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| {{Infobox person
| | #REDIRECT [[w:John Mills]] |
| | honorific_prefix = [[Knight Bachelor|Sir]]
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| | name = John Mills
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| | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|CBE}}
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| | image = John Mills.jpg
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| | caption =
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| | birth_name = Lewis Ernest Watts Mills
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| | birth_date = {{Birth date|1908|2|22|df=y}}
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| | birth_place = [[North Elmham]], [[Norfolk]], England
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| | death_date = {{Death date and age|2005|4|23|1908|2|22|df=y}}
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| | death_place = [[Denham, Buckinghamshire|Denham]], [[Buckinghamshire]], England
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| | known_for = ''[[Ryan's Daughter]]''<br>''[[Tunes of Glory]]''<br>''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1960 film)|Swiss Family Robinson]]''
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| | spouse = {{plainlist}}
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| * {{marriage|[[Aileen Raymond]]|1932|1941|end=divorced}}
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| * {{marriage|[[Mary Hayley Bell]]<br />|1941<!--Omission per Template:Marriage instructions-->}}
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| {{endplainlist}}
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| | children = 3, including [[Juliet Mills|Juliet]] and [[Hayley Mills|Hayley]]
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| | relatives = {{plainlist}}
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| * [[Annette Mills]] (sister)
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| * [[Crispian Mills]] (grandson)
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| {{endplainlist}}
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| | resting_place= St Mary the Virgin Churchyard, Denham
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| | occupation = Actor
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| | years_active = 1929–2004
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| }}
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| '''Sir John Mills''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}} (born '''Lewis Ernest Watts Mills'''; 22 February 1908{{spaced ndash}}23 April 2005)<ref name="dnb"/> was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British [[everyman]] who often portrayed guileless, wounded war heroes. In 1971, he received the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] for his performance in ''[[Ryan's Daughter]]''.
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| For his work in film Mills was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] by [[Elizabeth II]] in 1976. In 2002, he received a [[BAFTA Fellowship]] from the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] and was named a [[Disney Legends|Disney Legend]] by [[The Walt Disney Company]].
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| ==Early life==
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| John Mills was born on 22 February 1908 in [[North Elmham]], [[Norfolk]],<ref name="dnb"/> the son of Edith Mills (née Baker), a theatre box office manager, and Lewis Mills, a mathematics teacher.<ref name=Guardian>{{cite web|first1=Tim|last1=Pulleine|title=Obituary: Sir John Mills|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/apr/25/2005inreview|work=The Guardian|access-date=26 December 2016|date=25 April 2005}}</ref>
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| Mills was born at [[Watts Naval School]], where his father was a master.
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| He spent his early years in the village of [[Belton with Browston|Belton]] where his father was the headmaster of the village school. He first felt the thrill of performing at a concert in the school hall when he was six years old.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00949y8|title=BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Sir John Mills|website=BBC}}</ref>
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| He then lived in a modest house on Gainsborough Road, [[Felixstowe]], [[Suffolk]] until 1929. His elder sister was [[Annette Mills]], remembered as presenter of BBC Television's ''[[Muffin the Mule]]'' (1946–55).
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| He was educated at [[Balham]] Grammar School in London, [[Sir John Leman High School]] in [[Beccles]] and [[Norwich High School for Boys]],<ref name="dnb">Brian McFarlane, "Mills, Sir John Lewis Ernest Watts (1908–2005)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Jan 2009 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/96589 available online]. Retrieved 28 August 2012.</ref><ref>Mills, John. Chapter 1 ''Up in the Clouds, Gentleman Please'' Published by Orion.</ref> where it is said that his initials can still be seen carved into the brickwork on the side of the building in Upper St Giles Street. Upon leaving school he worked as a clerk<ref name=Guardian /> at a corn merchant's in [[Ipswich]] before finding employment in London as a commercial traveller for the Sanitas Disinfectant Company.
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| ===Military service===
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| In September 1939, at the start of the Second World War, Mills enlisted in the [[British Army]], joining the [[Royal Engineers]].<ref name="Britannia"/> He was later commissioned as a [[Second Lieutenant]], but in 1942 he received a medical discharge because of a stomach ulcer.<ref name="Britannia">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1089511/Sir-John-Mills|title=British actor: Lewis Ernest Watts Mills|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=22 October 2009}}</ref>
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| ==Career==
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| ===Early career===
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| Mills took an early interest in acting, making his professional début at the [[Hippodrome, London|London Hippodrome]] in ''[[The Five O'Clock Girl]]'' in 1929. He followed this with a cabaret act.
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| Mills then got a job with a theatrical company that toured India, China and the Far East performing a number of plays. [[Noël Coward]] saw him appear in a production of ''[[Journey's End]]'' in Singapore and wrote Mills a letter of introduction to use back in London.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article142871533 |title=JOHN MILLS, Britain's No. I Star |newspaper=[[South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus]] |volume=L |issue=38 |location=New South Wales|date=18 May 1950 |access-date=15 September 2017 |page=26 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
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| On his return Mills starred in ''The 1931 Revue'', Coward's ''Cavalcade'' (1931) and the [[Noël Coward]] revue ''[[Words and Music (musical)|Words and Music]]'' (1932).
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| ===Early films===
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| He made his film debut in ''[[The Midshipmaid]]'' (1932). He also appeared in ''[[The Ghost Camera]]'' (1933) with [[Ida Lupino]] and ''[[Britannia of Billingsgate]]'' (1934).
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| Mills was promoted to leading roles in ''[[A Political Party]]'' (1934), a comedy. He was in a series of [[quota quickies]]: ''[[The River Wolves]]'' (1934); ''[[Those Were the Days (1934 film)|Those Were the Days]]'' (1934), the first film of [[Will Hay]]; ''[[The Lash (1934 film)|The Lash]]'' (1934); ''[[Blind Justice (1934 film)|Blind Justice]]'' (1934); ''[[Doctor's Orders (film)|Doctor's Orders]]'' (1934); and ''[[Car of Dreams]]'' (1935). He did ''Jill Darling'' (1934) on stage and was one of many names in ''[[Royal Cavalcade]]'' (1935).
