Juliet Maryon Mills (born 21 November 1941) is an English and American actress. The daughter of actor Sir John Mills and older sister of actress Hayley Mills, she began her career as a child actress and was nominated at age 18 for a Tony Award for her stage performance in Five Finger Exercise in 1960. She progressed to film work and then to television, playing the lead role on the sitcom Nanny and the Professor in the early 1970s. She received Golden Globe Award nominations for her work in this series and for her role in the film Avanti! in 1972. She won an Emmy Award for her performance in the television miniseries QB VII.
In 1983, Mills joined The Mirror Theater Ltd's Mirror Repertory Company, performing in repertory productions such as Rain, Paradise Lost, Inheritors and The Hasty Heart throughout their seasons. From 1999 until 2008, she starred as Tabitha Lenox on the television soap opera Passions, for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award.
Early life
Mills was born on 21 November 1941 in London during World War II, though her parents, the actor John Mills and playwright Mary Hayley Bell, soon moved the family to the country to be away from the Luftwaffe bombing raids. She is the elder sister of the actress Hayley Mills and director Jonathan Mills.
Because of her parents' careers, Mills grew up surrounded by famous actors, including Rex Harrison, David Niven and Marlon Brando. She recalled her childhood in the 2000 documentary film Sir John Mills' Moving Memories, written by her brother. Her godmother was actress Vivien Leigh, and her godfather was playwright Noël Coward.
Career
As a child, Mills appeared as an extra in various films, including a role as Freda's 11-week-old baby in the 1942 film In Which We Serve, starring her father. In 1955, aged 14, while boarding at Elmhurst Ballet School, she appeared in a starring role as Alice in a London stage production of Alice Through the Looking Glass at the Chelsea Palace Theatre.
Her first major film role came in 1958, when she was 16, as Pamela Harrington in the Peter Shaffer play Five Finger Exercise. The show ran one year in London, and then moved to the Music Box Theatre on Broadway. In 1960, Mills was nominated for a Tony Award as "Best Featured Actress" for her performance as Pamela.
In 1961, Mills appeared as a stowaway, dressed as a man but the daughter of a ship's gunner, in episode 2 of Sir Francis Drake. This was one of her first TV appearances, and was echoed by an almost identical role in the 1964 film Carry On Jack.
thumb|left|190px|Publicity photo of Mills promoting the January 21, 1970 premiere of the television series [[Nanny and the Professor]]
In the 1960s, Mills would appear both in films and on television. She had a role in the film, The Rare Breed with James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara, and on television series such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ben Casey and 12 O'Clock High. She has stated that the highlight of her film career was Avanti! (1972), directed by Billy Wilder, in which she starred opposite Jack Lemmon and for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination in 1973. In 1974, Mills starred alongside fellow English actor Richard Johnson in the Italian horror film Beyond the Door, playing the role of Jessica Barrett, a woman who becomes demonically possessed after an unplanned pregnancy. The movie was a major success, making over $15 million at the box office, though the producers were sued by Warner Bros due to similarities to The Exorcist. Mills also appeared in a two-part 1978 episode of the TV series The Love Boat, playing Barbara Danver, wife of Alan Danver, played by Dan Rowan.
thumb|190px|left|Nanny and the Professor cast 1970 (clockwise from top) [[Richard Long (actor)|Richard Long, David Doremus, Trent Lehman, Kim Richards and Mills]]
In 1969, Mills was cast in the American television series Nanny and the Professor, which premiered on ABC in January, 1970. Mills played Phoebe Figalilly, a nanny with seemingly magical powers, reminiscent of Mary Poppins. Mills has stated that she herself believes in magic, witches and fairies: "There's a lot more, you know, in the aether and around us ... We have guides, and we have angels taking care of us ... I believe in metaphysics, in a big way." Mills was nominated for her first Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Lead Actress" for the role.
