John Mills
Encyclopedia
Sir John Mills CBE
(22 February 190823 April 2005), born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English
actor
who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.
in North Elmham
, Norfolk
, England
, and grew up in Belton
, where his father was the headmaster of the village school and in Felixstowe
, Suffolk
. He was educated at Norwich High School for Boys
, where it is said that his initials can still be seen carved into the brickwork on the side of the building in Upper St. Giles Street. He made his acting debut on the stage of the Sir John Leman School
in Beccles
in a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream
when he played the part of Puck
. Upon leaving school he worked as a clerk at a corn merchants in Ipswich
.
Mills took an early interest in acting, making his professional debut at the London Hippodrome
in The Five O'Clock Girl
in 1929. He also starred in the Noël Coward
revue Words and Music
. He made his film debut in The Midshipmaid
(1932), and appeared as Colley in the 1939 film version of Goodbye, Mr Chips
, opposite Robert Donat
.
In September 1939, at the start of World War II
, Mills enlisted in the Royal Engineers
. He was later commissioned as a Second Lieutenant
. But in 1942 he received a medical discharge because of a stomach ulcer. He starred in Noël Coward's In Which We Serve
.
Mills took the lead in Great Expectations
in 1946, and subsequently made his career playing traditionally British heroes such as Captain Scott
in Scott of the Antarctic (1948). Over the next decade he became particularly associated with war dramas
, such as The Colditz Story
(1954), Above Us the Waves
(1955) and Ice-Cold in Alex
(1958). He often acted in the roles of people who are not at all exceptional, but become heroes due to their common sense
, generosity and right judgment
.
From 1959 through the mid-1960s, Mills starred in several films alongside his daughter Hayley
. Their first film together was the 1959 crime drama Tiger Bay
, in which John plays a police detective investigating a murder that Hayley's character witnessed. Following Hayley's rise to fame in Pollyanna
(1960) and the 1961 family comedy The Parent Trap, John and Hayley again starred together, in the 1965 teen sailing adventure The Truth About Spring
, the 1964 drama The Chalk Garden
(with Deborah Kerr
in the lead role), and the 1966 comedy-drama The Family Way
, in which John plays an insecure, overbearing father and Hayley plays his son's newlywed wife.
As Col. Barrow in Tunes of Glory
, Mills won the best Actor Award at the 1960 Venice Film Festival
. For his role as the village idiot in Ryan's Daughter
(1970) — a complete departure from his usual style — Mills won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
. His most famous television role was probably as the title character
in Quatermass
for ITV
in 1979. Also on the small screen, in 1974 he starred as Captain Tommy "The Elephant" Devon in the six-part television drama series The Zoo Gang
, about a group of former underground freedom fighters from World War II
, with Brian Keith
, Lilli Palmer
and Barry Morse
.
Mills also starred as Gus: The Theatre Cat
in the filmed version of the musical Cats
in 1998.
In 2000, Mills released his extensive home movie footage in a documentary film entitled Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
, with interviews with Mills, his children Hayley
, Juliet and Jonathan and Richard Attenborough
. The film was directed and edited by Marcus Dillistone
, and features behind the scenes footage and stories from films such as Ice-Cold in Alex
and Dunkirk
. In addition the film also includes home footage of many of John Mills' friends and fellow cast members including Laurence Olivier
, Harry Andrews
, Walt Disney
, David Niven
, Dirk Bogarde
, Rex Harrison
and Tyrone Power
.
Mills' last cinema appearance was playing a tramp in Lights 2 (directed by Marcus Dillistone
); shot at Pinewood Studios
, he was photographed by cinematographer Jack Cardiff
. They had last worked together on Scott of the Antarctic in 1948. Their combined age was 186 years, a cinema record.
Altogether he appeared in over 120 films.
(CBE) in 1960. In 1976 he was knighted
by Queen Elizabeth II.
In 2002, he received a Fellow
ship of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
(BAFTA), the highest award given by the Academy
, and was named a Disney Legend
by The Walt Disney Company
.
Mills's sister Annette Mills
was known as the partner of the puppet "Muffin", in the BBC Television series Muffin the Mule
between 1946 and 1955. Her grand-daughter is the actress Susie Blake
.
His first wife was the actress Aileen Raymond
, who died only five days after he did. They were married in 1927 and divorced in 1941. She later became the mother of Ian Ogilvy
.
His second wife was the dramatist Mary Hayley Bell
. Their marriage on 16 January 1941 lasted 64 years, until his death in 2005. They were married in a rushed civil ceremony, due to the war, and it was not until 60 years later that they had their union blessed in a church. They lived in The Wick
, London, for many years, but sold the house to musician Pete Townshend
in 1975 and moved to Hills House, Denham
.
The Mills had two daughters, Juliet, star of television's Nanny and the Professor
and Hayley
, a Disney child star who starred in Pollyanna
, The Parent Trap and Whistle Down the Wind
and one son, Jonathan Mills. In 1947 Mills appeared with his daughters in the film So Well Remembered
. Mills's grandson by his daughter Hayley, Crispian Mills
, is a musician, best known for his work with the alternative rock
group Kula Shaker
.
only on special occasions, his sight having failed almost completely in 1992. After that, his film roles were brief but notable cameos.
He died aged 97 on 23 April 2005 in Denham
, Buckinghamshire
, following a chest infection. A few months after Sir John's death, Mary Hayley Bell
(Lady Mills) died on 1 December 2005. Sir John and Lady Mills are buried in Denham Churchyard.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(22 February 190823 April 2005), born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.
Life and career
Mills was born at the Watts Naval SchoolWatts Naval School
Watts Naval School was originally the Norfolk County School, a public school set up to serve the educational needs of the 'sons of farmers and artisans'...
in North Elmham
North Elmham
North Elmham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,428 in 624 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and grew up in Belton
Belton with Browston
Belton with Browston is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The parish consists of the villages of Belton and Browston Green, and is situated some 8 km south-west of the town of Great Yarmouth and 10 km north-west of the Suffolk town of Lowestoft.The civil parish has an area...
, where his father was the headmaster of the village school and in Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. He was educated at Norwich High School for Boys
Norwich High School for Boys
Norwich High School for Boys was an independent school in Norwich, England. Founded in 1910, it became the Langley School shortly after World War II.-History:...