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| ==="A" movies===
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| Mills had the star role in an A film, ''[[Brown on Resolution (film)|Brown on Resolution]]'' (1935). It was back to quota quickies for ''[[Charing Cross Road (film)|Charing Cross Road]]'' (1935) and ''[[The First Offence]]'' (1936). He had another excellent part in an "A", playing [[Lord Guildford Dudley]] in ''[[Tudor Rose (film)|Tudor Rose]]'' (1936). He did ''Aren't Men Beasts?'' (1936) on stage and worked for Hollywood director [[Raoul Walsh]] in ''[[O.H.M.S. (film)|O.H.M.S.]]'' (1937).
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| Mills starred in ''[[The Green Cockatoo]]'' (1937) directed by [[William Cameron Menzies]]. He appeared as Colley in the hugely popular 1939 film version of ''[[Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939 film)|Goodbye, Mr Chips]]'', opposite [[Robert Donat]].
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| ===World War II===
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| At the Old Vic he was in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (1939), ''She Stoops to Conquer'' (1939) and ''Of Mice and Men'' (1939–40). He joined the army in 1939 but occasionally made films on leave. He went back to movies with ''[[Old Bill and Son]]'' (1940) and made ''[[Cottage to Let]]'' (1941), a war film for [[Anthony Asquith]]. Mills went back to supporting Will Hay in ''[[The Black Sheep of Whitehall]]'' (1942) and he was one of many names in the war film, ''[[The Big Blockade]]'' (1942).
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| He was in ''Men in Shadow'' (1942) on stage, written by his wife. He achieved acclaim for his performance as an able seaman in Noël Coward's ''[[In Which We Serve]]'' (1942), a huge hit. Mills had another good support role in ''[[The Young Mr. Pitt]]'' (1942) playing [[William Wilberforce]] opposite [[Robert Donat]]. He was invalided out of the army in 1942.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222144340 |title=THE LIFE STORY OF John Mills |newspaper=[[Voice (Hobart)|Voice]] |volume=26 |issue=46 |location=Hobart |date=14 November 1953 |access-date=15 September 2017 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
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| ===Stardom===
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| Mills's climb to stardom began when he had the lead role in ''[[We Dive at Dawn]]'' (1943), a film directed by Asquith about submariners. He was top billed in ''[[This Happy Breed (film)|This Happy Breed]]'' (1944), directed by [[David Lean]] and adapted from a [[This Happy Breed|Noël Coward play]].
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| Also popular was ''[[Waterloo Road (film)|Waterloo Road]]'' (1945), from [[Sidney Gilliat]], in which Mills played a man who goes AWOL to retrieve his wife from a draft-dodger (played by [[Stewart Granger]]). Mills played a pilot in ''[[The Way to the Stars]]'' (1945), directed by Asquith from a script by [[Terence Rattigan]], and another big hit in Britain. He did ''Duet for Two Hands'' (1945) on stage.
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| Mills had his greatest success to date as Pip in ''[[Great Expectations (1946 film)|Great Expectations]]'' (1946), directed by David Lean. It was the third biggest hit at the British box office that year and Mills was voted the sixth most popular star.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27893195 |title=Anna Neagle Most Popular Actress |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=34,331 |date=3 January 1948 |access-date=15 September 2017 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}
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| </ref>
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| Less successful critically and financially was ''[[So Well Remembered]]'' (1947) which used American writers and directors.<ref name="uni">Richard B. Jewell, ''Slow Fade to Black: The Decline of RKO Radio Pictures'', Uni of California, 2016</ref> ''[[The October Man]]'' (1947) was a mildly popular thriller from [[Roy Ward Baker]].
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| Mills played the title role in ''[[Scott of the Antarctic (film)|Scott of the Antarctic]]'' (1948), a biopic of [[Robert Falcon Scott|Captain Scott]]. It was the fourth most watched film of the year in Britain and Mills was the eighth biggest star.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49700937 |title=TOPS AT HOME |newspaper=[[The Courier-Mail]] |issue=4087 |location=Brisbane |date=31 December 1949 |access-date=15 September 2017 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
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| ===Producer===
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| Mills turned producer with ''[[The History of Mr. Polly (film)|The History of Mr Polly]]'' (1949) from the novel by [[H. G. Wells]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129909232 |title=John Mills To Direct, Produce |newspaper=[[The News (Adelaide)|The News]] |volume=50 |issue=7,719 |location=Adelaide |date=1 May 1948 |access-date=15 September 2017 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> It was directed by [[Anthony Pelissier]] and Mills said it was his favorite film.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122257456 |title=FILM GOOD TIMES |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=63 |issue=19,559 |date=27 April 1989 |access-date=15 September 2017 |page=26 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Pelisse also made ''[[The Rocking Horse Winner (film)|The Rocking Horse Winner]]'' (1949) which Mills produced; he also played a small role. More liked at the box office was a submarine drama, ''[[Morning Departure]]'' (1950), directed by Baker. By this stage his fee was a reported £20,000 a film.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47222646 |title=Fortieth birthday was lucky for John Mills |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |volume=17 |issue=1 |date=11 June 1949 |access-date=15 September 2017 |page=40 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
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| ===Career slump===
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| After ''[[Morning Departure]]'' Mills took almost two years off.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18488134 |title=Australian Angles |newspaper=[[The Sunday Herald (Sydney)]] |issue=125 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=17 June 1951 |access-date=15 September 2017 |page=12 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The films he made on his return were not popular: a thriller, ''[[Mr. Denning Drives North|Mr Denning Drives North]]'' (1951); ''[[The Gentle Gunman]]'' (1952), where he and [[Dirk Bogarde]] played [[Irish Republican Army|IRA]] gunmen for [[Basil Dearden]]; ''[[The Long Memory]]'' (1953), a thriller from [[Robert Hamer]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59695760 |title=WHAT NEWS IN FILMS? GOOGIE DITCHES STAR PART TO SEE AUSTRALIA |newspaper=[[Sunday Times (Perth)]] |issue=2913 |location=Western Australia |date=3 October 1954 |access-date=21 May 2016 |page=1 (MAGAZINE) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
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| ===Popularity revival===
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| [[File:Sim-mills-mitchell-escapade.jpg|thumb|right|Mills (middle) with [[Alastair Sim]] and [[Yvonne Mitchell]] in ''[[Escapade (1955 film)|Escapade]]'' (1955)]]
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| Mills had his first hit in a number of years with ''[[Hobson's Choice (1954 film)|Hobson's Choice]]'' (1954), directed by Lean. He appeared in the war film ''[[The Colditz Story]]'' (1955).
