Ray Milland

Ray Milland
Milland in 1947
Born	Alfred Reginald Jones (1907-01-03)3 January 1907 Neath,Glamorgan,Wales
Died	10 March 1986(1986-03-10)(aged 79) Torrance, California,U.S.
Occupations	Actor film director
Years active	1928–1985
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Muriel Weber ​ (m.1932)​
Children	2

Ray Milland(bornAlfred Reginald Jones;3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director.He is often remembered for his portrayal of an alcoholic writer inBilly Wilder'sThe Lost Weekend(1945), which won himBest Actor at Cannes,aGolden Globe Award,and ultimately anAcademy Award—the first such accolades for any Welsh actor.

Before becoming an actor, Milland served in theHousehold Cavalryof theBritish Army,becoming a proficient marksman, horseman and aeroplane pilot. He left the army to pursue a career in acting and appeared as an extra in several British productions before getting his first major role inThe Flying Scotsman(1929). This led to a nine-month contract withMGM,and he moved to the United States, where he worked as a stock actor. After his MGM contract ended, Milland was picked up byParamount,which used him in a range of lesser speaking parts, usually as an English character. He was loaned toUniversalfor theDeanna DurbinmusicalThree Smart Girls(1936), and its success led to Milland's playing the lead role inThe Jungle Princess(also 1936) alongside new starletDorothy Lamour.The film was quite successful, and raised both to stardom. Milland remained with Paramount for almost 20 years.

Milland appeared in many other notable films, includingEasy Living(1937),Beau Geste(1939),Billy Wilder'sThe Major and the Minor(1942), opposite a corruptJohn WayneinReap the Wild Wind(1942),The Uninvited(1944),Fritz Lang'sMinistry of Fear(1944),The Big Clock(1948), andThe Thief(1952)—for which he was nominated for his second Golden Globe. Two standout films later in his career includeAlfred Hitchcock'sDial M for Murder(1954) andLove Story(1970). After leaving Paramount, he began directing and moved into television acting.Once Paramount Pictures' highest-paid actor, Milland co-starred alongside many of the most popular actresses of the time, includingGene Tierney,Jean Arthur,Grace Kelly,Lana Turner,Marlene Dietrich,Maureen O'Hara,Ginger Rogers,Jane Wyman,Loretta Young,andVeronica Lake.

Early life

Milland was born Alfred Reginald Joneson 3 January 1907 inNeath,Wales,the son of Elizabeth Annie (née Truscott) and steel mill superintendent Alfred Jones.He was schooled independently before attending the privateKing's College SchoolinCardiff.He also worked at his uncle's horse-breeding farm before leaving home at age 21.Of his parents, he wrote in his 1974 autobiography:

My father was not a cruel or harsh man. Just a very quiet one. I think he was an incurable romantic and consequently a little afraid of his emotions and perhaps ashamed of them... he had been a younghussarin theBoer Warand had been present at the relief ofMafeking.He never held long conversations with anyone, except perhaps with me, possibly because I was the only other male in our family. The household consisted of my mother, a rather flighty and coquettish woman much concerned with propriety and what the neighbours thought.

Household Cavalry

Prior to becoming an actor, Milland served in theHousehold Cavalry,in 1925.An expert shot, he became a member of his squadron’s rifle team, winning many prestigious competitions, including theBisleyMatch in England. He won the British Army Championship in both pistol and rifle marksmanship.

While stationed in London, Milland met dancer Margot St. Leger, and through her was introduced to American actressEstelle Brody.Brody queried Milland's commitment to an army career, which led him into buying himself out of the forces in 1928 with the hope of becoming an actor.(According to one account, he was able to support himself with a $17,000 inheritance from his aunt.Another said he was forced to drop out when his father refused to continue subsidising him.)

Acting career

Early appearances

His first appearance on film was as an uncredited extra on theE.A. DupontfilmPiccadilly(1929). After some unproductiveextrawork, which never reached the screen, he signed with a talent agent named Frank Zeitlin on the recommendation of fellow actorJack Raine.