, where it is said that his initials can still be seen carved into the brickwork on the side of the building in Upper St. Giles Street. He made his acting debut on the stage of the Sir John Leman School
Sir John Leman High School
Sir John Leman High School is currently a mixed-sex, 13-18 comprehensive school serving part of the Waveney region in north Suffolk, England. The school is located on the western edge of the town of Beccles and serves the surrounding area, including Worlingham and parts of Lowestoft...
in Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
in a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
when he played the part of Puck
Puck (Shakespeare)
Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, is a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream that was based on the ancient figure in English mythology, also called Puck. Puck is a clever and mischievous elf and personifies the trickster or the wise knave...
. Upon leaving school he worked as a clerk at a corn merchants in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
.
Mills took an early interest in acting, making his professional debut at the London Hippodrome
Hippodrome, London
The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Charing Cross Road and Leicester Square in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few survivors...
in The Five O'Clock Girl
The Five O'Clock Girl
The Five O'Clock Girl is a musical with a book by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson, music by Harry Ruby, and lyrics by Bert Kalmar. It focuses on wealthy Beekman Place playboy Gerald Brooks and impoverished shopgirl Patricia Brown, who become acquainted with each other via a series of anonymous 5...
in 1929. He also starred in the Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
revue Words and Music
Words and Music (musical)
Words and Music is a musical revue with sketches, music, lyrics and direction by Noël Coward. The revue introduced the song "Mad About the Boy", which, according to The Noël Coward Society's website, is Coward's most popular song...
. He made his film debut in The Midshipmaid
The Midshipmaid
The Midshipmaid is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Albert de Courville and starring Jessie Matthews, Frederick Kerr, Basil Sydney and Nigel Bruce.-Cast:* Jessie Matthews - Celia Newbiggin* Frederick Kerr - Sir Percy Newbiggin...
(1932), and appeared as Colley in the 1939 film version of Goodbye, Mr Chips
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939 film)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a 1939 British film based on the novel of the same name by James Hilton. It was directed by Sam Wood, and starred Robert Donat, Greer Garson, Terry Kilburn, John Mills, and Paul Henreid. The screenplay was adapted from the novel by R. C. Sherriff, Claudine West and Eric...
, opposite Robert Donat
Robert Donat
Robert Donat was an English film and stage actor. He is best-known for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps and Goodbye, Mr...
.
In September 1939, at the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Mills enlisted in the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. He was later commissioned as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
. But in 1942 he received a medical discharge because of a stomach ulcer. He starred in Noël Coward's In Which We Serve
In Which We Serve
In Which We Serve is a 1942 British patriotic war film directed by David Lean and Noël Coward. It was made during the Second World War with the assistance of the Ministry of Information ....
.
Mills took the lead in Great Expectations
Great Expectations (1946 film)
Great Expectations is a 1946 British film which won two Academy Awards and was nominated for three others...
in 1946, and subsequently made his career playing traditionally British heroes such as Captain Scott
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
in Scott of the Antarctic (1948). Over the next decade he became particularly associated with war dramas
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
, such as The Colditz Story
The Colditz Story
The Colditz Story is a 1955 prisoner of war film starring John Mills and Eric Portman and directed by Guy Hamilton.It is based on the book written by P.R...
(1954), Above Us the Waves
Above Us the Waves (film)
Above Us the Waves is a 1955 war film directed by Ralph Thomas. It tells the story of human torpedo and midget submarine attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz. It is based on true-life attacks on the Tirpitz, first using manned torpedoes , and then the Royal Navy's midget X-Craft submarines in...
(1955) and Ice-Cold in Alex
Ice-Cold in Alex
Ice-Cold in Alex is a British film based on the novel of the same name by British author Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner at the 8th Berlin International Film Festival...
(1958). He often acted in the roles of people who are not at all exceptional, but become heroes due to their common sense
Common sense
Common sense is defined by Merriam-Webster as, "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts." Thus, "common sense" equates to the knowledge and experience which most people already have, or which the person using the term believes that they do or should have...
, generosity and right judgment
Judgment
A judgment , in a legal context, is synonymous with the formal decision made by a court following a lawsuit. At the same time the court may also make a range of court orders, such as imposing a sentence upon a guilty defendant in a criminal matter, or providing a remedy for the plaintiff in a civil...
.
From 1959 through the mid-1960s, Mills starred in several films alongside his daughter Hayley
Hayley Mills
Hayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
. Their first film together was the 1959 crime drama Tiger Bay
Tiger Bay (film)
Tiger Bay is a 1959 British crime drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and produced and co-written by John Hawkesworth. It stars John Mills as a police superintendent who investigates a murder, his daughter Hayley Mills, in her first major film role, as a girl who witnesses the murder, and Horst...
, in which John plays a police detective investigating a murder that Hayley's character witnessed. Following Hayley's rise to fame in Pollyanna
Pollyanna (1960 film)
Pollyanna is a Walt Disney Productions feature film starring child actress Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman, Karl Malden and Richard Egan in a story about a cheerful orphan changing the outlook of a small town. Based upon the novel Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter, the film was written and directed by David...
(1960) and the 1961 family comedy The Parent Trap, John and Hayley again starred together, in the 1965 teen sailing adventure The Truth About Spring
The Truth About Spring
The Truth about Spring is a 1965 film released by Universal. It stars Hayley Mills, her father Sir John Mills and James MacArthur It is a romantic comedy adventure.-Plot:...
, the 1964 drama The Chalk Garden
The Chalk Garden
The Chalk Garden is a play by Enid Bagnold that premiered on Broadway in 1955. The play tells the story of Mrs. St Maugham and her granddaughter Laurel, a disturbed child under Miss Madrigal's care. The setting of the play was inspired by Bagnold's own garden at North End House in Rottingdean, near...
(with Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr, CBE was a Scottish film and television actress from Glasgow. She won the Sarah Siddons Award for her Chicago performance as Laura Reynolds in Tea and Sympathy, a role which she originated on Broadway, a Golden Globe Award for the motion picture The King and I, and was a three-time...
in the lead role), and the 1966 comedy-drama The Family Way
The Family Way
The Family Way is a 1966 British comedy-drama film based on Bill Naughton's play All in Good Time . It began life in 1961 as a television play entitled Honeymoon Postponed....
, in which John plays an insecure, overbearing father and Hayley plays his son's newlywed wife.