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| Mills played a supporting role in a movie for [[MGM]], ''[[The End of the Affair (1955 film)|The End of the Affair]]'' (1955), with [[Deborah Kerr]] and [[Van Johnson]]. More liked in Britain was another war story, ''[[Above Us the Waves]]'' (1955); this was sixth most popular film at the British box office that year, and helped Mills become the fifth most popular star in the country.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dirk Bogarde favourite film actor|work=The Irish Times|location=Dublin, Ireland|date=29 December 1955|page=9}}</ref>
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| After ''[[Escapade (1955 film)|Escapade]]'' (1955), Mills made the popular military comedy ''[[The Baby and the Battleship]]'' (1956), one of the biggest hits of 1956. Also on that list was another Mills comedy, ''[[It's Great to Be Young (1956 film)|It's Great to Be Young]]'' (1956).<ref>{{cite news|title=BRITISH. FILMS MADE MOST MONEY: BOX-OFFICE SURVEY|work=The Manchester Guardian|location=Manchester (UK)|date=28 December 1956|page=3}}</ref>
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| Mills had a key support role as a peasant in ''[[War and Peace (1956 film)|War and Peace]]'' (1956) and made a cameo in ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' (1956).
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| Mills appeared in the thrillers: ''[[Town on Trial]]'' (1957) directed by [[John Guillermin]] and ''[[The Vicious Circle (1957 film)|The Vicious Circle]]'' (1957).<ref name="ink">{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=John Guillermin: Action Man|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/john-guillermin-action-man/|date=17 November 2020}}</ref> More popular with the public were the war films: ''[[Dunkirk (1958 film)|Dunkirk]]'' (1958), the second most popular film of the year in Britain; ''[[Ice Cold in Alex]]'' (1958), directed by [[J. Lee Thompson]]; and ''[[I Was Monty's Double (film)|I Was Monty's Double]]'''(1958), directed by Guillermin.<ref>{{cite news|title=Alec Guinness "world's biggest box-office attraction|work=The Manchester Guardian|location=Manchester (UK)|date=2 January 1959|page=5}}</ref>
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| In the 1959 crime drama [[Tiger Bay (1959 film)|''Tiger Bay'']], directed by Thompson, Mills played a police detective investigating a murder that a young girl has witnessed. His daughter [[Hayley Mills|Hayley]] was cast, and earned excellent reviews.
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| Mills went to Australia to play a cane cutter in the Hollywood financed ''[[Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1959 film)|Summer of the Seventeenth Doll]]'' (1959).
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| Better received was ''[[Tunes of Glory]]'' (1960), a military drama directed by [[Ronald Neame]] co-starring [[Alec Guinness]]. Mills's performance earned him a Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival.
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| [[Walt Disney]] saw ''Tiger Bay'' and offered Hayley Mills the lead role in [[Pollyanna (1960 film)|''Pollyanna'']] (1960). Disney also offered John Mills the lead in the adventure film ''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1960 film)|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1960), which was a huge hit. He did ''Ross'' (1960–61) on stage.
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| The Rank Organisation insisted Mills play the role of the priest in ''[[The Singer Not the Song]]'' (1961) opposite Dirk Bogarde. Mills and Baker reteamed on an interracial drama ''[[Flame in the Streets]]'' (1961) and an Italian-British war film ''[[The Valiant (1962 film)|The Valiant]]'' (1962).
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| Mills did a comedy with [[James Mason]], ''[[Tiara Tahiti]]'' (1962). He had a support role in ''[[The Chalk Garden (film)|The Chalk Garden]]'' (1964) starring Hayley.
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| After a cameo on the war film ''[[Operation Crossbow (film)|Operation Crossbow]]'' (1965), Mills made a third film with his daughter, ''[[The Truth About Spring]]'' (1965). He had a cameo in ''[[King Rat (film)|King Rat]]'' (1965) for [[Bryan Forbes]], who then directed Mills in ''[[The Wrong Box]]'' (1966). Mills played Hayley's father-in-law on screen in ''[[The Family Way]]'' (1966). He then directed her in ''[[Sky West and Crooked]]'' (1966) from a script written by his wife.
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| He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' on two occasions, firstly in 1960 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] outside [[Pinewood Studios]], and again in 1983 when Eamonn surprised him on the stage of London's [[Wyndham's Theatre]] at the curtain call of the play Little Lies.
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| ===Character actor===
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| Mills began to move into character roles, supporting [[Hugh O'Brian]] in ''[[Africa Texas Style]]'' (1967) and [[Rod Taylor]] in ''[[Chuka (film)|Chuka]]'' (1967). He went to Italy for a giallo, ''[[A Black Veil for Lisa]]'' (1968) and played [[William Hamilton (diplomat)|William Hamilton]] in ''[[Emma Hamilton (film)|Emma Hamilton]]'' (1968).