His prowess as a marksman earned him work as an extra at theBritish International Picturesstudio inArthur Robison's production ofThe Informer(1929),the first screen version of theLiam O'Flahertynovel. While he was working onThe Informer,he was asked to test for a production being shot on a neighbouring stage. Milland made a favourable impression on directorCastleton Knight,and was hired for his first acting role as Jim Edwards inThe Flying Scotsman(also 1929).In his autobiography, Milland recalls that on this film set, it was suggested that he adopt a stage name; he chose Milland from the "mill lands" area of his Welsh hometown of Neath.

His work onThe Flying Scotsmanresulted in him being granted a six-month contract over the course of which Milland starred in two more Knight-directed films,The Lady from the SeaandThe Plaything(both 1929).Believing that his acting was poor, and that he had won his film roles through his looks alone, Milland decided to gain some stage experience to improve his ability.After hearing that club owner Bobby Page was financing a touring company, Milland approached him in hopes of work. He was given the role of second lead in a production of Sam Shipman andMax Marcin'sThe Woman in Room 13.Despite being released from the play after five weeks, Milland felt that he had gained valuable acting experience.

Move to the US, 1930–1932

Mal and Ray Milland at a Hollywood nightclub in 1942

In between plays, Milland was approached byMGMvice-president Robert Rubin, who had seen the filmThe Flying Scotsman.MGM offered Milland a nine-month contract at $175 a week, based inHollywood.He accepted, leaving the United Kingdom in August 1930.MGM used Milland as a 'stock' player, selecting him for small speaking parts in mainstream productions.

Milland's first experience in making a Hollywood film resulted in a humiliating scene on the set ofSon of India(1931), when the film's directorJacques Feyderberated Milland's acting in front of the entire crew.Despite this setback, the studio executives talked Milland into staying in Hollywood, and in 1930, he appeared in his first US filmPassion Flower.Over the next two years, Milland appeared in minor parts for MGM and a few films for which he was lent toWarner Bros;he was often uncredited. His largest role during this period was asCharles Laughton's nephew inPayment Deferred(1932).

While in this first period working in the United States, Milland met Muriel Frances Weber, whom he always called "Mal", a student at theUniversity of Southern California.Within eight months of first meeting, the two were married. The ceremony took place on 30 September 1932 at theRiverside Mission Inn.The couple had a son, Daniel, and adopted a daughter, Victoria.

Shortly after makingPayment Deferred,Milland found himself out of work when MGM failed to renew his contract. He spent five months in the US attempting to find further acting work, but after little success and a strained relationship with his father-in-law, he decided to head back toBritain,hoping that two years spent in Hollywood would lead to roles in British films.Milland cashed in his contracted first-class return ticket to Britain and found an alternative, cheaper way back home. Muriel remained in the States to finish her studies, and Milland found temporary accommodation inEarl's Courtin London.

Return to Britain

Milland found life in Britain difficult, receiving little regular work, although he finally found parts in two British films,This Is the LifeandOrders Is Orders(both 1933).Neither was a breakthrough role.

Back in the US andBolero

Then, in 1933, Roosevelt's reforms to the U.S. banking sector led to a temporary weakness in the dollar, allowing Milland to afford a return to the United States.He returned to California, and found a small flat on Sunset Boulevard, promising Muriel that he would buy a home once he was financially stable.

With little prospect of finding acting work, Milland took on menial jobs, including working for abookie.He decided to find regular employment and through connections made during his time in the UK, he was offered the job of assistant manager of a Shell gas station on Sunset and Clark.

On his return from his successful Shell interview, he passed by the gates of Paramount Pictures, where he was approached by casting director Joe Egli. Paramount was filming theGeorge RaftpictureBolero(released in February 1934), but an injury to another British actor had left the studio looking for an urgent replacement.Egli offered Milland a two-week contract, at ten times the salary the assistant job would pay. Milland took the acting role.

After completingBolero,Milland was offered a five-week guarantee byBenjamin Glazerto work on an upcoming screwball comedy starring Bing Crosby and Carole Lombard entitledWe're Not Dressing(also 1934). During filming, he appeared in a scene withGeorge BurnsandGracie Allen,which Milland recalls as falling into an "ad-libbed shambles" that he felt was better than the original script. The film's directorNorman Taurogwas so impressed, he rang the chief production executive and suggested that Milland be placed on a long-term contract. After a short meeting, Milland was offered a seven-year deal with Paramount starting at $175 a week. The contract gave Milland a secure income, and Muriel and he moved into an apartment on Fountain Avenue.

