Penelope Ann Miller

Miller was born in Los Angeles, California, to Beatrice (née Ammidown), a costume designer, publicist, and journalist, and Mark Miller, a television actor and producer. Her mother was the goddaughter of businessman Aristotle Onassis and an editor of Harper's Bazaar.[https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800012963/bio Penelope Ann Miller bio at Yahoo! Movies] She has two sisters: older, Marisa Miller, who is also a film actress, and younger, Savannah Miller, a social worker.

Miller graduated from high school in Los Angeles and attended Menlo College in Atherton, California for two years from 1981 to 1983, then moved to New York City to study theatre at HB Studio.[https://hbstudio.org/about-hb-studio/alumni/ HB Studio Alumni]

Her Broadway theatre break came in 1985 when she was cast in the lead (opposite Matthew Broderick) in the Neil Simon play Biloxi Blues. (She also starred with Broderick in the 1988 film version of that play).

She played a role in one episode ("Death and the Lady") of the television series Miami Vice (which aired on October 16, 1987), and accepted several other small roles in film and television work. She then returned to Broadway in a revival of Our Town; her portrayal of Emily garnered her a Tony Award nomination. She then appeared as Pee-wee Herman's (Paul Reubens) fiancée, Winnie Johnston, in the 1988 release of Big Top Pee-wee. She played a supporting role in 1989's Dead Bang, a cop thriller starring Don Johnson.

In 1990, she played Paula in Awakenings, starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. She also appeared in the 1990 movies Downtown, with Anthony Edwards and Forest Whitaker, and Kindergarten Cop, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, playing a teacher, hiding with her son Dominic from her criminal drug-dealing husband Cullen Crisp (Richard Tyson).

She subsequently appeared in a number of other theatrical movies, notably as Edna Purviance in Chaplin and with Tim Daly as Margaret "Maggie" Harwood in Peter Yates' film Year of the Comet, both in 1992, and the following year she appeared as the love interest of Al Pacino's character in Carlito's Way.

Miller co-starred as the daughter of the character played by Marlon Brando in 1990's The Freshman, again opposite Matthew Broderick, and as the lawyer and stepdaughter of the character played by Gregory Peck in 1991's Other People's Money. She appeared as Margo Lane in The Shadow with Alec Baldwin, as well as in the film Miles from Home directed by Gary Sinise.

She had the lead role in the big-budget creature feature The Relic (1997) as Dr. Margo Green. In 1998, she portrayed Barbara Henry in Ruby Bridges a made-for-television movie that was made by Disney, about Ruby Bridges, the first Black student to attend an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. In 2000, she played Mary Kay Letourneau in the TV film All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story.

In 2002, Miller starred in the film Dead in a Heartbeat and in a two-part episode of A&E's series A Nero Wolfe Mystery. Her 2005 film Funny Money was voted the top film of the Sarasota Film Festival. She appeared in the Fox series Vanished for six episodes, playing the ex-wife of a U.S. senator whose wife has mysteriously disappeared. In 2007, she appeared in the comedy Blonde Ambition co-starring Jessica Simpson and Luke Wilson. She guest starred as Fran on Desperate Housewives. Miller appeared in the horror film The Messengers, co-starring Dylan McDermott and Kristen Stewart. The film was produced by director Sam Raimi's production company, Ghost House Pictures. In 2011, she portrayed Doris, the wife of protagonist George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), in the Academy Award-winning film The Artist.

After a recurring role on the ABC soap opera Mistresses, Miller was cast in 2015 as a regular in the first season of ABC's drama series American Crime.{{cite web|last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |url=https://deadline.com/2014/03/penelope-ann-miller-joins-abcs-american-crime-chris-butler-in-nbcs-lifesaver-694250/ |title=Penelope Ann Miller Joins ABC's 'American Crime', Chris Butler In NBC's 'Lifesaver' |date=March 6, 2014 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=May 12, 2014}}

In October 2020, Miller was cast as First Lady Nancy Reagan in Reagan, a biographical film based on the life of President Ronald Reagan.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/penelope-ann-miller-nancy-reagan-ronald-reagan-biopic-1234803950/|title=Penelope Ann Miller Cast as Nancy Reagan in Upcoming Ronald Reagan Biopic|website=Variety|access-date=October 16, 2020|date=October 15, 2020}} Reagan was theatrically released in the United States on August 30, 2024.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/03/reagan-movie-release-date-set-showbiz-direct-1235868769/|title=Dennis Quaid Starrer 'Reagan' Strikes North American Deal With Newly Launched ShowBiz Direct|date=March 26, 2024 |publisher=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=April 26, 2024}} For her performance in the film, she and Dennis Quaid were nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo at the 45th Golden Raspberry Awards.{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=J. Kim |date=2025-01-21 |title=Razzies 2025: ‘Joker 2’ Leads With Seven Noms, Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga Up for Worst Actors; ‘Madame Web,’ ‘Megalopolis,’ ‘Reagan’ at Six Nods |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/razzie-nominations-2025-joker-2-madame-web-borderlands-1236280684/ |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}

In 1994, Miller married actor Will Arnett. They divorced in 1995.[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/30/will-arnett-divorce-turne_n_3362297.html "Reason Behind Amy Poehler And Will Arnett's Shocking Split: The Laughter Just Died"], "The Huffington Post", 2012-09-12. Retrieved September 4, 2015

Miller married James Huggins in 2000, and they have two daughters: Eloisa May and Maria Adela.{{cite web |last=Chiu |first=Alexis |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20270520,00.html |title=It's a Girl for Penelope Ann Miller |work=People |date= April 7, 2009 |access-date=June 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410064635/https://people.com/people/article/0,,20270520,00.html |archive-date=April 10, 2009}} On March 14, 2012, Miller filed for legal separation from Huggins after 12 years of marriage.{{cite web |last=Shira | first=Dahvi |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20580234,00.html |title=Penelope Ann Miller Splits from Husband |work=People |date= March 20, 2012 |access-date=March 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322230350/https://people.com/people/article/0,,20580234,00.html |archive-date=March 22, 2012}} On June 15, 2012, Miller withdrew her request for separation.{{cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Alison |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20606705,00.html |title=Penelope Ann Miller Dismisses Separation Request |work=People |date= June 23, 2012 |access-date=June 23, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624070107/https://people.com/people/article/0,,20606705,00.html |archive-date=June 24, 2012}}

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• {{IMDb name|542}}
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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20121006012618/http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&keyword=name&first=Penelope&last=Miller&middle=Ann Penelope Ann Miller] at Internet Off-Broadway Database

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Category:1964 births

Category:20th-century American actresses

Category:21st-century American actresses

Category:Actresses from Los Angeles

Category:American film actresses

Category:American stage actresses

Category:American television actresses

Category:Living people

Category:Menlo College alumni

Category:University High School (Los Angeles) alumni