Ray Milland

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Ray Milland in The Lost Weekend
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Ray Milland in The Lost Weekend

Ray Milland (January 3, 1905 – March 10, 1986) was a successful Welsh actor and director who worked primarily in the United States. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985.

He was born Reginald Truscott-Jones in Neath, Wales, and took his stage surname from an area of the town. Before becoming an actor, he served in the Royal Household Cavalry. He married Malvinia Warner on September 30, 1932, and they remained together until his death. They had a son, Daniel, and an adopted daughter, Victoria.

The pinnacle of his career came in 1946 when he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of an alcoholic in the film The Lost Weekend (1945). He achieved some success as a director. He made many television appearances.

He died of lung cancer in Torrance, California in 1986, aged 81.

[edit] Trivia

  • Gave the shortest acceptance speech of any Oscar winner: he simply bowed and left the stage.
  • The popular hard rock band Local H recorded a song entitled "Ray Miland" (whether or not the actor's name is misspelled intentionally is unclear) as a b-side to their album "As Good as Dead." The song's lyrics describe a person experiencing moments of clarity in what seems to be an alcoholic haze. While the track has never been properly released, it is widely available on mp3 file-sharing networks.

[edit] Filmography


Preceded by
Bing Crosby
for Going My Way		 Academy Award for Best Actor
1945
for The Lost Weekend		 Succeeded by
Fredric March
for The Best Years of Our Lives

[edit] External links

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