Joshua John Miller
Joshua John Miller | |
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Born |
Joshua John Miller December 26, 1974 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Other names |
Joshua Miller Josh Miller Joshua Jon Miller |
Occupation |
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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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Joshua John Miller". The New York Times.
- ↑ James, Caryn (October 4, 1987). "Near Dark, a Tale of Vampires on the Road". The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
- ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joshua-john-miller/post_5284_b_3744438.html
- ↑ Creepy, Uncle (December 4, 2009). "DreamWorks and Fox Are Off to Alaska to Howl".