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| Mills had a cameo in ''[[Oh! What a Lovely War]]'' (1969) for director Richard Attenborough and supported [[Mark Lester]] (though he was top billed) in ''[[Run Wild, Run Free]]'' (1969). He went to Australia to star in a convict drama, ''[[Adam's Woman]]'' (1970).
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| For his role as the village idiot in ''[[Ryan's Daughter]]'' (1970) — a complete departure from his usual style – Mills won a [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor Oscar]].
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| He was in ''[[Dulcima]]'' (1971) then had support roles in ''[[Young Winston]]'' (1972) for Attenborough, ''[[Lady Caroline Lamb (film)|Lady Caroline Lamb]]'' (1972), and ''[[Oklahoma Crude (film)|Oklahoma Crude]]'' (1973). On stage he did ''Veterans'' at the Royal Court, ''At the End of the Day'' (1973), ''The Good Companions'' (1974), ''[[Great Expectations (musical)|Great Expectations]]'' (1975) and ''Separate Tables'' (1977).
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| Also on the small screen, in 1974 he starred as Captain Tommy "The Elephant" Devon in the six-part television drama series ''[[The Zoo Gang]]'', about a group of former underground freedom fighters from World War II, with [[Brian Keith]], [[Lilli Palmer]] and [[Barry Morse]].
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| In the late 1970s Mills could still get lead roles in films, as shown by ''[[The "Human" Factor (1975 film)|The "Human" Factor]]'' (1975), ''[[Trial by Combat (film)|Trial by Combat]]'' (1976), and ''[[The Devil's Advocate (1977 film)|The Devil's Advocate]]'' (1977). He had filmed supporting roles in ''[[The Big Sleep (1978 film)|The Big Sleep]]'' (1978) and ''[[The Thirty Nine Steps (1978 film)|The Thirty Nine Steps]]'' (1978).
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| His most famous television role was probably as the [[Bernard Quatermass|title character]] in ''[[Quatermass (TV serial)|Quatermass]]'' for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] in 1979. He followed this with a sitcom in ''[[Young at Heart (1980 TV series)|Young at Heart]]'' (1980–82).
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| On the big screen he was now mainly playing upper crust types as in ''[[Zulu Dawn]]'' (1979), ''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'' (1982), and ''[[Sahara (1983 film)|Sahara]]'' (1983). He performed ''Goodbye Mr Chips'' on stage (1982) followed by ''Little Lies'' (1983).
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| ===Later career===
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| [[File:Hand prints in Leicester Square, London - Sir John Mills (4039259589).jpg|thumb|right|Mills handprints from 1985 at [[Leicester Square]], London]]
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| In 1986 he did ''The Petition'' at the National and the following year did ''Pygmalion'' on Broadway. He provided a voice for ''[[When the Wind Blows (1986 film)|When the Wind Blows]]'' (1986) and supported Madonna in ''[[Who's That Girl (1987 film)|Who's That Girl]]'' (1987). His best roles were on TV in ''[[Harnessing Peacocks (film)|Harnessing Peacocks]]'' (1993) and ''[[Martin Chuzzlewit (TV series)|Martin Chuzzlewit]]'' (1994). Mills also starred as ''[[Gus: The Theatre Cat]]'' in the filmed version of the musical ''[[Cats (musical)|Cats]]'' in 1998.
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| In 2000, Mills released his extensive home cine-film footage in a documentary film entitled ''[[Sir John Mills' Moving Memories|Sir John Mills's Moving Memories]]'', with interviews with Mills, his children [[Hayley Mills|Hayley]], [[Juliet Mills|Juliet]] and Jonathan and [[Richard Attenborough]]. The film was produced and written by Jonathan Mills, directed and edited by [[Marcus Dillistone]], and features behind the scenes footage and stories from films such as ''[[Ice Cold in Alex]]'' and ''[[Dunkirk (1958 film)|Dunkirk]]''. In addition the film also includes home footage of many of Mills's friends and fellow cast members including [[Laurence Olivier]], [[Harry Andrews]], [[Walt Disney]], [[David Niven]], [[Dirk Bogarde]], [[Rex Harrison]] and [[Tyrone Power]]. He portrayed a charming old gent as head of an art museum in the 1997 ''Mr. Bean''. Mills's last cinema appearance was playing a tramp in ''Lights 2'' (directed by [[Marcus Dillistone]]); the cinematographer was [[Jack Cardiff]]. They had last worked together on ''[[Scott of the Antarctic (film)|Scott of the Antarctic]]'' in 1948.
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| ==Personal life and death==
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| [[Image:The Wick, Richmond Hill, Richmond, Surrey.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[The Wick]] on Richmond Hill in [[Richmond, London|Richmond]], [[Greater London]], was the family home for many years]]
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| His first wife was the actress [[Aileen Raymond]], who died only five days after he did. They were married in 1932 and divorced in 1941. Raymond later became the mother of actor [[Ian Ogilvy]].
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| His second wife was the [[Playwright|dramatist]] [[Mary Hayley Bell]]. Their marriage, on 16 January 1941, lasted for 64 years until his death in 2005. They were married in a rushed civil ceremony, because of the war; it was not until sixty years later that they were married in a church.<ref>Obituary, ''[[The Age]]'', 25 April 2005, p.9</ref> They lived in [[The Wick]], London, for many years. They sold the house to musician [[Ronnie Wood]] in 1971 and moved to [[Hills House, Denham]], [[Buckinghamshire]].