Milland later said "It all happened by luck and I was just there at the right place at the right time."

Paramount andThe Jungle Princess

Dorothy Lamour,Milland'sleading ladyinThe Jungle Princess(1936)

During his first contract with Paramount, Milland was used as part of the speaking cast, but never as a top-of-the-bill actor. He had a supporting role, for instance, in the originalThe Glass Key(1935) with George Raft.

Milland was lent to Universal forNext Time We Love(1936), withMargaret SullavanandJames Stewart.Back at Paramount he was inThe Return of Sophie Lang(1936) andThe Big Broadcast of 1937(1936).

He was contacted byJoe Pasternak,who was looking for an 'English' actor for the lead in his new picture,Three Smart Girls(1936). Although Pasternak worked forUniversal Studios,Paramount had agreed to lend Milland out for the film.

On returning to Paramount afterThree Smart Girlswas wrapped, Milland was used as a test actor to find a new starlet forThe Jungle Princess(1936). When the studio choseDorothy Lamourfor the lead, Milland wrote in his autobiography that Lamour was confused to find that he was not to be her male lead and she requested Milland to be her co-star. Paramount was not keen, but whenThree Smart Girlswas pre-released to rave reviews, they gave Milland the role.By the end of 1936, Milland was being considered for leading roles, and Paramount rewrote his contract, resulting in the tripling of his salary.

Movie star

As leading man 1937–1939

After taking a break in Europe, Milland was cast asCaptain Hugh "Bulldog" DrummondinBulldog Drummond Escapes(1937).

Milland was then inWings over Honolulu(1937) with Wendy Barrie, and then inEasy Living(1937), a classic comedy withJean Arthurdirected byMitchell Leisen.

Milland didEbb Tide(1937) withFrances Farmerand was then loaned to RKO forWise Girl(1937) withMiriam Hopkins.

Back at Paramount, Milland was reunited with Lamour inHer Jungle Love(1938) andTropic Holiday(1938). He then did a military drama forWilliam Wellman,Men with Wings(1938), co-starringFred MacMurray.

Milland did a comedy,Say It in French(1938), and thenHotel Imperial(1939) withMarlene Dietrich,during the production of which Milland suffered a near-fatal accident on the set. One scene called for him to lead a cavalry charge through a small village. An accomplished horseman, Milland insisted upon doing this scene himself. As he was making a scripted jump on the horse, his saddle came loose, sending him flying straight into a pile of broken masonry. Milland awoke in hospital, where he remained for a week with a badly damaged left hand, a three-inch gash to his head, and a concussion.

After recovering, he appeared as John Geste inBeau Geste(1939), alongsideGary CooperandRobert Prestonand directed by Wellman. The film was a huge hit.20th Century Foxthen borrowed him forEverything Happens at Night(1939) oppositeSonja Henie.

According to Milland, a second injury to his left hand occurred in 1939. As well as horse-riding, Milland enjoyed piloting aircraft and in his early career would lease single-seater planes.As a contracted starring actor, Paramount had insisted he give up this hobby.Instead, Milland took up woodworking and outfitted a machine shop at the back of his newly built house. While operating a circular saw, he slipped, catching one of his hands on the saw. The injury resulted in Milland losing a part of his thumb and severely damaging his tendons.

Milland believed that the injury left him with only 50% usage of his hand, but within weeks of the incident, he flew to Britain to star inFrench Without Tears.By the time he returned to America,war was declared in Europe.The year finished with the news that Muriel was pregnant with their son Daniel.

World War II

Milland withPaulette GoddardinReap the Wild Wind(1942)

Milland, Paulette Goddard andJohn WayneinReap the Wild Wind

In 1940, Milland appeared in a selection of romantic comedies and dramas alongside some of the leading ladies of the time. These includedIreneoppositeAnna Neagle,The Doctor Takes a WifeoppositeLoretta Youngat Columbia,Arise, My LoveoppositeClaudette Colbert,andUntamedoppositePatricia Morison.He was a last minute replacement forJoel McCreaonArisewhich meant he had to drop out of another film,Virginia.

When the United States enteredWorld War II,Milland tried to enlist in theU.S. Army Air Forces,but was rejected because of his impaired left hand. He worked as a civilian flight instructor for the Army, and toured with a United Service Organisation South Pacific troupe in 1944.