Passions ended in August, 2008. In 2009, Mills joined the cast the ITV drama Wild at Heart, playing Georgina, the sister of a character played in the previous series by her real-life sister Hayley. She also guest-starred in two episodes of Hot in Cleveland as Philipa Scroggs, the mother of Joy (played by Jane Leeves).
Personal life
thumb|190px|Mills in 2004
Mills has been married three times. The first time was from 1961 to 1964, to Russell Alquist, Jr.,
Stage credits
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
!Theatre
|-
|1955
|Alice Through the Looking Glass
|Alice
|Chelsea Palace Theatre
|-
|1958
|Five Finger Exercise
|Pamela Harrington
|Comedy Theatre
|-
|1960
|Peter Pan
|Wendy Darling
|Scala Theatre
|-
|1962
|The Glad and Sorry Season
|Kitty
|Piccadilly Theatre
|-
|1963
|A Midsummer Night's Dream
|Titania
|Royal Shakespeare Company
|-
|1964
|The Knack ...and How to Get It
|
|
|-
|1964–65
|Alfie!
|Gilda
|Morosco Theatre
|-
|1966
|Lady Windermere's Fan
|
|Phoenix Theatre
|-
|1969
|She Stoops to Conquer
|Kate Hardcastle
|Garrick Theatre
|-
|1976
|The Mousetrap
|
|U.S. tour
|-
|1979
|Wait Until Dark
|Susy Hendrix
|Alcazar Theatre
|-
| rowspan="2" |1980
|The Elephant Man
|Fanny Kemble
|Royal Poinsiana Playhouse
|-
|The Heiress
|Catherine Sloper
|Nottingham Playhouse
|-
|1983
|Rain
|
| rowspan="4" |The Mirror Theater
|-
|1983–84
|Paradise Lost
|Pearl Gordon
|-
|1984
|Inheritors
|
|-
|1985
|The Hasty Heart
|
|-
|1991
|Dangerous Obsession
|Sally Driscoll
|Cape Cod Playhouse
|-
|1992–93
|Fallen Angels
|
|UK Tour
|-
| rowspan="3" |1995
|The Cherry Orchard
|
|Canadian tour
|-
|The Moliere Comedies
|
|
|-
|Time of My Life
|Laura Stratton
|Williamstown Theatre Festival
|-
|1996
|It Could Be Any One of Us
|Jocelyn Polegate
|The Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness-on-Windermere
|-
|1997
|Blithe Spirit
|Ruth
|Lauren K. Woods Theatre
|-
|1998
|Dial M for Murder
|
|Cape Cod Playhouse
|-
|1999
|Double Double
|Philippa
|UK Tour
|-
|2010
|Bedroom Farce
|Delia
|UK Tour
|-
|2015
|Legends!
|Sylvia Glenn
|Australian Tour
|-
|2019
|The Lady Vanishes
|Miss Froy
|UK Tour
|-
|2022
|Darker Shores
|Mrs Hinchcliffe
|UK Tour
|}
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1942
|In Which We Serve
|Freda's Baby
|
|-
|1944
|Tawny Pipit
|Baby Girl
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1947
|So Well Remembered
|Young Julie
|
|-
|The October Man
|Child on Bus
|
|-
|1949
|'
|Little Polly
|
|-
|1961
|No My Darling Daughter
|Tansy Carr
|
|-
|1962
|Twice Round the Daffodils
|Catty
|
|-
|1963
|Nurse on Wheels
|Joanna Jones
|
|-
|1964
|Carry On Jack
|Sally
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1966
|'
|Hilary Price
|
|-
|The Wrong Box
|Woman on Train
|Uncredited
|-
|1969
|Oh! What a Lovely War
|Nurse
|
|-
|1972
|Avanti!
