# Penelope Ann Miller

Penelope Ann Miller (born Penelope Andrea Miller; January 13, 1964), sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress. She began her career on Broadway in the original run of Biloxi Blues (1985–1986), later appearing in the 1988 film adaptation of the same name. After playing small roles in the comedies Adventures in Babysitting (1987) and Big Top Pee-wee (1988), and receiving a Tony Award nomination for her leading role in the Broadway revival of Our Town (1988–1989), Miller came to prominence with a succession of major parts in films such as The Freshman, Awakenings, Kindergarten Cop (all 1990), Other People's Money (1991), Chaplin (1992), The Shadow (1994), and The Relic (1997). For her portrayal of exotic dancer Gail in Carlito's Way (1993), she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Other film credits include Along Came a Spider (2001), The Messengers (2007), The Artist (2011), The Birth of a Nation (2016), and Reagan (2024). On television, Miller starred as Molly Hooper on the Fox sitcom A Minute with Stan Hooper (2003–2004), played recurring roles on Men of a Certain Age (2009–2011) and Mistresses (2013–2014), starred as Eve Carlin on the first season of ABC's American Crime (2015), and co-starred as Joyce Dahmer in the Netflix series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022).

## Early life

Miller was born in Los Angeles, California, to Beatrice (née Ammidown), a costume designer, publicist, and journalist, and Mark Miller, a television actor and producer. Her mother was the goddaughter of businessman Aristotle Onassis and an editor of Harper's Bazaar. She has two sisters: older, Marisa Miller, who is also a film actress, and younger, Savannah Miller, a social worker.
Miller graduated from high school in Los Angeles and attended Menlo College in Atherton, California for two years from 1981 to 1983, then moved to New York City to study theatre at HB Studio.

## Career

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 also starred with Broderick in the 1988 film version of that play). She played a role in one episode ("Death and the Lady") of the television series Miami Vice (which aired on October 16, 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. She then appeared as Pee-wee Herman's (Paul Reubens) fiancée, Winnie Johnston, in the 1988 release of Big Top Pee-wee. She played a supporting role in 1989's Dead Bang, a cop thriller starring Don Johnson.
In 1990, she played Paula in Awakenings, starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. She also appeared in the 1990 movies Downtown, with Anthony Edwards and Forest Whitaker, and Kindergarten Cop, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, playing a teacher, hiding with her son Dominic from her criminal drug-dealing husband Cullen Crisp (Richard Tyson). She subsequently appeared in a number of other theatrical movies, notably as Edna Purviance in Chaplin and with Tim Daly as Margaret "Maggie" Harwood in Peter Yates' film Year of the Comet, both in 1992, and the following year she appeared as the love interest of Al Pacino's character in Carlito's Way.
Miller co-starred as the daughter of the character played by Marlon Brando in 1990's The Freshman, again opposite Matthew Broderick, and as the lawyer and stepdaughter of the character played by Gregory Peck in 1991's Other People's Money. She appeared as Margo Lane in The Shadow with Alec Baldwin, as well as in the film Miles from Home directed by Gary Sinise. She had the lead role in the big-budget creature feature The Relic (1997) as Dr. Margo Green. In 1998, she portrayed Barbara Henry in Ruby Bridges a made-for-television movie that was made by Disney, about Ruby Bridges, the first Black student to attend an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. In 2000, she played Mary Kay Letourneau in the TV film All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story.
In 2002, Miller starred in the film Dead in a Heartbeat and 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. In 2007, she appeared in the comedy Blonde Ambition co-starring Jessica Simpson and Luke Wilson. She guest starred as Fran on Desperate Housewives. Miller appeared in the horror film The Messengers, co-starring Dylan McDermott and Kristen Stewart. The film was produced by director Sam Raimi's production company, Ghost House Pictures. In 2011, she portrayed Doris, the wife of protagonist George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), in the Academy Award-winning film The Artist.
After a recurring role on the ABC soap opera Mistresses, Miller was cast in 2015 as a regular in the first season of ABC's drama series American Crime.
In October 2020, Miller was cast as First Lady Nancy Reagan in Reagan, a biographical film based on the life of President Ronald Reagan. Reagan was theatrically released in the United States on August 30, 2024. For her performance in the film, she and Dennis Quaid were nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo at the 45th Golden Raspberry Awards.

## Personal life

In 1994, Miller married actor Will Arnett. They divorced in 1995.
Miller married James Huggins in 2000, and they have two daughters: Eloisa May and Maria Adela. On March 14, 2012, Miller filed for legal separation from Huggins after 12 years of marriage. On June 15, 2012, Miller withdrew her request for separation.