As the Second World War continued, Milland found himself now appearing in more action pictures. He starred as a wannabe pilot inI Wanted Wings(1941) withBrian Donlevy,Veronica Lake,andWilliam Holden.This was followed bySkylark(1942) with Claudette Colbert, and two films withPaulette Goddard:The Lady Has Plans(1942) andCecil B. DeMille'sReap the Wild Wind(1942) alongsideJohn Wayne,in which he wastop billedabove Wayne.

Milland starred inAre Husbands Necessary?(1942) and subsequentlyBilly Wilder's directorial debut,The Major and the Minor(1942) oppositeGinger Rogers.

Milland appeared in the all-star musicalStar Spangled Rhythm(1943), in which he appeared as himself, singing "If Men Played Cards as Women Do," alongsideFred MacMurray,Franchot Tone,andLynne Overman.He also made an appearance in the collaborative drama,Forever and a Day(1943).

He and Goddard then madeThe Crystal Ball(1943); thereafter, he was Ginger Rogers' leading man inLady in the Dark(1944).

In 1944, Milland starred in the supernatural horror film,The Uninvited,which was notable for its serious treatment ofghostsand hauntingmain theme,and for making a star ofGail Russell.He then starred inFritz Lang'sfilm noirproduction ofGraham Greene'sMinistry of Fear(also 1944).

He also toured war theatres with USO Shows.At one performance a soldier heckled him, asking why he was not in the army. Milland replied, "With a war on? Are you crazy?"

The Lost Weekend,1945

The pinnacle of Milland's career and acknowledgment of his serious dramatic abilities came when he starred inThe Lost Weekend(1945). Milland recalled how after returning from an emcee engagement in Peru, he found a book delivered to his home, with a note from Paramount's head of productionBuddy DeSylvathat read, "Read it. Study it. You're going to play it."Milland found the book unsettling and felt its subject matter, that of an alcoholic writer, to be challenging and alien to him. He was also concerned that it would require 'serious acting', something that he believed he had not undertaken up to that point in his career.The film was to be produced byCharles Brackettand directed byBilly Wilder;the pair were also collaborating to write the screenplay.Milland had already worked with both men, having starred in the comedyThe Major and the Minor(1942), and he was excited by their involvement.

Milland in character as Don Birnam inThe Lost Weekend(1945)

Milland's main concern with taking on the role of Don Birnam inThe Lost Weekendwas that he might overact and look amateurish. After a shambolic attempt to act parts of the script while actually drunk, Milland quickly realized that he needed to understand alcoholism.After the cast and crew had arrived on location in New York, Milland was allowed to spend a night in a psychiatric ward ofBellevue Hospital,where the patients were suffering from alcoholism anddelirium tremens.He found the experience extremely disturbing and left at three in the morning.Milland lost eight pounds for the role and spoke with the book's author,Charles R. Jackson,to gain insight into the illness.After the external shots in New York were complete, in which hidden cameras were used to capture Milland walking the streets, the crew returned to Hollywood. Milland found the set work far more challenging, knowing that the close-ups would give his acting no place to hide. Between the strain of acting and the morbidity of the subject, Milland's home life deteriorated and he left for a period of two weeks.When the shoot was over, Muriel and he left for a vacation in Canada. He later said that his role inThe Lost Weekend"was the only part [he was] really proud of."

Returning to filming, Milland was assigned to a Mitchell Leisen-directed historical drama calledKitty(1945), opposite Paulette Goddard.He was meant to follow it withOlympia.

Instead, he did a romantic comedy,The Well-Groomed BrideoppositeOlivia de Havilland.Many of the crew members onThe Well-Groomed Bridehad also worked onThe Lost Weekend,and Milland recalled an encounter with a sound mixer, who told him that he had seen a rough cut ofWeekendand thought Milland was not only sure to be nominated for an Academy Award, but that he would probably win. Milland had not considered himself worthy of an award, but over the next few months, he thought of little else, and was desperate to be nominated. After the first preview, reaction was mixed, but Brackett stated that they had produced "something really worthwhile".Milland found the initial feedback to his role congratulatory but hushed, leading him to feel that the film would bomb as a piece of cinema and would be seen as a social document.When the film was released in New York, the favourable reviews took both Milland and the studio by surprise. Milland was lauded, and he not only won that year'sAcademy Award for Best Actor,but also theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor–Drama,theCannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor,theNational Board of Review Award for Best Actor,and theNew York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor.He was the first Welsh actor to win an Oscar, and when he collected the award fromIngrid Bergman,he gave one of the shortest acceptance speeches of anyOscarwinner.His performance was so convincing, Milland was beleaguered for years by rumours that he actually was an alcoholic.He steadfastly asserted that he was not.

