Penelope Ann Miller

Penelope Ann Miller (born January 13th, 1964 as Penelope Andrea Miller), sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress. She began her career on Broadway, starred in several major Hollywood films during the 1990s, and has continued appearing in supporting roles in both film and television.

Life and career

Miller was born in Los Angeles to actor and screenwriter Mark Miller and fashion magazine editor Beatrice Ammidown.^[1] She has an older sister, Marisa Miller who is also a film actress, and a younger sister, Savannah Miller, who is a social worker.

Miller graduated from high school in Los Angeles, then moved (aged 18) to New York City to study theatre. 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 would also star with Broderick in the 1988 film version of that play).

Miller's film debut came in 1987 in Adventures in Babysitting. She took a role in one episode ("Death and the Lady") of the television series Miami Vice (which aired on October 16th, 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.

In 1990, she played Paula in Awakenings, starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. She also played in the 1990 movie Downtown with Anthony Edwards and Forest Whitaker. She subsequently appeared in a number of other theatrical movies, notably as Edna Purviance in Chaplin in 1992 and with Al Pacino in Carlito's Way in 1993.

Miller co-starred with Marlon Brando (as his daughter) in 1990's The Freshman and with Gregory Peck (as his lawyer and step daughter) in 1991's Other People's Money. She also appeared in Kindergarten Cop starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Margo Lane in The Shadow with Alec Baldwin, as well as in the Gary Sinise-directed film Miles from Home.

The actress had the leading role in the big budget creature feature The Relic (1997) as Dr. Margo Green.

In 2000, she played the scandalous teacher Mary Kay Letourneau in the TV version of a true story, All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story.

In 2002, Miller made the film Dead in a Heartbeat and starred 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. Her 2007 comedy Blonde Ambition co-starring Jessica Simpson and Luke Wilson performed poorly at the box office. She also guest-starred as Fran on Desperate Housewives.

Miller recently appeared in the horror film The Messengers, co-starring Dylan McDermott and Kristen Stewart. The film was produced in part by director Sam Raimi's production company, Ghost House Pictures.

Personal life

Miller was born in Los Angeles, California, the middle daughter of Beatrice (née Ammidown), a costume designer, publicist, and journalist and Mark Miller, a television actor and producer.^[2] Miller's mother was the goddaughter of Aristotle Onassis, and also edited Harper's Bazaar.^[3]

In 1994, she married actor Will Arnett. They divorced in 1995.^{[citation needed]} In 2000, she married James Huggins and had her first child, Eloisa May, on December 10th, 2000.^{[citation needed]}

At the age of 44, she became pregnant with her second child. On March 23rd, 2009, she had her second daughter, Maria Adela.^[4]

Filmography

• Hotshot (1987)
• Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
• Biloxi Blues (1988)
• Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
• Miles from Home(1988)
• Dead Bang (1990)
• Downtown (1990)
• The Freshman (1990)
• Awakenings (1990)
• Kindergarten Cop (1990)
• Other People's Money (1991)
• Year of the Comet (1992)
• The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992)
• Chaplin (1992)
• Carlito's Way (1993)
• The Shadow (1994)
• The Relic (1997)
• Little City (1997)
• Outside Ozona (1998)
• Chapter Zero (1999)
• Famous (2000)
• Forever Lulu aka Along for the Ride (2000)
• Full Disclosure (2001)
• Along Came a Spider (2001)
• The Deal (2006)
• The Break Up (2006)
• Funny Money (2006)
• The Messengers (2007)
• Blonde Ambition (2007)
• Free Style (2008)
• Saving Grace B. Jones (2009)
• Robosapien: Rebooted (2009) In post-production

Television appearances

• Tales from the Darkside (season 2) (1985)
• The Facts of Life (season 8) (1987)
• Family Ties (season 5) (1987)
• The Popcorn Kid (1987)
• Miami Vice (season 4) (1987)
• St. Elsewhere (season 6) (1987)
• Tales from the Hollywood Hills (1988)
• Our Town (1989)
• The Movie Awards (presenter)(1991)
• Morton & Hayes (season 1)(1991)
• Witch Hunt (1994)
• The Last Don (miniseries) (1997)
• The Hired Heart (1997)
• Merry Christmas, George Bailey (1997)
• Rhapsody in Bloom (1998)
• Ruby Bridges (1998)
• The Closer (season 1) (1998)
• Rocky Marciano (1999)
• Arnold Schwarzenegger: Hollywood Hero (1999)
• All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story (2000)
• Killing Moon (2000)
• Dodson's Journey (2001)
• A Woman's a Helluva Thing (2001)
• Dead in a Heartbeat (2002)
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery (season 2) (2002)
• Scared Silent (2002)
• Dinner for Five (season 2) (2003)
• Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story (2003)
• I Love the '80s (2003)
• Thanksgiving Family Reunion (2003)
• A Minute with Stan Hooper (season 1) (2004)
• Carry Me Home (2004)
• I Love the '90s (2005)
• Personal Effects (2005)
• I Married a Princess (season 1) (2005)
• CSI: NY (season 1)(2005)
• Desperate Housewives (season 2) (2005)
• Vanished (season 1) (2006)
• Exhuming 'The Messengers' (2007)
• Brando (2007)
• The Deadliest Lesson (2008)

References

External links

• Penelope Ann Miller at the Internet Movie Database
• Penelope Ann Miller at the Internet Broadway Database
• Penelope Ann Miller at Internet Off-Broadway Database