recognition for her relationship with Clint Eastwood and the six hit f ...

in the

Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...

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", " Mambo Italiano", ...

. In 1984, Penelope appeared in the

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

award-winning television movie ''

The Burning Bed ''The Burning Bed'' is both a 1980 non-fiction book by Faith McNulty about battered housewife Francine Hughes, and a 1984 TV-movie adaptation written by Rose Leiman Goldemberg. The plot follows Hughes' trial for the murder of her husband, James B ...

'' starring

Farrah Fawcett Farrah Leni 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 playe ...

. 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 novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...

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 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...

'' (1970). In 1974, she appeared in the movie ''

Man on a Swing ''Man on a Swing'' is a 1974 American thriller film directed by Frank Perry and written by David Zelag Goodman. The film stars Cliff Robertson, Joel Grey, Dorothy Tristan, Elizabeth Wilson and George Voskovec and was released on February 27, 1 ...

''. 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 in the main were liberal adaptation ...

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

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...

. 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 ''Heathers'' is a 1989 American black comedy film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann, in both of their respective film debuts. The film stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker, and ...

''. Her last few films include ''Cold Justice'' (1989), ''Miss Missouri'' (1990), ''

Normal Life ''Normal Life'' is a 1996 American 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 screenplay was w ...

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

Filmography

* 1970 ''

'' (uncredited) * 1974 ''

'' 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 ''The Golden Seal'' is a 1983 American drama film directed by Frank Zuniga and starring Steve Railsback, Michael Beck, Penelope Milford and Torquil Campbell. It is based on James Vance Marshall’s 1962 novel ''A River Ran Out of Eden''. Cast * ...

'' as Tania Lee * 1984 ''

'' (TV) as Gaby * 1985 '' The Hitchhiker'' as Diane Hampton (1 episode) * 1988 ''

'' 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