Milland's success inThe Lost Weekendresulted in his contract being rewritten, and he became Paramount's highest-salaried actor. When the film was premiered across Europe, Milland was sent to attend each opening.When he appeared in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, he was given the keys to the city.

1945–1950

Milland continued working as a leading man after his Oscar win, and stayed contracted to Paramount until the early 1950s. He was teamed withTeresa WrightinThe Imperfect Lady(1946), directed by Lewis Allen. He replacedAlan Laddin a Western withBarbara Stanwyck,California(1947), directed byJohn Farrow,which was a big hit.

Milland was reunited with Wright inThe Trouble with Women(1947) and then starred opposite Marlene Dietrich inGolden Earrings(1947). He was one of many Paramount stars who made a cameo inVariety Girl(1947) then went to England to makeSo Evil My Love(1948), produced by Hal Wallis for director Lewis Allen.

Milland made a second film for Farrow,The Big Clock(1948), which has become one of his most highly regarded films.He then did his third film with Allen,Sealed Verdict(1948), and a third with Farrow,Alias Nick Beal(1949), which Milland later said was his favourite film.

In July 1948, Paramount suspended him for refusing a part inThe Mark of Lucretia(which becameThe Bride of Vengeance). Milland commented, "it is a part that is out of my normal natural range as an actor."

Milland then went to Fox for the comedy,It Happens Every Spring(1949), and then made a fourth film with Farrow,Copper Canyon(1950).After this, Milland increasingly freelanced.

Other studios

Jane Wyman,Walt Disneyand Milland at 1953Oscars

Milland,Robert CummingsandJohn WilliamsinDial M for Murder(1954)

Lobby card forLisbon(1956) withClaude Rains,Milland andMaureen O'Hara

At Columbia, Milland starred opposite Rosalind Russell inA Woman of Distinction(1950). Then, at MGM, he was directed byGeorge CukorinA Life of Her Own(1950) alongsideLana Turner,replacingWendell Corey,who had quit the film just three days into filming.

Milland was directed byJacques Tourneurin RKO'sCircle of Danger(1951); set in the United Kingdom, it was the only time he filmed in his home country of Wales.At MGM he was inNight Into Morning(1951) and then a comedy,Rhubarb(1951).

Milland gave a strong performance inClose to My Heart(1951) at Warner Bros, in which he andGene Tierneystarred as a couple trying to adopt a child. His next film,Bugles in the Afternoon(1952), also at Warners, was a Western. He played inSomething to Live For(1952), another study of alcoholism at Paramount, withJoan Fontaine.

Milland had a contract to make one film a year with Paramount (who released Pine-Thomas films). He was wanted by producer Harold Popkin to makeThe Thiefbut Paramount insisted he makeJamaica Rununder their contract instead. The impasse was resolved by the intervention of Milland's agents at MCA and filming forJamaica Runwas pushed back.ForThe Thief(1952), his role was without dialogue, and he was nominated for a secondGolden Globe.He later remarked that he was proud of the film.

AfterJamaica Run(1953), Milland went to Columbia forLet's Do It Again(1953) withJane Wyman.

He then starred oppositeGrace KellyandRobert CummingsinAlfred Hitchcock'sDial M for Murder(1954), originally shot in three dimensions. Although never admitted by either, rumours were rife at the time that Kelly and Milland were engaged in an affair, fuelled by notorious gossip columnistHedda Hopper.

He starred withPhyllis AveryandLloyd Corriganin theCBSsitcom,Meet Mr. McNutley,from 1953 to 1955. He appeared in the role of an English and Drama professor at the fictitious Lynnhaven College. The sitcom was renamedThe Ray Milland Showin its second season. Milland directed some episodes, and he soon had ambitions to direct features.

At Fox, Milland starred inThe Girl in the Red Velvet Swing(1955).

