Millie Perkins (born May 12, 1938 in Passaic, New Jersey) is an American film and television actress.
Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Perkins grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and began her career as a model in New York City and by 1958 was an international cover girl. However, in 1958 she was vigorously pursued and then selected to appear in her first film, in the title role of The Diary of Anne Frank. Perkins had never studied nor sought to be an actress, but George Stevens saw her on the cover of several magazines and tried to convince her to read for the part. Finally, she flew to Hollywood for a screen test and with much fanfare, landed the role of Anne Frank in George Stevens 1959 film, "The Diary of Anne Frank." Millie Perkins received almost universally excellent reviews for her portrayal of Anne Frank. After her work with George Stevens, Perkins was under contract to Universal Studios and was given little choice in what movies or roles in which she could appear. She was cast in the 1961 Elvis Presley film, Wild in the Country, in which she played the girlfriend of Presley's character. She was one of the bright young stars of Hollywood, but broke her contract with Universal because the studio system did not allow for any experimentationin roles. Subsequently, she worked with Jack Nicholson in several movies that he directed, taking a hiatus from film-making in the latter part of the 1960s to raise her children and teach acting in Jacksonville, Oregon. She returned to acting only years later when she was in her 40s. The studio contract system, which was coming to an end just as the young Millie Perkins was signed into it, did not fit well with this young star, who had come of age with the Beat Generation in 1950s New York City. As George Stevens said, Millie did not fit in. She was 10 years too early.
On April 15, 1960, she married actor Dean Stockwell. They divorced on July 30, 1962. She later married writer and director Robert Thom, who wrote the script for the popular 1968 movie Wild in the Streets, in which she appeared. Thom died in 1979.
In 1983, Perkins returned to features to play Jon Voight's ex-wife in "Table for Five," subsequently, she was firmly type-cast in the mother role, playing Sean Penn's mother in the fact-based film At Close Range which starred Christopher Walken. She played the mother of Charlie Sheen's character in the 1987 movie Wall Street, and in John Grisham's The Chamber, she played the bereft Jewish mother. She was also cast as Andy Garcia's mother in The Lost City (2005).
She has worked on a variety of television shows, including seven episodes of Knots Landing (over the period 1983-1990) and four episodes of Any Day Now (from 1998-2002).
Perkins continues to perform both in film and on television.
Filmography
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
Wild in the Country (1961)
Dulcinea (1963)
Ensign Pulver (1964)
Ride in the Whirlwind (1965)
The Shooting (1967)
Wild in the Streets (1968)
Cockfighter (1974)
Lady Cocoa (1975)
The Witch Who Came from the Sea (1976)
The Trouble with Grandpa (1981 TV Movie)
MacBeth (1981)
A Gun in the House (1981 TV Movie)
Love in the Present Tense (1982 TV Movie)
Table for Five (1983)
The Haunting Passions (1983 TV Movie)
License to Kill (1984 TV Movie)
Anatomy of Illness (1984 TV Movie)
Shattered Vows (1984 TV Movie)
A.D. (1985 TV Mini-series)
The Other Lover (1985 TV Movie)
Penalty Phase (1986 TV Movie)
At Close Range (1986)
God, the Universe & Hot Fudge Sundaes (1986 TV Movie)
Jake Speed (1986)
The Thanksgiving Promise (1986 TV Movie)
Slam Dance (1987)
Strange Voices (1987 TV Movie)
Wall Street (1987)
Broken Angel (1988 TV Movie)
Two Moon Junction (1988)
Elvis (1990 Mini-Series)
Call Me Anna (1990 TV Movie)
Pistol: The Birth of a Legend (1991)
Murder of Innocence (1993 TV Movie)
Necronomicon (1994)
Midnight Run for Your Life (1994 TV Movie)
Bodily Harm (1995)
Harvest of Fire (1996 TV Movie)
The Chamber (1996)
The Summer of Ben Tyler (1996 TV Movie)
A Woman's a Helluva Thing (2001 TV Movie)
Yesterday's Dream (2005)
The Lost City (2005)
Though None Go with Me (2006 TV Movie)
References
^ Scheuer, Philip K. "Anne Frank's Role Settled: Millie Perkins, 18, Winner; Brynner's Schedule Busiest", Los Angeles Times, January 29, 1958. Accessed June 2, 2008. "Diary has its Anne Frank. She is Millie Perkins, magazine cover-girl who was born in Passaic, N.J., 18 years ago and educated in Fairlawn, N.J.
^ "New Picture", Time (magazine), March 30, 1959. Accessed March 30, 2008. "His choice was an 18-year-old model from Fair Lawn, N.J. named Millie Perkins."
External links
Millie Perkins at the Internet Movie Database
Biography of Millie Perkins at Yahoo Movies
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millie_Perkins"
Categories: 1938 births | Living people | American film actors | American television actors | People from Bergen County, New Jersey | People from Passaic County, New Jersey
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This page was last modified on 20 August 2008, at 18:57.
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