Joshua John Miller

Joshua John Miller
Born Joshua John Miller
December 26, 1974
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names Joshua Miller
Josh Miller
Joshua Jon Miller
Occupation
  • Actor
  • screenwriter
  • film director
  • novelist
Years active 1982–present

Joshua John Miller (born December 26, 1974) is an American actor, writer, screenwriter, novelist, and filmmaker.[1] As a child actor, Miller was best known for his role as Homer, the pre-teen vampire, in the film Near Dark,[2] Richtie Miller in Teen Witch, and Tim in the film River's Edge.[1] He is also known for his guest starring roles in numerous 1980s and 90s television series, such as Family Ties, Highway To Heaven, Growing Pains, 21 Jump Street, and The Wonder Years.

Emerging as an adult in the film industry, Miller has returned to acting and has written his own novel The Mao Game, turning it into a movie adaptation which he directed. He wrote the screenplay for the horror comedy film The Final Girls with M.A. Fortin.

Personal life

Joshua Miller was born on December 26, 1974 in Los Angeles, California, the son of actor and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jason Miller, and actress and Playboy pin-up Susan Bernard. Miller's half-brother is actor Jason Patric, and his maternal grandfather was photographer Bruno Bernard, also known as "Bernard of Hollywood". His father was of Irish, as well as German, descent, and his mother is Jewish.

Miller is openly gay and has a partner as of 2013.[3]

Career

Miller started appearing in films and television when he was eight years old. His first film role was in Halloween III: Season of the Witch. He would go on to star in such films as River's Edge, Near Dark, Class of 1999, and Teen Witch. Miller also made guest appearances on several popular television shows, including 21 Jump Street, The Wonder Years, The Greatest American Hero, Highway to Heaven (for which he received a Young Artist Award in 1985), and Growing Pains (hence a popular misconception that he is a relative of Jeremy Miller, who was "Ben Seaver" on that series; they are not related).

Miller appeared in several plays, and was involved in dance from a very early age. He starred in the Los Angeles Ballet Company's production of The Nutcracker for three consecutive seasons beginning at age seven, and later appeared as a dancer in Janet Jackson's Grammy Award-winning Rhythm Nation 1814 video.

Miller attended Yale and Antioch University and studied creative writing at UCLA. In 1997, he published a pseudo-autobiographical novel called The Mao Game about a fifteen-year-old child star attempting to cope with heroin addiction, memories of past sexual abuse, and the impending death of his grandmother, who has been diagnosed with cancer. In December 2003, he completed his MFA in creative writing at the University of Iowa. He was awarded the Capote Fellowship, and was also chosen for the Houghton-Mifflin Fellowship Award. He has written articles for Harper's Bazaar and Playboy.

In 1999, The Mao Game was adapted into a film, written and directed by Miller, and co-produced by Whoopi Goldberg. The film starred Miller, Kirstie Alley, and Piper Laurie, and featured Miller's mother, Susan Bernard, in a brief, uncredited cameo. The movie toured the festival circuit, and garnered mixed reviews from critics.

He appears as Jinky in The Wizard of Gore.[1] He has written a second novel, titled Ash. Miller is collaborating with M.A. Fortin to write the DreamWorks TV and Fox production Howl,[4] which is set in Alaska.

Film and television credits

Year Title Role Notes
2007 The Wizard of Gore Jinky Film
1999 The Mao Game Jordan Highland Film
1991 And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird Josh Carson Film
1990 Death Warrant Douglas Tisdale Film
1990 The Ghost Writer Edgar Strack TV movie
1990 Class of 1999 Angel Film
1990 The Wonder Years Larry Beeman TV series; episode: "Rock 'n Roll"
1989 Meet the Hollowheads Joey Film
1989 Teen Witch Richie Miller Film
1989 Rhythm Nation 1814 B.J. (Boy With Harmonica) Short film
1988 Cagney & Lacey Henry Gorvel TV series; episode: "Hello Goodbye"
1987 Growing Pains Friend #1 TV series; episode: "Not Necessarily The News"
1987 21 Jump Street Brian Sheffield TV series; episode: "In the Custody of a Clown"
1987 Near Dark Homer Film
1986 River's Edge Tim Film
1986 Stoogemania Young Howard Film
1985 Highway to Heaven Jason Winner TV series; episode: "A Song for Jason (Parts 1 & 2)"
1984 The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins François TV movie
1984 Family Ties Kenneth TV series; episode: "Go Tigers"
1982 Halloween III: Season of the Witch Willie Challis Film
1982 The Greatest American Hero Jonathan TV series; episode: "Good Samaritan"

Writer

Year Title Notes
2015 The Final Girls Film
2011 Howl TV series
1999 The Mao Game Novel and screenplay

Director

Year Title Notes
1999 The Mao Game Film

Awards

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films

Year Result Category/Recipient(s) Work
1992 Nominated Best Performance by a Younger Actor And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird
1988 Nominated Best Performance by a Younger Actor Near Dark

Young Artist Awards

Year Result Category/Recipient(s) Work
1993 Nominated Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird
1991 Nominated Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture Class of 1999
1990 Nominated Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series The Wonder Years (For episode: "Rock n' Roll")
1990 Nominated Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture Teen Witch
1989 Nominated Best Young Actor in a Cable Family Series On the Edge
1988 Nominated Best Young Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama River's Edge
1986 Won Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor in a Television Special or Mini-Series Highway to Heaven (For episode "A Song for Jason")

References

External links