As Col. Barrow in Tunes of Glory
Tunes of Glory
Tunes of Glory is a 1960 British film directed by Ronald Neame, based on the novel and screenplay by James Kennaway. The film is a "dark psychological drama" centring on events in a Scottish Highland regimental barracks in the period following World War II...
, Mills won the best Actor Award at the 1960 Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
. For his role as the village idiot in Ryan's Daughter
Ryan's Daughter
Ryan's Daughter is a 1970 film directed by David Lean. The film, set in 1916, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair with a British officer during World War I, despite opposition from her nationalist neighbours...
(1970) — a complete departure from his usual style — Mills won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
. His most famous television role was probably as the title character
Bernard Quatermass
Professor Bernard Quatermass is a fictional scientist, originally created by the writer Nigel Kneale for BBC Television. An intelligent and highly moral British scientist, Quatermass is a pioneer of the British space programme, heading up the British Experimental Rocket Group...
in Quatermass
Quatermass (TV serial)
Quatermass is a British television science fiction serial produced by Euston Films for Thames Television and broadcast on the ITV network in October and November 1979. Like its three predecessors, Quatermass was written by Nigel Kneale...
for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in 1979. Also on the small screen, in 1974 he starred as Captain Tommy "The Elephant" Devon in the six-part television drama series The Zoo Gang
The Zoo Gang
The Zoo Gang was a 1974 ITC Entertainment drama series that ran for six one-hour colour episodes, based on the 1971 book of the same name by Paul Gallico....
, about a group of former underground freedom fighters from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with Brian Keith
Brian Keith
Brian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...
, Lilli Palmer
Lilli Palmer
Lilli Palmer , born Lilli Marie Peiser, was a German actress. She won the Volpi Cup, the Deutscher Filmpreis three times, and was nominated twice for a Golden Globe Award.-Life and career:...
and Barry Morse
Barry Morse
Herbert "Barry" Morse was an Anglo-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio best known for his roles in the ABC television series The Fugitive and the British sci-fi drama Space: 1999...
.
Mills also starred as Gus: The Theatre Cat
Gus: The Theatre Cat
"Gus: The Theatre Cat" is a poem by T. S. Eliot included in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Known as "The Theatre Cat" due to his career as an actor, Gus is an old and frail, yet revered, cat, who "suffers from palsy, which makes his paws shake." His coat is described as "shabby" and he is...
in the filmed version of the musical Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
in 1998.
In 2000, Mills released his extensive home movie footage in a documentary film entitled Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories is a British documentary film featuring 16mm color home movies shot by the actor Sir John Mills. It documents his life between 1946 and 1969, directed by Marcus Dillistone and written by his son Jonathan Mills. Commentary was provided by Sir John , Hayley Mills,...
, with interviews with Mills, his children Hayley
Hayley Mills
Hayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
, Juliet and Jonathan and Richard Attenborough
Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough , CBE is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi...
. The film was directed and edited by Marcus Dillistone
Marcus Dillistone
Marcus Dillistone is an award-winning and Royal Premiered British film director. A close friend of Sir John Mills, he directed the film of Sir John's life Sir John Mills' Moving Memories. Dillistone and Sir John first collaborated on Dillistone's film "The Troop", which was first screened at BAFTA...
, and features behind the scenes footage and stories from films such as Ice-Cold in Alex
Ice-Cold in Alex
Ice-Cold in Alex is a British film based on the novel of the same name by British author Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner at the 8th Berlin International Film Festival...
and Dunkirk
Dunkirk (film)
Dunkirk is a 1958 British war film directed by Leslie Norman and starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough and Bernard Lee. It was based on two novels: Elleston Trevor's The Big Pick-Up and Lt. Col. Ewan Hunter and Maj. J. S...
. In addition the film also includes home footage of many of John Mills' friends and fellow cast members including Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
, Harry Andrews
Harry Andrews
Harry Fleetwood Andrews, CBE was an English film actor known for his frequent portrayals of tough military officers. His performance as Sergeant Major Wilson in The Hill alongside Sean Connery earned Andrews the 1965 National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and a nomination for the...
, Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
, David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
, Dirk Bogarde
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
, Rex Harrison
Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey “Rex” Harrison was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.-Youth and stage career:...
and Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
.
Mills' last cinema appearance was playing a tramp in Lights 2 (directed by Marcus Dillistone
Marcus Dillistone
Marcus Dillistone is an award-winning and Royal Premiered British film director. A close friend of Sir John Mills, he directed the film of Sir John's life Sir John Mills' Moving Memories. Dillistone and Sir John first collaborated on Dillistone's film "The Troop", which was first screened at BAFTA...
); shot at Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
, he was photographed by cinematographer Jack Cardiff
Jack Cardiff
Jack Cardiff, OBE, BSC was a British cinematographer, director and photographer.His career spanned the development of cinema, from silent film, through early experiments in Technicolor to filmmaking in the 21st century...
. They had last worked together on Scott of the Antarctic in 1948. Their combined age was 186 years, a cinema record.
Altogether he appeared in over 120 films.
Honours
He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(CBE) in 1960. In 1976 he was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
by Queen Elizabeth II.
In 2002, he received a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ship of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
(BAFTA), the highest award given by the Academy
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
, and was named a Disney Legend
Disney Legends
Established in 1987, the Disney Legends program recognizes people who have made an extraordinary and integral contribution to The Walt Disney Company. The honor is awarded annually during a special ceremony....
by The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
.
Family
Annette Mills
Annette Mills was an English actress, dancer and broadcaster.She was born Edith Mabel Mills in Wandsworth, London. She had originally intended to become a concert pianist and organist, before becoming a dancer, subsequently finding fame as an international exhibition dancer...
was known as the partner of the puppet "Muffin", in the BBC Television series Muffin the Mule
Muffin the Mule
Muffin the Mule is a puppet character in British television programmes for children. The original programmes featuring the character were presented by Annette Mills, sister of John Mills, & aunt to Hayley Mills, and broadcast live by the BBC from their studios at Alexandra Palace from 1946 to 1952...
between 1946 and 1955. Her grand-daughter is the actress Susie Blake
Susie Blake
Susie Blake is a British actress.-Personal life:Blake trained at the Arts Educational School and LAMDA in London. She is the granddaughter of the actress Annette Mills and a great - niece of the actor Sir John Mills...
.
His first wife was the actress Aileen Raymond
Aileen Raymond
Aileen Cynthia Raymond was an English television/stage actress.She was born on the Isle of Wight in 1910, and she died five days after her first husband .She appeared occasionally on British television....