Director

Joan Collinsand Milland inThe Girl in the Red Velvet Swing(1955)

After leaving Paramount, Milland concentrated on directing. In his first directorial effort, aWesternentitledA Man Alone(1955), Milland cast himself in the leading role. His co-stars includedMary MurphyandWard Bond.The story depicts the aftermath of a stagecoach robbery. He did the film for a lesser fee in exchange for a chance to direct and a percentage of the profits

Milland starred in a TV adaptation ofMarkheim(1956) directed byFred Zinnemannthen starred in and directedLisbon(1956), alongsideMaureen O'HaraandClaude Rains.LikeA Man Alone,it was distributed byRepublic Pictures.

He directed episodes ofThe Ford Television TheatreandSchlitz Playhouseand starred in the featuresThree Brave Men(1956),The River's Edge(1957), a Western directed byAllan DwanforBenedict Bogeaus,andHigh Flight(1957), an air force melodrama forWarwick Picturesin England.

He appeared in episodes ofSuspicionandGeneral Electric Theater,directing episodes of both. His third feature as director wasThe Safecracker(1958), which was shot in England.

Later career

Retirement andMarkham

Milland then retired for six months before deciding to go back to work, commenting, "my wife told me I'd better get a job of some kind because I was making her a nervous wreck... hanging around the house."

From 1958 to 1960, Milland starred in the CBS detective series,Markham,originally calledCrisis.

During the making of the show Milland remarked, "it's becoming more and more of an effort to go on acting. I know it's a wonderful way to make a living but any job you don't like becomes difficult and I just don't like acting. I never have. I do it because I can't make a living any other way. Standing in front of a crew playing love scenes embarasses me. I'm as self conscious as hell and I want to get it over with. You get up too early and you finish too late and you feel like a lackey."

The show failed to capture the expected significant audience, even though it followed the westernGunsmoke.

Do what you can with what you've got. I know actors from my generation who sit at home and cry, 'Why don't they send me any scripts?' I tell them, 'Because you still think of yourself as a leading man. You're 68, not 28. Face it.'

–Milland explaining his philosophy on becoming a character actor towards the end of his career.

He retired again, this time to the French Riviera in 1960. However, he soon became bored and started acting again.

AIP

Milland appeared in twoRoger CormanAIPpictures. The first wasThe Premature Burial(1962) – the third of Corman's 'Poe Cycle'. He then portrayed Dr. Xavier in the well-receivedX: The Man with the X-ray Eyes(1963).

Also for AIP, he starred in the self-directed, apocalyptic science-fiction drama,Panic in Year Zero!(1962).

He continued to guest star on shows likeThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour,and he appeared inQuick, Let's Get Married(1964).

Broadway

Milland decided to return to the stage and appeared in a touring version ofMy Fair Lady.He enjoyed the experience, and in 1966, he took the lead role as Simon CrawfordQCin the Broadway play,Hostile Witness,directed byReginald Denham.

The play ran in New York from February until July of that year, after which Milland took the play on the road. In 1968, he reprised the role in afilm of the same title,which he also directed. It was the last feature film he directed.

Character actor

He returned as acharacter actorin the late 1960s and the 1970s, appearing in such films asDaughter of the Mind(1969), a television film which reunited him withGene Tierney.

In the late 1960s, Milland hosted rebroadcasts of certain episodes of thesyndicatedWesternanthology series,Death Valley Days,under the titleTrails West;the series' original host had beenRonald Reagan.He also guest-starred onBracken's WorldandThe Name of the Gameas well as in TV movies likeCompany of Killers(1970),River of Gold(1971) andBlack Noon(1971).

Milland had his biggest box office success in many years when he played Oliver Barrett III inLove Story(1970).In 1978 Milland reprised his role as Oliver Barrett III inOliver's Story,also written byErich Segal.

He was then inEmbassy(1972), a British spy thriller.

In 1970, he said he worked only two to three months a year acting and spent the rest of the year rela xing, although he admitted that he had suffered some financial troubles since the sale of his yacht in 1964.