## Filmography

Key :
| † | Denotes projects that have not yet been released |

### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | Hotshot | Mary | Film debut |
| 1987 | Adventures in Babysitting | Brenda | |
| 1988 | Biloxi Blues | Daisy Hannigan | |
| 1988 | Big Top Pee-wee | Winnie Johnson | |
| 1988 | Miles from Home | Sally | |
| 1989 | Dead Bang | Linda Kimble | |
| 1990 | Downtown | Lori Mitchell | |
| 1990 | The Freshman | Tina Sabatini | |
| 1990 | Awakenings | Paula | |
| 1990 | Kindergarten Cop | Joyce Palmieri / Rachel Crisp | |
| 1991 | Other People's Money | Kate Sullivan | |
| 1992 | Year of the Comet | Margaret Harwood | |
| 1992 | The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag | Mrs. Elizabeth Louise "Betty Lou" Perkins | |
| 1992 | Chaplin | Edna Purviance | |
| 1993 | Carlito's Way | Gail | |
| 1994 | The Shadow | Margo Lane | |
| 1997 | The Hired | Garnet Hadley | |
| 1997 | The Relic | Dr. Margo Green | |
| 1997 | Little City | Rebecca | |
| 1998 | Break Up | Grace | |
| 1998 | Outside Ozona | Earlene Demers | |
| 1999 | Chapter Zero | Cassandra | |
| 2000 | Lisa Picard Is Famous | Penelope Ann Miller | |
| 2000 | Forever Lulu | Claire Clifton | |
| 2001 | Along Came a Spider | Elizabeth Rose | |
| 2001 | Full Disclosure | Michelle | Video |
| 2006 | Funny Money | Carol Perkins | |
| 2007 | The Messengers | Denise Solomon | |
| 2007 | The Deal | Laura Martin | |
| 2007 | Blonde Ambition | Debra | |
| 2008 | Free Style | Jeannette Bryant | |
| 2009 | Saving Grace B. Jones | Bea Bretthorst | |
| 2010 | Flipped | Trina Baker | |
| 2011 | The Artist | Doris Valentin | |
| 2011 | About Sunny | Louise | |
| 2013 | Saving Lincoln | Mary Todd Lincoln | |
| 2013 | Robosapien: Rebooted | Joanna Keller | |
| 2016 | The Birth of a Nation | Elizabeth Turner | |
| 2016 | The Bronx Bull | Debbie Forrester | |
| 2018 | American Dresser | Vera | |
| 2020 | Adverse | Nicole | |
| 2024 | Reagan | Nancy Reagan | |
| TBA | Murder at Hollow Creek† | Lori Rhodes | Filming |

### Television films

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1988 | Tales from Hollywood Hills: Closed Set | Tina |
| 1994 | Witch Hunt | Kim Hudson |
| 1997 | The Last Don | Nalene De Lena |
| 1997 | The Hired Heart | Garnet Hadley |
| 1997 | Merry Christmas, George Bailey | Mary Hatch Bailey |
| 1998 | Rhapsody in Bloom | Lilah Bloom |
| 1998 | Ruby Bridges | Barbara Henry |
| 1999 | Rocky Marciano | Barbara Cousins |
| 2000 | All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story | Mary Kay Letourneau |
| 2000 | Killing Moon | Laura Chadwick |
| 2001 | Dodson's Journey | Meredith Dodson |
| 2001 | A Woman's a Helluva Thing | Zane Douglas |
| 2002 | Dead in a Heartbeat | Dr. Gillian Hayes |
| 2002 | Scared Silent | Kathy Clifson |
| 2003 | Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story | Donna Hanover |
| 2003 | National Lampoon's Thanksgiving Family Reunion | Pauline Snider |
| 2004 | Carry Me Home | Harriet |
| 2005 | Personal Effects | Bonnie Locke |
| 2008 | The Deadliest Lesson | Gloria |
| 2017 | NY Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell | Joyce Mitchell |
| 2019 | The College Admissions Scandal | Caroline DeVere |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1985 | Tales from the Darkside | Keena | Episode: "Ring Around the Redhead" |
| 1987 | The Facts of Life | Kristen Morgan | Episode: "The Greek Connection" |
| 1987 | Family Ties | Joyce | Episode: "Higher Love" |
| 1987 | The Popcorn Kid | Gwen Stottlemeyer | 6 episodes |
| 1987 | Miami Vice | Jill Ryder | Episode: "Death and the Lady" |
| 1987 | St. Elsewhere | Laurel | Episode: "Ewe Can't Go Home Again" |
| 1989 | Great Performances | Emily Webb | Episode: "Our Town" |
| 1991 | Morton & Hayes | Jody | Episode: "The Bride of Mummula" |
| 1997 | The Last Don | Nalene De Lena | Episode: "#1.1" |
| 1998 | The Closer | Erica Hewitt | 10 episodes |
| 2002 | A Nero Wolfe Mystery | Lucy Valdon | 2 episodes |
| 2003–2004 | A Minute with Stan Hooper | Molly Hooper | 13 episodes |
| 2005 | CSI: NY | Rose Whitley | Episode: "What You See Is What You Get" |
| 2005 | Desperate Housewives | Fran Ferrara | Episode: "Coming Home" |
| 2006 | Vanished | Jessica Nevins | 9 episodes |
| 2009–2011 | Men of a Certain Age | Sonia Tranelli | 9 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Mistresses | Elizabeth Grey | 10 episodes |
| 2015 | American Crime | Eve Carlin | 10 episodes |
| 2018 | Riverdale | Ms. Wright | 1 episode |
| 2018 | Criminal Minds | Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes | 1 episode |
| 2022 | Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story | Joyce Dahmer | 10 episodes |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1991 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Most Promising Actress | The Freshman | Won |
| 1994 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Carlito's Way | Nominated |
| 1995 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress | The Shadow | Nominated |
| 1997 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress | The Relic | Nominated |
| 1998 | Hollywood Film Awards | Special Jury Award for Best Acting in a Feature | Rhapsody in Bloom | Won |
| 2001 | DVD Exclusive Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Full Disclosure | Nominated |
| 2012 | Gold Derby Awards | Best Ensemble Cast | The Artist | Nominated |
| 2012 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | The Artist | Nominated |
| 2016 | Satellite Awards | Best Ensemble – Television Series | American Crime | Won |
| 2024 | San Diego International Film Festival | Gregory Peck Award | Lifetime Achievement | Awarded |
| 2025 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Screen Combo (shared with Dennis Quaid) | Reagan | Nominated |