, who died only five days after he did. They were married in 1927 and divorced in 1941. She later became the mother of Ian Ogilvy
Ian Ogilvy
Ian Raymond Ogilvy is an English film and television actor.-Early life:He was born in Woking, Surrey, England, the son of advertising executive Francis Ogilvy and actress Aileen Raymond .He was educated at Sunningdale School, Eton College and at the Royal Academy of...
.
His second wife was the dramatist Mary Hayley Bell
Mary Hayley Bell
Mary Hayley Bell, Lady Mills was an English actress, writer and dramatist.Mary Hayley Bell was born in Shanghai, China, where her father served in the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, and the family later moved to Tianjin . It was there that she first met John Mills, although exactly when is not...
. Their marriage on 16 January 1941 lasted 64 years, until his death in 2005. They were married in a rushed civil ceremony, due to the war, and it was not until 60 years later that they had their union blessed in a church. They lived in The Wick
The Wick
The Wick is a house in Richmond, Greater London, located at the corner of Nightingale Lane and Richmond Hill in Surrey. The house was at one time owned by actor Sir John Mills who used it as his family home for many years. Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones bought the house from Mills...
, London, for many years, but sold the house to musician Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
in 1975 and moved to Hills House, Denham
Hills House, Denham
Hills House is a 17th Century Tudor residence located on the Village Road in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, it was the home of Merle Oberon and her husband Sir Alexander Korda. In 1975 the house was purchased by Sir John and Lady Mills.-Description:The house is...
.
The Mills had two daughters, Juliet, star of television's Nanny and the Professor
Nanny and the Professor
Nanny and the Professor is a U.S. fantasy situation comedy created by AJ Carothers and Thomas L. Miller for 20th Century Fox Television. During pre-production, the proposed title was Nanny Will Do. The series first aired as a mid-season replacement on January 21, 1970, on ABC and was last telecast...
and Hayley
Hayley Mills
Hayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
, a Disney child star who starred in Pollyanna
Pollyanna
Pollyanna is a best-selling 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter that is now considered a classic of children's literature, with the title character's name becoming a popular term for someone with the same optimistic outlook. The book was such a success, that Porter soon produced a sequel, Pollyanna...
, The Parent Trap and Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle Down the Wind may refer to:* Whistle Down the Wind , a film directed by Bryan Forbes* Whistle Down the Wind , a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the film...
and one son, Jonathan Mills. In 1947 Mills appeared with his daughters in the film So Well Remembered
So Well Remembered
So Well Remembered is a 1947 British film starring John Mills, Martha Scott, and Trevor Howard. The film was based on the James Hilton novel of the same name and tells the story of a reformer and the woman he marries in a fictional Lancashire mill town. Hilton also narrated...
. Mills's grandson by his daughter Hayley, Crispian Mills
Crispian Mills
Crispian Mills is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is the son of actress Hayley Mills and director Roy Boulting, the grandson of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell , nephew of Juliet Mills and Jonathan Mills, and half-brother to Jason "Ace" Lawson...
, is a musician, best known for his work with the alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
group Kula Shaker
Kula Shaker
Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by outspoken frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a number of Top 10 hits on the UK Singles...
.
Death
In the years leading up to his death, he appeared on televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
only on special occasions, his sight having failed almost completely in 1992. After that, his film roles were brief but notable cameos.
He died aged 97 on 23 April 2005 in Denham
Denham
- People :* Carl Denham, fictional character from King Kong* Daryl Denham, British radio DJ* Digby Denham, Australian politician* Dixon Denham, British explorer* Henry Denham, British printer* Henry Mangles Denham, , Royal navy...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, following a chest infection. A few months after Sir John's death, Mary Hayley Bell
Mary Hayley Bell
Mary Hayley Bell, Lady Mills was an English actress, writer and dramatist.Mary Hayley Bell was born in Shanghai, China, where her father served in the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, and the family later moved to Tianjin . It was there that she first met John Mills, although exactly when is not...
(Lady Mills) died on 1 December 2005. Sir John and Lady Mills are buried in Denham Churchyard.
Selected filmography
- The MidshipmaidThe MidshipmaidThe Midshipmaid is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Albert de Courville and starring Jessie Matthews, Frederick Kerr, Basil Sydney and Nigel Bruce.-Cast:* Jessie Matthews - Celia Newbiggin* Frederick Kerr - Sir Percy Newbiggin...
(1932) - Britannia of BillingsgateBritannia of BillingsgateBritannia of Billingsgate is a 1933 British musical comedy film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Violet Loraine, Gordon Harker, Kay Hammond and John Mills. A family who work in the fish trade at Billingsgate Market encounter a film crew who are shooting there...
(1933) - The Ghost CameraThe Ghost Camera- Cast :*Henry Kendall as John Gray*Ida Lupino as Mary Elton*John Mills as Ernest Elton*Victor Stanley as Albert Sims*George Merritt as Police Detective*Felix Aylmer as Coroner*Davina Craig as Amelia Wilkinson, a maid*Fred Groves as Barnaby Rudd, landlord...
(1933) - The River Wolves (1934)
- Blind JusticeBlind Justice (1934 film)Blind Justice is a 1934 British thriller film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Eva Moore, Frank Vosper, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Roger Livesey and John Mills. A woman is blackmailed by a criminal, who has discovered that her brother was shot as a coward during the First World War...
(1934) - The LashThe Lash (1934 film)The Lash is a 1934 British drama film directed by Henry Edwards and starring Lyn Harding, John Mills and Leslie Perrins. It was based on a play by Cyril Campion...
(1934) - A Political PartyA Political PartyA Political Party is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Norman Lee and starring John Mills, Enid Stamp-Taylor and Viola Lyel. The son of a chimney sweep running for parliament in a by-election, unwittingly helps his father's opponent.-Cast:...
(1934) - Doctor's OrdersDoctor's Orders (film)Doctor's Orders is a 1934 British, black-and-white, comedy film directed by Norman Lee and starring Leslie Fuller, John Mills Marguerite Allan and Ronald Shiner as Miggs. It was produced by British International Pictures.-Synopsis:...
(1934) - Those Were The DaysThose Were the Days (1934 film)Those were the Days is a film primarily remembered as Will Hay's first major film role. It was based on the farce The Magistrate written by playwright Sir Arthur Wing Pinero, and was the first of two Hay movies that were based Pinero's plays, the other being Dandy Dick...