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| Mills and Bell had two daughters, [[Juliet Mills|Juliet]], star of television's ''[[Nanny and the Professor]]'' and [[Hayley Mills|Hayley]], a Disney child star who appeared in ''[[Pollyanna (1960 film)|Pollyanna]]'', ''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]'' and ''[[Whistle Down the Wind (film)|Whistle Down the Wind]]'', and one son, Jonathan Mills, a screenwriter.<ref name=Guardian /> In 1947, Mills appeared with his daughters in the film ''[[So Well Remembered]]''. The three also appeared together decades later, on an episode of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC's]] ''[[The Love Boat]]''. Mills's grandson by Hayley, [[Crispian Mills]], is a musician, best known for his work with the [[raga rock]] group [[Kula Shaker]].
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| In the years leading up to his death, he appeared on television only on special occasions, his sight having failed almost completely by 1992. After that, his film roles were brief cameos. He wrote an autobiography entitled ''Up in the Clouds, Gentlemen Please'', which was published in 1980 and revised in 2001.
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| Mills died on 23 April 2005 in [[Denham, Buckinghamshire|Denham]], [[Buckinghamshire]], at the age of 97, following a stroke.<ref name="dnb"/> Lady Mills died on 1 December 2005. They are buried in St Mary the Virgin Churchyard, [[Denham, Buckinghamshire]].
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| ==Honours==
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| Mills was appointed a Commander of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in 1960.<ref name=Guardian /> In 1976 he was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]]<ref name=Guardian /> by [[Elizabeth II|the Queen]].
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| In 1999, at 91 years of age, Mills became the oldest joining member of the entertainment charitable fraternity, the [[Grand Order of Water Rats]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gowr.co.uk/all-water-rats/v/148|title=Biography of a Water Rat|website=www.gowr.co.uk}}</ref>
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| In 2002, he received a Fellowship of the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] (BAFTA), their highest award, and was named a [[Disney Legends|Disney Legend]] by [[the Walt Disney Company]].
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| ==Filmography==
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| ===Film===
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| {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%;"
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| |-
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| ! Year
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| ! Title
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| ! Role
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| ! Notes
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| |-
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| |1932
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| |''[[The Midshipmaid]]''
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| |Golightly
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| |-
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| |rowspan="2"|1933
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| | ''[[The Ghost Camera]]''
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| |Ernest Elton
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| |-
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| |''[[Britannia of Billingsgate]]''
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| |Fred Bolton
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| |-
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| |rowspan="6"|1934
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| |''[[A Political Party]]''
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| |Tony Smithers
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| |-
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| |''[[The River Wolves]]''
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| |Peter Farrell
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| |-
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| |''[[Those Were the Days (1934 film)|Those Were the Days]]''
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| |Bobby Poskett
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| |-
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| |''[[The Lash (1934 film)|The Lash]]''
| |
| |Arthur Haughton
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Blind Justice (1934 film)|Blind Justice]]''
| |
| |Ralph Summers
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Doctor's Orders (film)|Doctor's Orders]]''
| |
| |Ronnie Blake
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="4"|1935
| |
| |''[[Car of Dreams]]''
| |
| |Robert Miller
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Royal Cavalcade]]''
| |
| |Young Enlistee
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Brown on Resolution (film)|Brown on Resolution]]''
| |
| |Albert Brown
| |
| |(later reissued in the UK as ''Forever England'')
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Charing Cross Road (film)|Charing Cross Road]]''
| |
| |Tony
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1936
| |
| |''[[The First Offence]]''
| |
| |Johnnie Penrose
| |
| | alternative title ''Bad Blood''
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Tudor Rose (film)|Tudor Rose]]''
| |
| |Lord Guilford Dudley
| |
| | Released as ''Nine Days a Queen'' in USA
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1937
| |
| | ''[[O.H.M.S. (film)|O.H.M.S.]]''
| |
| |Cpl. Bert Dawson
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[The Green Cockatoo]]''
| |
| |Jim Connor
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1939
| |
| |''[[Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939 film)|Goodbye, Mr Chips]]''
| |
| |Peter Colley – as a Young Man
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| | rowspan="2"|1941
| |
| |''[[Old Bill and Son]]''
| |
| |Young Bill Busby
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Cottage to Let]]''
| |
| | Flt. Lieutenant Perry
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="4"|1942
| |
| |''[[The Black Sheep of Whitehall]]''
| |
| | Bobby Jessop
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[The Big Blockade]]''
| |
| |Tom
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[In Which We Serve]]''
| |
| |Ordinary Seaman Blake
| |
| |(with daughter [[Juliet Mills]])
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[The Young Mr. Pitt]]''
| |
| |William Wilberforce
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1943
| |
| |''[[We Dive at Dawn]]''
| |
| |Lt. Taylor, R.N.
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1944
| |
| |''[[This Happy Breed (film)|This Happy Breed]]''
| |
| |Billy Mitchell
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |Victory Wedding
| |
| |Bill Clark
| |
| |Short<ref>[https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a1ef1f6 Victory Wedding]. British Film Institute. Retrieved 29 April 2020</ref>
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1945
| |
| |''[[Waterloo Road (film)|Waterloo Road]]''
| |
| |Jim Colter
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[The Way to the Stars]]''
| |
| |Peter Penrose
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1946
| |
| | ''[[Great Expectations (1946 film)|Great Expectations]]''
| |
| |Pip
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1947
| |
| |''[[So Well Remembered]]''
| |
| |George Boswell
| |
| |(with daughters [[Juliet Mills]] and [[Hayley Mills]])
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[The October Man]]''
| |
| |Jim Ackland
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1948
| |
| | ''[[Scott of the Antarctic (film)|Scott of the Antarctic]]''
| |
| |Captain Scott<br>Captain R.F. Scott R.N.
