Penelope Milford obit

Penelope Milford, Oscar-Nominated Actress in ‘Coming Home,’ Dies at 77

 

She was not on the list.

American stage and screen actress Penelope Milford, who was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1979 for her role in Hal Ashby’s “Coming Home,” died Tuesday in Saugerties, N.Y. She was 77.

Her death was confirmed by her brother Doug Milford. A cause was not immediately available.

Milford’s professional career on the New York stage began in 1971 where she co-starred opposite Richard Gere in an Off-Broadway production of “Long Time Coming and a Long Time Gone,” based upon the life of musician-novelist Richard Farina.

In 1972 Milford made her Broadway debut in Julian Barry’s Tony Award-winning play “Lenny.” Three years later Milford received a Drama Desk Featured Actress in a Musical nomination for “Shenandoah.”

In that same period, Milford began appearing in films, first playing a role in Norman Mailer’s notorious, edgy, indie film “Maidstone” (1970) and she played a silent-film star in Ken Russell’s 1977 biopic “Valentino.”

But it was her turn as Vi Munson in the Oscar-nominated Best Picture “Coming Home” that placed her in the top ranks of Hollywood performers. Nominated for nine Oscars, including her supporting actress nomination, the film won three Oscars, including Best Actress for Jane Fonda and Best Actor for Jon Voight. In 1981 she also appeared in Franco Zeffirelli’s “Endless Love.”

In the ’80s, Milford also played several notable roles on television, co-starring with Henry Fonda, Cloris Leachman and Timothy Hutton in the Emmy-winning TV play, “The Oldest Living Graduate” (1980), starring with Leonard Nimoy in the television movie “Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris” (1980), as well as taking a key role in the landmark TV film about spousal abuse, “The Burning Bed” (1984) which starred Farrah Fawcett and garnered numerous accolades, including a WGA award and a Golden Globe.

Reportedly dissatisfied with the entertainment industry, Milford played a few more key roles in acclaimed films such as “Heathers” (1988) and John McNaughton’s gritty 1996 crime shocker “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer,” which starred Michael Rooker and garnered several international film festival awards.

In the 1990s, Milford taught film acting in Chicago and Minneapolis, and in 2003 moved to the Hudson Valley village of Saugerties, where she was an ardent preservationist, restoring a historic residence and serving her local community’s efforts to maintain its storied commercial district and homes. She also performed in local theater, sang in the Bard Symphonic Chorus, and was active in the Woodstock Christian Science church.

She is pre-deceased by her brother, actor/singer Richard Kim Milford, and is survived by her sister Candace Saint and her brother Doug Milford.

Actress

Night of the Lawyers (1997)

Night of the Lawyers

5.7

Anna Carroll

1997

 

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part 2 (1996)

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part 2

5.0

Woman in Woods

1996

 

Ashley Judd and Luke Perry in Normal Life (1996)

Normal Life

6.2

Adele Anderson

1996

 

Roger Daltrey and Dennis Waterman in Cold Justice (1991)

Cold Justice

5.9

Eileen

1991

 

Miss Missouri (1990)

Miss Missouri

5.0

Ann

1990

 

Winona Ryder and Christian Slater in Heathers (1988)

Heathers

7.1

Pauline Fleming

1988

 

Page Fletcher in The Hitchhiker (1983)

The Hitchhiker

6.7

TV Series

Diane Hampton

1985

1 episode

 

Farrah Fawcett, Christa Denton, Elizabeth Lyn Fraser, and David Friedman in The Burning Bed (1984)

The Burning Bed

7.2

TV Movie

Gaby

1984

 

Michael Beck, Torquil Campbell, Steve Railsback, and Seth Sakai in The Golden Seal (1983)

The Golden Seal

5.4

Tania Lee

1983

 

Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982)

Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story

6.7

TV Movie

Betty Clooney

1982

 

Blood Link (1982)

Blood Link

5.4

Julie Warren

1982

 

Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt in Endless Love (1981)

Endless Love

4.9

Ingrid

1981

 

Take This Job and Shove It (1981)

Take This Job and Shove It

5.0

Lenore Meade

1981

 

Henry Fonda in The Oldest Living Graduate (1980)

The Oldest Living Graduate

6.7

TV Movie

Martha Ann Sickenger

1980

 

Leonard Nimoy in Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris (1980)

Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris

6.3

TV Movie

Kathy Morris

1980

 

The Last Word (1979)

The Last Word

5.3

Denise Travis

1979

 

Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, and Bruce Dern in Coming Home (1978)

Coming Home

7.3

Vi Munson

1978

 

Rudolf Nureyev and Michelle Phillips in Valentino (1977)

Valentino

6.1

Lorna Sinclair (as Penny Milford)

1977

 

The Blue Knight (1975)

The Blue Knight

6.8

TV Series

Irma

1976

1 episode

 

Man on a Swing (1974)

Man on a Swing

6.6

Evelyn Moore

1974

 

Maidstone (1970)

Maidstone

4.7

1970

 

Self

The 51st Annual Academy Awards (1979)

The 51st Annual Academy Awards

6.9

TV Special

Self - Nominee

1979

 

The Paul Ryan Show (1977)

The Paul Ryan Show

5.1

TV Series

Self - Guest

1977–1992

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

Unauthorized Biography: Jane Fonda (1988)

Unauthorized Biography: Jane Fonda

TV Special

Self (archive footage)

1988