(1934) - Car of DreamsCar of DreamsCar of Dreams is a 1935 British romantic comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and Austin Melford and starring Grete Mosheim, John Mills, Norah Howard and Robertson Hare. A tycoon's son falls in love with a woman who works at his father's factory. It was based on the 1934 Hungarian film...
(1935) - Royal CavalcadeRoyal CavalcadeRoyal Cavalcade is a 1935 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by six separate directors: Thomas Bentley , Herbert Brenon, Norman Lee, Walter Summers, Will Kellino and Marcel Varnel. The film features Marie Lohr, Hermione Baddeley, Owen Nares, Robert Hale, Austin Trevor, James Carew,...
(1935) - Brown on ResolutionBrown on Resolution (film)Brown on Resolution is a 1935 film adaptation of the CS Forester novel Brown on Resolution. The plot is centred on the illegitimate son of a British naval officer singlehandedly bringing about the downfall of a German battleship during World War I...
(later reissued in the UK as Forever England) (1935) - Charing Cross RoadCharing Cross Road (film)Charing Cross Road is a 1935 British drama film directed by Albert de Courville and starring John Mills, June Clyde, Derek Oldham and Belle Baker...
(1935) - The First OffenceThe First OffenceThe First Offence is a 1936 British drama film directed by Herbert Mason and starring John Mills, Lilli Palmer and Bernard Nedell. It was a remake of the 1934 French film Mauvaise Graine directed by Billy Wilder.-Cast:* John Mills - Johnnie Penrose...
(1936) - Tudor RoseTudor Rose (film)Tudor Rose is a 1936 British film starring Cedric Hardwicke and Nova Pilbeam and directed by Robert Stevenson....
(1936) - O.H.M.S.O.H.M.S. (film)O.H.M.S. is a 1937 British action comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Wallace Ford, John Mills, Anna Lee and Grace Bradley. An American criminal evades the police by joining the British army.-Cast:* Wallace Ford - Jimmy Tracy...
(1937) - The Green CockatooThe Green CockatooThe Green Cockatoo is a 1937 British drama film directed by William Cameron Menzies and starring John Mills, René Ray and Robert Newton. An innocent young girl travels to London from her home in Devon and gets mixed up with various unsavoury characters....
(1937) - Goodbye, Mr. ChipsGoodbye, Mr. Chips (1939 film)Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a 1939 British film based on the novel of the same name by James Hilton. It was directed by Sam Wood, and starred Robert Donat, Greer Garson, Terry Kilburn, John Mills, and Paul Henreid. The screenplay was adapted from the novel by R. C. Sherriff, Claudine West and Eric...
(1939) - All HandsAll HandsAll Hands Magazine of the U.S. Navy is the title of a monthly published magazine of the United States Navy for its sailors . It is published since August 1922 under different names; the current title was established in 1945....
(1940, short film) - Cottage to LetCottage to LetCottage to Let is a 1941 spy film starring Leslie Banks, Alastair Sim and John Mills. Set in World War II Scotland, its plot concerns Nazi spies trying to kidnap an inventor.-Plot:...
(1941) - Old Bill and SonOld Bill and SonOld Bill and Son is a 1941 British, black-and-white, comedy, war film, directed by Ian Dalrymple and starring Morland Graham, John Mills, Mary Clare and Ronald Shiner as Herbert 'Bert' Smith. It was produced by Legeran Films.-Synopsis:...
(1941) - The Big BlockadeThe Big BlockadeThe Big Blockade is a 1942 British, black-and-white, comedy-drama, propaganda film, war film, directed by Charles Frend and starring Will Hay, Ronald Shiner as the Shipping Clerk and John Mills. It was produced by Ealing Studios...
(1942) - The Black Sheep of WhitehallThe Black Sheep of WhitehallThe Black Sheep of Whitehall is a 1942 British, black-and-white, comedy, war film, directed by Will Hay and Basil Dearden, and; starring Will Hay as Professor Will Davis, John Mills and Basil Sydney...
(1942) - The Young Mr. Pitt (1942)
- In Which We ServeIn Which We ServeIn Which We Serve is a 1942 British patriotic war film directed by David Lean and Noël Coward. It was made during the Second World War with the assistance of the Ministry of Information ....
(1942) - We Dive at DawnWe Dive at DawnWe Dive at Dawn is a 1943 war film directed by Anthony Asquith, starring John Mills and Eric Portman as Royal Navy submariners in the Second World War. It was written by Val Valentine and J. B. Williams with uncredited assistance from Frank Launder...
(1943) - This Happy BreedThis Happy Breed (film)This Happy Breed is a 1944 British drama film directed by David Lean. The screenplay by Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan and Ronald Neame is based on the 1939 play of the same title by Noël Coward...
(1944) - Victory Wedding (1944, short film)
- Information PleaseInformation PleaseInformation Please was an American radio quiz show, created by Dan Golenpaul, which aired on NBC from May 17, 1938 to April 22, 1951. The title was the contemporary phrase used to request from telephone operators what was then called "information" but is now called "directory assistance".The series...
(1944, short film) - Waterloo RoadWaterloo Road (film)Waterloo Road is a 1945 British film based on the Waterloo area of South London. It was directed by Sidney Gilliat.-Plot:John Mills plays an AWOL squaddie who returns to south London to save his wife from the advances of a philandering draft-dodger played by Stewart Granger.-Cast:* John Mills as...
(1945) - The Way to the StarsThe Way to the StarsThe Way to the Stars, also known as Johnny in the Clouds, is a 1945 British war drama film made by Two Cities Films and released by United Artists. It was produced by Anatole de Grunwald and directed by Anthony Asquith...
(1945) - Great ExpectationsGreat Expectations (1946 film)Great Expectations is a 1946 British film which won two Academy Awards and was nominated for three others...
(1946) - So Well RememberedSo Well RememberedSo Well Remembered is a 1947 British film starring John Mills, Martha Scott, and Trevor Howard. The film was based on the James Hilton novel of the same name and tells the story of a reformer and the woman he marries in a fictional Lancashire mill town. Hilton also narrated...
(1947) - The October ManThe October ManThe October Man is a 1947 mystery film starring John Mills and Joan Greenwood, based on a novel by Eric Ambler, who also adapted it and produced...