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1949
| |
| | ''[[The History of Mr. Polly (film)|The History of Mr Polly]]''
| |
| |Alfred Polly
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[The Rocking Horse Winner (film)|The Rocking Horse Winner]]''
| |
| |Bassett
| |
| | (also produced)
| |
| |-
| |
| |1950
| |
| |''[[Morning Departure]]''
| |
| |Lt. Commander Armstrong
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1951
| |
| |''[[Mr. Denning Drives North|Mr Denning Drives North]]''
| |
| |Tom Denning
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1952
| |
| |''[[The Gentle Gunman]]''
| |
| |Terrence Sullivan
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1953
| |
| |''[[The Long Memory]]''
| |
| |Phillip Davidson
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1954
| |
| | ''[[Hobson's Choice (1954 film)|Hobson's Choice]]''
| |
| |Willie Mossop
| |
| |Nominated-[[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role]]
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="4"|1955
| |
| |''[[The Colditz Story]]''
| |
| |Pat Reid
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[The End of the Affair (1955 film)|The End of the Affair]]''
| |
| |Albert Parkis
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Above Us the Waves]]''
| |
| |Commander Fraser
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Escapade (1955 film)|Escapade]]''
| |
| |John Hampden
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="4"|1956
| |
| |''[[The Baby and the Battleship]]''
| |
| |Puncher Roberts
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| | ''[[War and Peace (1956 film)|War and Peace]]''
| |
| |Platon Karataev
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]''
| |
| |London Carriage Driver
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[It's Great to Be Young (1956 film)|It's Great to Be Young]]''
| |
| |Mr Dingle
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1957
| |
| |''[[Town on Trial]]''
| |
| |Supt Mike Halloran
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[The Vicious Circle (1957 film)|The Vicious Circle]]''
| |
| |Dr Howard Latimer
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="3"|1958
| |
| | ''[[Dunkirk (1958 film)|Dunkirk]]''
| |
| |Corporal Binns
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Ice Cold in Alex]]''
| |
| |Captain Anson RASC
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[I Was Monty's Double (film)|I Was Monty's Double]]''
| |
| |Major Harvey
| |
| |(also titled ''Hell, Heaven or Hoboken'')
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1959
| |
| |''[[Tiger Bay (1959 film)|Tiger Bay]]''
| |
| |Superintendent Graham
| |
| |(with daughter [[Hayley Mills]])
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1959 film)|Summer of the Seventeenth Doll]]''
| |
| |Barney
| |
| |(also titled ''Season of Passion'')
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1960
| |
| |''[[Tunes of Glory]]''
| |
| |Lt. Col. Basil Barrow (Battalion Commander)
| |
| | [[Volpi Cup|Volpi Cup for Best Actor]]<br>Nominated-[[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role]]
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1960 film)|Swiss Family Robinson]]''
| |
| |William Robinson
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="3"|1961
| |
| |''[[The Singer Not the Song]]''
| |
| |Father Michael Keogh
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]''
| |
| |Mitch Evers' Golf Caddy
| |
| |Uncredited
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Flame in the Streets]]''
| |
| |Jacko Palmer
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1962
| |
| |''[[The Valiant (1962 film)|The Valiant]]''
| |
| |Captain Morgan
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Tiara Tahiti]]''
| |
| |Lt. Col. Clifford Southey
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1964
| |
| |''[[The Chalk Garden (film)|The Chalk Garden]]''
| |
| |Maitland
| |
| |(with daughter [[Hayley Mills]])
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="3"|1965
| |
| |''[[Operation Crossbow (film)|Operation Crossbow]]''
| |
| |Gen. Boyd
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[The Truth About Spring]]''
| |
| |Tommy Tyler
| |
| |(with daughter [[Hayley Mills]])
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[King Rat (film)|King Rat]]''
| |
| |Smedley – Taylor
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1966
| |
| |''[[The Wrong Box]]''
| |
| |Masterman Finsbury
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[The Family Way]]''
| |
| |Ezra Fitton
| |
| |(with daughter [[Hayley Mills]])<br>[[San Sebastián International Film Festival|Prize San Sebastián for Best Actor]] (tied with [[Maurice Ronet]] for ''[[The Champagne Murders]]'')
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1967
| |
| |''[[Africa Texas Style]]''
| |
| |Wing Commander Hayes
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Chuka (film)|Chuka]]''
| |
| |Colonel Stuart Valois
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1968
| |
| | ''[[A Black Veil for Lisa]]''
| |
| |Inspector Franz Bulon
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Emma Hamilton (film)|Emma Hamilton]]''
| |
| |Sir William Hamilton
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1969
| |
| | ''[[Oh! What a Lovely War]]''
| |
| |Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[Run Wild, Run Free]]''
| |
| |The Moorman
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1970
| |
| | ''[[Adam's Woman]]''
| |
| |Sir Phillip MacDonald
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| | ''[[Ryan's Daughter]]''
| |
| | Michael
| |
| | [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]]<br>[[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]]<br>Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor<br> Nominated-[[BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor]]
| |
| |-
| |
| |1971
| |
| | ''[[Dulcima]]''
| |
| |Mr Parker
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1972
| |
| | ''[[Young Winston]]''
| |
| |General Kitchener
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| | ''[[Lady Caroline Lamb (film)|Lady Caroline Lamb]]''
| |
| |Canning
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1973
| |
| |''[[Oklahoma Crude (film)|Oklahoma Crude]]''
| |
| |Cleon Doyle
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1975
| |
| | ''[[The Human Factor (1975 film)|The Human Factor]]''
| |
| |Mike McAllister
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1976
| |
| |''[[Trial by Combat (film)|Trial by Combat]]''
| |
| |Colonel Bertie Cook
| |
| | (also titled ''A Dirty Knight's Work'')