|Pamela Piggott
|
|-
|1973
|Jonathan Livingston Seagull
|Marina (voice)
|
|-
|1974
|Beyond the Door
|Jessica Barrett
|
|-
|1976
|'
|Estefanía
|
|-
|1992
|Waxwork II: Lost in Time
|The Defense Lawyer
|
|-
|1999
|'
|Winnie
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2014
|Lucky Stiff
|Miss Thorsby
|
|-
|Some Kind of Beautiful
|Joan
|
|-
|2018
|Running for Grace
|Grandmother
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2023
|7000 Miles
|Sharon
|
|-
|Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar
|Whale (voice)
|
|-
|The Primevals
|Claire Collier
|Filmed in 1994
|-
|Poolman
|Mrs. Van Patterson
|
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" |1962
|ITV Television Playhouse
|Carol
|Episode: "The Morning After"
|-
|Man of the World
|Carla
|Episode: "The Mindreader"
|-
|1963
|It Happened Like This
|Joan
|Episode: "Three of a Kind"
|-
|1965
|'
|Eva
|Episode: "The Adriatic Express Affair"
|-
| rowspan="4" |1966
|Ben Casey
|Joan Lloyd
|Episode: "Pull the Wool Over Your Eyes, Here Comes the Cold Wind of Truth"
|-
|'
|Paula
|Episode: "The Imposter"
|-
|12 O'Clock High
|Sydney Vivyan, Helen Conboy
|Episode: "The Slaughter Pen" and "Siren Voices"
|-
|Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
|Mary Lewis
|Episode: "Time of Flight"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1967
|The Revenue Men
|Jill Lacey
|Episode: "Borderline"
|-
|Coronet Blue
|Margaret Crowell
|Episode: "Man Running"
|-
|1968
|Sherlock Holmes
|Grace Dunbar
|Episode: "Thor Bridge"
|-
|1969
|The Morecambe & Wise Show
|Herself (guest star)
|Her father, Sir John Mills, guest starred in a later series.
|-
|1970–71
|Nanny and the Professor
|Phoebe Figalilly
|Lead role (54 episodes)
|-
| rowspan="2" |1971
|Alias Smith and Jones
|Julia Finney
|Episode: "The Man Who Murdered Himself"
|-
|Stage 2
|Kate Hardcastle
|Episode: "She Stoops to Conquer"
|-
|1973
|The ABC Afternoon Playbreak
|Susan Moroni
|Episode: "Alone with Terror"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1974
|Born Free
|Dr. Claire Hanley
|Episodes: "Pilot", "The Flying Doctor of Kenya"
|-
|Harry O
|Margaret Ballinger
|Episode: "Ballinger's Choice"
|-
|1974–75
|Match Game 74
|Herself (celebrity panelist)
|Multiple episodes
|-
| rowspan="4" |1975
|Marcus Welby, M.D.
|Louise Carpenter
|Episode: "Public Secrets"
|-
|Hawaii Five-O
|Lady Sybil Danby
|Episode: "Termination with Extreme Prejudice"
|-
|The Wide World of Mystery
|Isobel
|Episode: "Demon, Demon"
|-
|Matt Helm
|Caroline Jeffries
|Episode: "Death Rods"
|-
|1976
|Ellery Queen
|Florence Ames
|Episode: "The Adventure of the Hardhearted Huckster"
|-
|1977
|Wonder Woman
|Queen Kathryn
|Episode: "The Queen and the Thief"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1978
|Switch
|Alicia Alden
|Episode: "Coronado Circle"
|-
|Police Woman
|Amy Hollis
|Episode: "Sixth Sense"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1978–84
|Fantasy Island
| rowspan="2" |Various
|4 episodes
|-
|The Love Boat
|8 episodes
|-
|1980
|Hart to Hart
|Kate Matthews
|Episode: "Downhill to Death"
|-
|1984
|Dynasty
|Rosalind Bedford
|Episodes: "The Secret", "That Holiday Spirit"
|-
|1985
|All My Children
|Judge Edith Hogan
|