(1947) - Scott of the AntarcticScott of the Antarctic (1948 film)Scott of the Antarctic is a 1948 film about Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated expedition to be the first to the South Pole in Antarctica in 1910-12...
(1948) - The History of Mr PollyThe History of Mr. Polly (film)The History of Mr. Polly is a 1949 British film, based on the 1910 comic novel The History of Mr. Polly by H.G. Wells. It was directed by Anthony Pelissier and stars John Mills, Betty Ann Davies, Megs Jenkins and Finlay Currie...
(1949) - The Rocking Horse WinnerThe Rocking Horse Winner (film)The Rocking Horse Winner is a 1949 fantasy film about a young boy who can pick winners in horse races with complete accuracy. It is an adaptation of the D. H. Lawrence short story "The Rocking-Horse Winner" and starred Valerie Hobson, John Howard Davies and Ronald Squire...
(1949, also produced) - Morning DepartureMorning DepartureMorning Departure is a 1950 British naval film directed by Roy Ward Baker, produced by Jay Lewis, and starring John Mills, Nigel Patrick, Peter Hammond, George Cole, Bernard Lee and Richard Attenborough...
(1950) - Mr. Denning Drives NorthMr. Denning Drives NorthMr. Denning Drives North is a 1952 British mystery film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring John Mills, Phyllis Calvert and Eileen Moore. The plot concerns an aircraft manufacturer who accidentally kills the boyfriend of his daughter and tries to dispose the body...
(1952) - The Gentle GunmanThe Gentle GunmanThe Gentle Gunman is a black-and-white 1952 Ealing Studios drama film, directed by Basil Dearden and starring John Mills and Dirk Bogarde.-Plot:...
(1952) - The Long MemoryThe Long MemoryThe Long Memory is a 1952 film directed by Robert Hamer and based on the 1951 novel of the same name by Howard Clewes. A crime thriller filmed on the North Kent Marshes on the Thames Estuary and the dingy backstreets of Gravesend its bleak setting and grim atmosphere have led to its acclaim as a...
(1952) - Hobson's Choice (1954)
- EscapadeEscapade (1955 film)Escapade is a 1955 British comedy drama film directed by Philip Leacock and starring John Mills, Yvonne Mitchell and Alastair Sim. It was based on a long-running West End play by Roger MacDougall.-Main cast:* John Mills - John Hampden...
(1955) - The Colditz StoryThe Colditz StoryThe Colditz Story is a 1955 prisoner of war film starring John Mills and Eric Portman and directed by Guy Hamilton.It is based on the book written by P.R...
(1955) - The End of the AffairThe End of the Affair (1955 film)The End of the Affair is a 1955 film directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Deborah Kerr, Van Johnson, Peter Cushing and John Mills. It is based on the novel The End of the Affair by Graham Greene....
(1955) - Above Us the WavesAbove Us the Waves (film)Above Us the Waves is a 1955 war film directed by Ralph Thomas. It tells the story of human torpedo and midget submarine attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz. It is based on true-life attacks on the Tirpitz, first using manned torpedoes , and then the Royal Navy's midget X-Craft submarines in...
(1955) - The Baby and the BattleshipThe Baby and the BattleshipThe Baby and the Battleship is a colour 1956 British comedy film directed by Jay Lewis and starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough and André Morell. It is based on the 1956 novel by Anthony Thorne with a screenplay by Richard De Roy, Gilbert Hackforth-Jones and Bryan Forbes...
(1956) - War and PeaceWar and Peace (1956 film)War and Peace is the first English-language film version of the novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It is an American/Italian version, directed by King Vidor and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti. The music score was by Nino Rota and the cinematography by Jack Cardiff...
(1956) - Around the World in Eighty DaysAround the World in Eighty Days (1956 film)Around the World in 80 Days is a 1956 adventure film produced by the Michael Todd Company and released by United Artists. It was directed by Michael Anderson. It was produced by Michael Todd, with Kevin McClory and William Cameron Menzies as associate producers. The screenplay was written by James...
(1956) - It's Great to Be YoungIt's Great To Be YoungIt's Great to Be Young is a 1956 musical comedy film about a school music teacher, starring Cecil Parker and John Mills.-Cast:* John Mills as Mr. Dingle* Cecil Parker as Frome* John Salew as Routledge* Elizabeth Kentish as Mrs...
(1956) - Town on TrialTown on TrialTown on Trial is a 1957 British mystery film directed by John Guillermin and starring John Mills, Charles Coburn, Barbara Bates and Derek Farr. A whole town comes under suspicion when a series of grisly murders are carried out - particularly members of the local tennis club.-Cast:* Charles Coburn...
(1957) - The Vicious CircleThe Vicious Circle (1957 film)The Vicious Circle is a 1957 British thriller film directed by Gerald Thomas and starring John Mills, Noelle Middleton, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Lionel Jeffries. A leading Harley Street specialist is forced to work with the police to nail a gang of international criminals, after being falsely accused...
(1957) - Ice-Cold in AlexIce-Cold in AlexIce-Cold in Alex is a British film based on the novel of the same name by British author Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner at the 8th Berlin International Film Festival...
(1958) - DunkirkDunkirk (film)Dunkirk is a 1958 British war film directed by Leslie Norman and starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough and Bernard Lee. It was based on two novels: Elleston Trevor's The Big Pick-Up and Lt. Col. Ewan Hunter and Maj. J. S...
(1958) - I Was Monty's DoubleI Was Monty's Double (film)I Was Monty's Double is a 1958 film made by Associated British Picture Corporation . It was directed by John Guillermin, from a screenplay adapted by Bryan Forbes.- Plot :...
(1958) - Summer of the Seventeenth DollSummer of the Seventeenth DollSummer of the Seventeenth Doll is a pioneering Australian play written by Ray Lawler and first performed at the Union Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, on 28 November 1955...
(1959) - Tiger BayTiger Bay (film)Tiger Bay is a 1959 British crime drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and produced and co-written by John Hawkesworth. It stars John Mills as a police superintendent who investigates a murder, his daughter Hayley Mills, in her first major film role, as a girl who witnesses the murder, and Horst...