| |
| |-
| |
| |1977
| |
| |''[[The Devil's Advocate (1977 film)|The Devil's Advocate]]''
| |
| |Blaise Meredith
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1978
| |
| | ''[[The Big Sleep (1978 film)|The Big Sleep]]''
| |
| |Inspector Jim Carson
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |''[[The Thirty Nine Steps (1978 film)|The Thirty Nine Steps]]''
| |
| |Scudder
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |rowspan="2"|1979
| |
| |''[[Quatermass (TV serial)|The Quatermass Conclusion]]''
| |
| |Professor Bernard Quatermass
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| | ''[[Zulu Dawn]]''
| |
| |Sir Henry Bartle Frere
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1982
| |
| |''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]''
| |
| |The Viceroy Baron Chelmsford
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1983
| |
| |''[[Sahara (1983 film)|Sahara]]''
| |
| |Cambridge
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1986
| |
| | ''[[When the Wind Blows (1986 film)|When the Wind Blows]]''
| |
| |Jim
| |
| |Voice
| |
| |-
| |
| |1987
| |
| |''[[Who's That Girl (1987 film)|Who's That Girl]]''
| |
| |Montgomery Bell
| |
| |(credited as Sir John Mills)
| |
| |-
| |
| |1993
| |
| | ''[[The Big Freeze (1993 film)|The Big Freeze]]''
| |
| |Dapper man
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1994
| |
| |''[[Deadly Advice]]''
| |
| |Jack the Ripper
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1995
| |
| |''[[The Grotesque (film)|The Grotesque]]''
| |
| |Sir Edward Cleghorn
| |
| |(also titled ''Gentleman Don't Eat Poets'')
| |
| |-
| |
| |1996
| |
| | ''[[Hamlet (1996 film)|Hamlet]]''
| |
| |Old Norway
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |1997
| |
| | ''[[Bean (film)|Bean]]''
| |
| |Chairman
| |
| | (credited as Sir John Mills)
| |
| |-
| |
| |1998
| |
| | ''[[Cats (1998 film)|Cats]]''
| |
| | [[Gus: The Theatre Cat|Gus the Theater Cat]]
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |2003
| |
| |''[[Bright Young Things (film)|Bright Young Things]]''
| |
| | Gentleman
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| |2004
| |
| |''Lights2''
| |
| | The Tramp
| |
| | Cinematographer Jack Cardiff (previously worked on Scott of The Antarctic), (final film role)
| |
| |-
| |
| |}
| |
| | |
| ===Television===
| |
| | |
| {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%;"
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Year
| |
| ! Title
| |
| ! Role
| |
| ! Notes
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1967
| |
| | ''[[Dundee and the Culhane]]''
| |
| | Dundee
| |
| | 13 episodes
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1974
| |
| | ''[[The Zoo Gang]]''
| |
| | Thomas 'The Elephant' Devon
| |
| | 6 episodes
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1978
| |
| | ''[[Dr. Strange (1978 film)|Dr. Strange]]''
| |
| | Thomas Lindmer
| |
| | TV Movie
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1979
| |
| | ''[[Quatermass (TV serial)|Quatermass]]''
| |
| | [[Professor Bernard Quatermass]]
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1980
| |
| | ''[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|Tales of the Unexpected]]''
| |
| | William Perkins
| |
| | Season 2, Episode 3 - [[Galloping Foxley]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1980
| |
| | ''[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|Tales of the Unexpected]]''
| |
| | [[The Umbrella Man]]
| |
| | Season 2, Episode 11
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1980–82
| |
| | ''[[Young at Heart (1980 TV series)|Young at Heart]]''
| |
| | Albert Collyer
| |
| | 18 episodes
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1982
| |
| | ''[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|Tales of the Unexpected]]''
| |
| | [[Sam Morrissey]]
| |
| | Season 5, Episode 3 - Operation Safecrack
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1982
| |
| | ''The Adventures of Little Lord Fauntleroy''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6e897a9a |title=The Adventures of Little Lord Fauntleroy (1982).|website=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=4 June 2016}}</ref>
| |
| | |
| | The Earl of Dorincort
| |
| | TV Movie
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1984
| |
| | ''[[The Masks of Death]]''
| |
| | [[Dr Watson]]
| |
| | TV Movie
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1985
| |
| | ''[[Murder with Mirrors]]''
| |
| | Lewis Serrocold
| |
| | TV Movie
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1985
| |
| | ''Edge of the Wind''
| |
| | General Blair
| |
| | TV play
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1987
| |
| | ''[[The Dame Edna Experience]]''
| |
| |
| |
| | Season 1, Episode 6 (as himself)
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1989
| |
| | ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1989 TV series)|A Tale of Two Cities]]''
| |
| | Jarvis Lorry
| |
| | 2 episodes
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1993
| |
| | ''[[Harnessing Peacocks (film)|Harnessing Peacocks]]''
| |
| | Bernard Quigley
| |
| | TV Movie
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1994
| |
| | ''[[Martin Chuzzlewit (1994 TV series)|Martin Chuzzlewit]]''
| |
| | Mr Chuffey
| |
| | 3 episodes, TV Mini-series
| |
| |-
| |
| |}
| |
| | |
| ==Stage appearances==
| |
| | |
| {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%;"
| |
| |-
| |
| ! Year
| |
| ! Title
| |
| ! Theatre
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1929
| |
| | ''The Five O'Clock Girl''
| |
| | [[London Hippodrome]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1930
| |
| | ''[[Charley's Aunt]] ''
| |
| | [[Noel Coward Theatre|New Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | rowspan="3"| 1931
| |
| | ''The 1931 Revue''
| |
| | [[London Pavilion]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | ''London Wall''
| |
| | [[Duke of York's Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | ''[[Cavalcade (play)|Cavalcade]]''
| |
| | [[Theatre Royal Drury Lane]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1932
| |
| | ''[[Words and Music (musical)|Words and Music]]''
| |
| | [[Adelphi Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1933
| |
| | ''Give Me a Ring''
| |
| | London Hippodrome
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1934
| |
| | ''Jill Darling''
| |
| | [[Saville Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | rowspan="2"| 1936
| |
| | ''Red Night''
| |
| | [[Sondheim Theatre|Queen's Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | ''Aren't Men Beasts!''