Horror and action movies; focus on television

In 1972, Milland starred in two horror films. One wasFrogs,co-starringSam ElliottandJoan Van Ark,in which Milland played a wealthy, cantankerous plantation owner who dumps waste materials in a swamp, causing an enormous disruption of nature. The second,The Thing with Two Heads,a blaxploitation film directed by Lee Frost, is considered a cult classic; Milland plays a brain surgeon with a terminal illness who transplants his head onto the healthy body of an American prisoner. The following year he was inThe House in Nightmare Park(1973), a comedy chiller, and had the lead in the TV movie,Terror in the Wax Museum(1973).

He also turned in an appearance as a hand surgeon in theNight Galleryepisode, "The Hand of Borgus Weems". He guest-starred in two episodes ofColumbo,as a grieving widower in "Death Lends a Hand" (1971) and as a suspect in "The Greenhouse Jungle" (1972).

Milland was in such action films as:The Big Game(1974),The Student Connection(1974), andGoldoppositeRoger Moore(1974). Then he did another TV horror film,The Dead Don't Die(1975). He appeared inEscape to Witch Mountain(1975) forDisneyand guest starred on shows likeCool MillionandEllery Queen.

Around this time, Milland said that he planned on moving to Europe and that he accepted "the parts I figure I can get some enjoyment out of."

In 1975, Milland was the subject of an episode of the British biographical TV series,This Is Your Life.

Milland had a significant success with the TV miniseries,Rich Man, Poor Man(1976), receiving anEmmynomination forBest Supporting Actor.

He also had roles inThe Swiss Conspiracy(1976),Aces High(1976),Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby(1976),Mayday at 40,000 Feet!(1976),The Last Tycoon(1976),Seventh Avenue(1976),Oil(1977),Testimony of Two Men(1977),The Uncanny(1977),Slavers(1977), andThe Pyjama Girl Case(1978), an Italian giallo set in Australia.

He starred inCruise Into Terror(1978),The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries,Blackout(1978), andThe Darker Side of Terror(1979).

He guest-starred as Sire Uri inSaga of a Star World(1978),the pilot episode of the originalBattlestar Galacticatelevision series.He reprised his role as Ryan O'Neal's father inOliver's Story(1978) and appeared in some action films, includingSpree(1979) andGame for Vultures(1979).

Milland guest-starred on severalAaron Spelling-produced shows such asFantasy Island,The Love Boat,Charlie's AngelsandHart to Hart.In the latter, he appeared twice as Jennifer Hart's father.

He was top billed inThe Attic(1980), but usually had supporting roles in TV movies likeThe Dream Merchants(1980),Our Family Business(1981),The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana(1982),Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land(1983),Cave In!(1983), andThe Masks of Death(1984), a Sherlock Holmes adventure starringPeter CushingandJohn Mills.

His last appearances were inThe Sea Serpent(1985) andThe Gold Key(1985). The latter was a mystery made specifically for video.

Personal life

Milland was married to Muriel Frances Weber from 30 September 1932 until his death on 10 March 1986.They had one biological son and one adopted daughter. Their son, Daniel, appeared in several minor acting roles in the 1960s and died of an apparent suicide in March 1981, at the age of 41.

Milland became a naturalised American citizen in the 1940s.He supported theRepublican Partyand publicly backedThomas E. Deweyin the1944 United States presidential election as well asRichard Nixonin the1968 presidential election.

Death

Milland died oflung cancerat theTorrance Memorial Medical CenterinTorrance, California,on 10 March 1986.He was 79 years old.In line with his instructions, no funeral was held.His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean off the coast ofRedondo Beach, California.

Filmography

Main article:Ray Milland filmography

Radio appearances

Year	Programme	Episode/source
1946	This Is Hollywood	The Seventh Veil
1946	The Jack Benny Program	The Lost Weekend (10 March 1946)
1946	Screen Guild Players	The Lost Weekend
1953	Lux Radio Theatre	Close to My Heart

Bibliography

• Berry, David (1996).Wales and Cinema, The First Hundred Years.Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 215.ISBN0-7083-1370-1.
• Milland, Ray (1974).Wide-Eyed in Babylon.New York: Morrow.ISBN0-688-00257-9.
• Parkinson, David (2011). "Ray Milland".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/57315.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)

External links

• Ray MillandatIMDb
• Ray Millandat theTCM Movie Database
• Ray Millandat theInternet Broadway Database
• Ray MillandatAllMovie
• Ray Millandat Virtual History