(1959) — (with daughter Hayley MillsHayley MillsHayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
)
- Swiss Family RobinsonSwiss Family Robinson (film)Swiss Family Robinson is a 1960 American Technicolor feature film starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, and Sessue Hayakawa in a tale of a shipwrecked family building an island home. The screenplay by Lowell S. Hawley was loosely based upon the 1812 novel Der Schweizerische Robinson by Johann...
(1960) - Tunes of GloryTunes of GloryTunes of Glory is a 1960 British film directed by Ronald Neame, based on the novel and screenplay by James Kennaway. The film is a "dark psychological drama" centring on events in a Scottish Highland regimental barracks in the period following World War II...
(1960) - The Singer Not the SongThe Singer Not the SongThe Singer Not the Song is a 1961 British drama film based on the novel by Audrey Erskine Lindop that was directed by Roy Ward Baker and filmed in Spain.-Cast:*Dirk Bogarde as Anacleto Comachi*John Mills as Father Michael Keogh...
(1961) - Flame in the StreetsFlame in the StreetsFlame in the Streets is a 1961 British drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring John Mills, Sylvia Syms, Brenda De Banzie, Earl Cameron and Johnny Sekka.-Synopsis:...
(1961) - Tiara TahitiTiara TahitiTiara Tahiti is a 1962 drama-comedy film directed by Ted Kotcheff, starring James Mason and John Mills. It is based on the novel by Geoffrey Cotterell, who also adapted it to screen together with Ivan Foxwell. It was filmed in London and Tahiti...
(1962) - The Valiant (1962)
- The Chalk GardenThe Chalk GardenThe Chalk Garden is a play by Enid Bagnold that premiered on Broadway in 1955. The play tells the story of Mrs. St Maugham and her granddaughter Laurel, a disturbed child under Miss Madrigal's care. The setting of the play was inspired by Bagnold's own garden at North End House in Rottingdean, near...
(1964) - (with daughter Hayley Mills) - The Truth About SpringThe Truth About SpringThe Truth about Spring is a 1965 film released by Universal. It stars Hayley Mills, her father Sir John Mills and James MacArthur It is a romantic comedy adventure.-Plot:...
(1964) - (with daughter Hayley Mills) - King Rat (1965)
- Operation CrossbowOperation Crossbow (film)Operation Crossbow is a British 1965 spy thriller and World War II film, made from a story from Duilio Coletti and Vittoriano Petrilli and filmed at MGM-British Studios...
(1965) - The Family WayThe Family WayThe Family Way is a 1966 British comedy-drama film based on Bill Naughton's play All in Good Time . It began life in 1961 as a television play entitled Honeymoon Postponed....
(1966) - (with daughter Hayley Mills) - The Wrong BoxThe Wrong BoxThe Wrong Box is a British comedy film made by Salamander Film Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was produced and directed by Bryan Forbes from a screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove, based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne.The cast includes a...
(1966) - Africa Texas StyleAfrica Texas StyleAfrica Texas Style is a 1967 British adventure film directed by Andrew Marton and starring John Mills, Hugh O'Brian and Nigel Green. Two American cowboys are hired by a British rancher to oversee his estate in Kenya.-Cast:* Hugh O'Brian- Jim Sinclair...
(1967) - ChukaChukaChuka may refer to:*Chuka, Kenya, a town*Chuka, Tibet, a village*Chuka Umunna , British Member of Parliament, commentator and lawyer*Stefano Okaka Chuka , Italian football player*Chuka , a 1967 western starring Rod Taylor...
(1967) - La morte non ha sesso (1968)
- Emma HamiltonEmma Hamilton (film)Emma Hamilton is a 1968 historical drama film directed by Christian-Jaque and starring Michèle Mercier, Richard Johnson and John Mills. It was based on the novel La San-Felice by Alexandre Dumas and depicts the love affair between Emma Hamilton and Horatio Nelson. It was a co-production between...
(1968) - Oh! What a Lovely WarOh! What a Lovely WarOh! What a Lovely War is a musical film based on the stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! originated by Charles Chilton as a radio play, The Long Long Trail in December 1961, and transferred to stage by Gerry Raffles in partnership with Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop created in 1963,...
(1969) - Run Wild, Run FreeRun Wild, Run FreeRun Wild, Run Free is a 1969 film directed by Richard C. Sarafian. The film was written by David Rook, based on his novel The White Colt. The film was shot on location in Dartmoor, Devon, England.-Plot:...
(1969) - Adam's WomanAdam's WomanAdam's Woman is a 1970 Australian-American historical drama film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Beau Bridges, Jane Merrow and John Mills...
(1970) - Ryan's DaughterRyan's DaughterRyan's Daughter is a 1970 film directed by David Lean. The film, set in 1916, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair with a British officer during World War I, despite opposition from her nationalist neighbours...
(1970) - DulcimaDulcimaDulcima is a 1971 British drama film directed by Frank Nesbitt. It was entered into the 21st Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Carol White - Dulcima Gaskain* John Mills - Mr. Parker* Stuart Wilson - Forest Warden* Bernard Lee - Mr. Gaskain...
(1971) - Lady Caroline LambLady Caroline Lamb (film)Lady Caroline Lamb is a 1972 film based on the life of the notorious Lady Caroline Lamb, lover of Lord Byron and wife of Prime MinisterViscount Melbourne...
(1972) - Young WinstonYoung WinstonYoung Winston is a 1972 British film based on the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.The film was based on the book My Early Life: A Roving Commission by Winston Churchill. The first part of the film covers Churchill's unhappy schooldays, up to the death of his father...
(1972) - Oklahoma CrudeOklahoma Crude (film)Oklahoma Crude is a 1973 drama film directed by Stanley Kramer. It stars George C. Scott and Faye Dunaway.-Plot:Set in the 1900s, the film is about a lone woman, Lena Doyle who finds herself threatened by tough businessmen who want to take her land which possesses shares of crude oil...
(1973) - The Human Factor (1975)
- Trial by CombatTrial by Combat (film)Trial by Combat is a 1976 film directed by Kevin Connor. It stars John Mills and Donald Pleasence.-Cast:* John Mills as Colonel Bertie Cook* Donald Pleasence as Sir Giles Marley* Barbara Hershey as Marion Evans* David Birney as Sir John Gifford...
(1976) - The Devil's Advocate (1977)
- The Big SleepThe Big Sleep (1978 film)The Big Sleep was the second film version of Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Michael Winner and stars Robert Mitchum in his second feature film portrayal of the detective Philip Marlowe. The cast includes Sarah Miles, Candy Clark, Joan Collins, and...