|-
|1985
|Hotel
|Grace Cauldwell
|Episode: "Fallen Idols"
|-
|1987
|Murder, She Wrote
|Annette Pirage
|Episode: "Witness for the Defense"
|-
|1987
|Hotel
|Joanne Bentley
|Episode: "Pitfalls"
|-
|1988
|The Law & Harry McGraw
|Isobel McKechnie
|Episode: "Maginnis for the People"
|-
|1990
|Monsters
|Cara Raymond
|Episode: "Outpost"
|-
|1992
|Columbo
|Eileen Hacker
|Episode: "No Time to Die"
|-
|1998
|Air America
|Helen Vendler
|Episode: "The Hit"
|-
|1999–2008
|Passions
|Tabitha Lenox
|Main role (990 episodes)
|-
|2009
|Wild at Heart
|Georgina
|Recurring role (8 episodes)
|-
|2010–15
|Hot in Cleveland
|Philipa
|4 episodes
|-
|2014
|From Here on OUT
|Dottie Cooper
|Regular (6 episodes)
|-
| rowspan="3" |2017
|Time After Time
|Mrs. Nelsen
|Episode: "Pilot"
|-
|Jeff & Some Aliens
|Jessica (voice)
|Episode: "Jeff & Some Love Simulations"
|-
|Andi Mack
|Millie
|Episode: "Mama"
|-
|2021
|TV Therapy
|Nanny
|Episode: "Nanny"
|-
|2022
|Big Mouth
| Rita St. Swithens
| Voice; Episode: "Vagina Shame"
|-
|2023–24
|Grey's Anatomy
| Maxine Anderson
| 6 episodes
|-
|2023
|Human Resources
| Rita St. Swithens (voice)
| Episode: "On the Daughterfront"
|-
|2024
|Ark: The Animated Series
|Chava (voice)
|
|-
|2025
|Loot
|Lady Olivia Tottenham
|Episode: "Lady Molly"
|}
TV films, miniseries, and specials
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1960
|Mrs. Miniver
|Carol Beldon
|
|-
|1967
|Wings of Fire
|Lisa
|
|-
|1970
|The Challengers
|Mary McCabe
|
|-
|1973
|Letters from Three Lovers
|Maggie
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1974
|QB VII
|Samantha Cady
|
|-
|Rex Harrison Presents Stories of Love
|Usherette
|Failed pilot
|-
|1976
|Once an Eagle
|Joyce
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1977
|Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn
|Myra
|
|-
|Barnaby and Me
|Jennifer
|
|-
|1979
|The Cracker Factory
|Tinkerbell
|
|-
|1989
|Judith Krantz's Till We Meet Again
|Vivianne de Biron
|
|-
|1993
|A Stranger in the Mirror
|Alice Tanner
|
|-
|2008–09
|Four Seasons
|Lady Florence Combe
|
|-
|2022
|English Estate
|Mary
|
|}
Audio
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1987
|Valley of the Dolls
|Narrator
|Audiobook recording by Phoenix Books
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Institution
! Year
! Category
! Work
! Result
!Ref.
|-
|Bravo Otto
|1972
|Best Female TV Star
|Nanny and the Professor
|
|
|-
|Tony Awards
|1958
|Best Featured Actress in a Play
|Five Finger Exercise
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |Golden Globe Awards
|1971
|Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy
|Nanny and the Professor
|
|
|-
|1973
|Best Motion Picture Actress – Musical/Comedy
|Avanti!
|
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | Soap Opera Digest Awards
|2000
|Outstanding Villain
|rowspan=3| Passions
|
|
|-
|2001
|Outstanding Villainess
|
|
|-
|2003
|Outstanding Supporting Actress
|
|
|-
|TV Land Awards
|2004
|Superlatively Supernatural
|Nanny and the Professor
|
|
|-
|Daytime Emmy Awards
|2005
|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
|Passions
|
|
|}
References
External links
- Juliet Mills at Theatricalia
- Juliet Mills at AboutTheArtists