(1978) - The Thirty Nine Steps (1978)
- Dr. StrangeDr. StrangeDoctor Strange is a Marvel Comics character and Sorceror.Doctor Strange or Dr. Strange may also refer to:*Doc Strange, a Nedor Comics character named Doctor Thomas Hugo Strange*Hugo Strange, a DC Comics character and recurring Batman villain...
(1978, TV film) - Zulu DawnZulu DawnZulu Dawn is a 1979 war film about the historical Battle of Isandlwana between British and Zulu forces in 1879 in South Africa. The screenplay was by Cy Endfield, from his book, and Anthony Story. The film was directed by Douglas Hickox...
(1979) - The Quatermass ConclusionQuatermass (TV serial)Quatermass is a British television science fiction serial produced by Euston Films for Thames Television and broadcast on the ITV network in October and November 1979. Like its three predecessors, Quatermass was written by Nigel Kneale...
(1979) - GandhiGandhi (film)Gandhi is a 1982 biographical film based on the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who led the nonviolent resistance movement against British colonial rule in India during the first half of the 20th century. The film was directed by Richard Attenborough and stars Ben Kingsley as Gandhi. They both...
(1982) - The Adventures of Little Lord Fauntleroy (1982, TV film)
- SaharaSahara (1983 film)Sahara is a 1983 film starring Brooke Shields, Lambert Wilson, John Mills and Horst Buchholz. It was filmed in Israel and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. The original music score was composed by Ennio Morricone...
(1983) - The Masks of DeathThe Masks of DeathThe Masks of Death is a Sherlock Holmes film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Peter Cushing as the sleuth and John Mills as Doctor Watson.-Synopsis:...
(1985, TV film) - Murder with MirrorsMurder with MirrorsMurder with Mirrors is a 1985 TV movie based on the Dame Agatha Christie mystery novel, They Do It with Mirrors, using the novel's US title. The film is set in a youth detention centre run by a charitable American educationalist in England....
(1985, TV film) - Edge of the Wind (1985, TV film)
- Hold the DreamHold the DreamHold the Dream is a British two-part miniseries made in 1986, based on the novel of the same name by Barbara Taylor Bradford. It is the second book in the Emma Harte series, following A Woman of Substance...
(1986, TV film) - When the Wind Blows (1986)
- Who's That Girl (1987)
- Ending Up (1989, TV film)
- The Lady and the HighwaymanThe Lady and the HighwaymanThe Lady and the Highwayman is a 1989 UK TV movie based on Barbara Cartland's Romance Novel Cupid Rides Pillion. The working title of the film was Dangerous Love....
(1989, TV film) - Night of the Fox (1990, TV film)
- Harnessing PeacocksHarnessing Peacocks (film)Harnessing Peacocks is a 1992 British television film directed by James Cellan Jones and starring Serena Scott Thomas, Peter Davison and John Mills...
(1992, TV film) - FrankensteinFrankenstein (1992 film)Frankenstein is a television film first aired in 1992, based on Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. It was produced by Turner Pictures and directed by David Wickes....
(1992, TV film) - The Big Freeze (1993)
- Deadly AdviceDeadly AdviceDeadly Advice is a 1994 British comedy drama film directed by Mandie Fletcher and starring Jane Horrocks, Brenda Fricker and Edward Woodward.-Plot:The daughters of a domineering mother aspire to break free of her control and form romantic attachments....
(1994) - The GrotesqueThe Grotesque (film)The Grotesque is a 1995 British film by John-Paul Davidson, adapted from the 1989 novel by Patrick McGrath...
(1995) - HamletHamlet (1996 film)Hamlet is a 1996 film version of William Shakespeare's classic play of the same name, adapted and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars in the title role as Prince Hamlet...
(1996) - Bean (1997)
- CatsCATS (film)Cats is a 1998 direct-to-video film of the long-running West End production of Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. Lloyd Webber himself personally oversaw orchestration for the film and called on Gillian Lynne, the original show's...
(1998) - The Gentleman ThiefThe Gentleman ThiefThe Gentleman Thief is a 2001 British television adaptation of the A.J. Raffles stories by Ernest William Hornung. It features performances from Nigel Havers as A. J. Raffles and Michael French as Ellis Bride. It was directed by Justin Hardy....
(2001, TV film) - Bright Young ThingsBright Young ThingsBright Young Things is a 2003 British drama film written and directed by Stephen Fry. The screenplay, based on the 1930 novel Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh, provides satirical social commentary about the Bright Young People: young and carefree London aristocrats and bohemians, as well as society in...
(2003) - Lights 2 (2005, Short film)
Stage performances
- The Good CompanionsThe Good Companions (musical)The Good Companions is a musical with a book by Ronald Harwood, music by André Previn, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It is based on the 1929 novel of the same title by J. B...
(1974) - Great Expectations (1976)
- Goodbye, Mr. ChipsGoodbye, Mr. ChipsGoodbye, Mr. Chips is a novel by James Hilton, published in the United States in June 1934 by Little, Brown and Company and in the United Kingdom in October of that same year by Hodder & Stoughton...
- Of Mice and MenOf Mice and MenOf Mice and Men is a novella written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression in California, USA....
Principal television performances
- Dundee and the CulhaneDundee and the CulhaneDundee and the Culhane is a Western television series starring John Mills and Sean Garrison that aired on the CBS television network from September 7 to December 13, 1967....
(1967) - The Zoo GangThe Zoo GangThe Zoo Gang was a 1974 ITC Entertainment drama series that ran for six one-hour colour episodes, based on the 1971 book of the same name by Paul Gallico....
(1974) - QuatermassQuatermass (TV serial)Quatermass is a British television science fiction serial produced by Euston Films for Thames Television and broadcast on the ITV network in October and November 1979. Like its three predecessors, Quatermass was written by Nigel Kneale...
(1979) - Young at HeartYoung at HeartYoung at Heart may refer to:In music:* Young at Heart , a soundtrack album from the 1954 film, named after the song by Johnny Richards and Carolyn Leigh...
(1980–1982) - Martin ChuzzlewitMartin Chuzzlewit (TV series)Martin Chuzzlewit was a 1994 TV mini series produced by the BBC. It is based on the novel by Charles Dickens, with a screenplay by David Lodge. The music was composed by Geoffrey Burgon...
(1994)