| |
| | [[Novello Theatre|Strand Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | rowspan="2"| 1937
| |
| | ''Floodlight''
| |
| | Saville Theatre
| |
| |-
| |
| | ''Talk of the Devil''
| |
| | [[Piccadilly Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | rowspan="3"| 1938
| |
| | ''Pelissier's Follies of 1938''
| |
| | Saville Theatre
| |
| |-
| |
| | ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]''
| |
| | [[The Old Vic]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | ''[[She Stoops to Conquer]]''
| |
| | The Old Vic
| |
| |-
| |
| | rowspan="2"| 1939
| |
| | ''We at the Crossroads''
| |
| | [[Gielgud Theatre|Globe Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | ''[[Of Mice and Men (play)|Of Mice and Men]]''
| |
| | [[Gate Theatre Studio|Gate Theatre]]/[[Apollo Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1942
| |
| | ''Men in Shadow''
| |
| | [[Lyric Theatre, London|Lyric Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1945
| |
| | ''Duet for Two Hands''
| |
| | [[Vaudeville Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | rowspan="2"| 1950
| |
| | ''The Damascus Blade''
| |
| | UK Tour
| |
| |-
| |
| | ''Top of the Ladder''
| |
| | [[St James's Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1951
| |
| | ''Figure of Fun''
| |
| | [[Aldwych Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1953
| |
| | ''The Uninvited Guest''
| |
| | St James's Theatre
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1954
| |
| | ''[[Charley's Aunt]]''
| |
| | New Theatre/Strand Theatre
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1961
| |
| | ''[[Ross (play)|Ross]]''
| |
| | [[Eugene O'Neill Theatre]]/[[Hudson Theatre]], New York City
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1963
| |
| | ''Powers of Persuasion''
| |
| | [[Garrick Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1972
| |
| | ''Veterans''
| |
| | [[Royal Court Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1973
| |
| | ''At the End of the Day''
| |
| | [[Savoy Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1974
| |
| | ''[[The Good Companions (musical)|The Good Companions]]''
| |
| | [[Her Majesty's Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1975
| |
| | ''[[Great Expectations (musical)|Great Expectations]]''
| |
| | UK Tour and [[Meridian Hall (Toronto)|O'Keefe Centre]], Toronto
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1977
| |
| | ''[[Separate Tables]]''
| |
| | Apollo Theatre
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1982
| |
| | ''[[Goodbye, Mr. Chips|Goodbye, Mr Chips]]''
| |
| | [[Chichester Festival Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1983
| |
| | ''Little Lies''
| |
| | [[Wyndham's Theatre]]
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1986
| |
| | ''The Petition''
| |
| | [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]]/Wyndham's Theatre
| |
| |-
| |
| | 1987
| |
| | ''[[Pygmalion (play)|Pygmalion]]''
| |
| | [[Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre|Plymouth Theatre]], New York City
| |
| |-
| |
| | From 1992
| |
| | One-man show
| |
| | Various venues
| |
| |}
| |
| | |
| ==Box office ranking==
| |
| For a number of years, British film exhibitors voted him among the top ten British stars at the box office via an annual poll in the ''Motion Picture Herald''.
| |
| *1945 – 4th<ref>{{cite news|title='Bloomer Girl' to Play Instead of Jolson Opus|work=Los Angeles Times|date=23 March 1946|page=A5}}</ref>
| |
| |*1946 – 8th<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46266039 |title=FILM WORLD. |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |location=Perth |date=28 February 1947 |access-date=27 April 2012 |page=20|edition=SECOND}}</ref>
| |
| *1947 – 4th (6th most popular overall)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27893195 |title=Anna Neagle Most Popular Actress. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=3 January 1948 |access-date=27 April 2012 |page=3 }}</ref>
| |
| *1948 – 3rd (4th most popular over all)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18100225 |title=Bing Crosby Still Best Box-office Draw. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=31 December 1948 |access-date=11 July 2012 |page=3 }}</ref>
| |
| *1949 – 3rd (8th most popular over all)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2759831 |title=Bob Hope Takes Lead from Bing in Popularity. |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |date=31 December 1949 |access-date=27 April 2012 |page=2 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49700937 |title=TOPS AT HOME. |newspaper=[[The Courier-Mail]] |location=Brisbane |date=31 December 1949 |access-date=27 April 2012 |page=4 }}</ref>
| |
| *1950 – 4th (6th most popular overall)
| |
| *1954 – 10th
| |
| *1955 – 2nd (5th most popular overall)<ref>{{cite news|title=The Dam Busters|work=The Times|location=London, England|date=29 December 1955}}</ref>
| |
| |*1956 – 10th<ref>{{cite news|title=The Most Popular Film Star in Britain|work=The Times|location=London, England|date=7 December 1956}}</ref>
| |
| *1957 – 6th<ref>{{cite news|title=BRITISH ACTORS HEAD FILM POLL: BOX-OFFICE SURVEY|work=The Manchester Guardian|date=27 December 1957|page=3}}</ref>
| |
| *1958 – 6th
| |
| *1961 – 5th
| |
| | |
| ==References==
| |
| {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
| |
| | |
| == External links ==
| |
| * {{IMDb name|id=0590055}}
| |
| * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060711182438/http://www.britishpictures.com/stars/Mills.htm It's Not Just Michael Powell: British Films of the 30s, 40s and 50s]
| |
| * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071010014855/http://www.easternangles.co.uk/e_main.html?primary_nav=contact&id=i6z6hTaF Sir John Mills Theatre] – Eastern Angles
| |
| * [https://web.archive.org/web/20111002132000/http://www.planet625.com/quatermass/tv/quatermassIV/mills.htm planet625.com]
| |
| Profile] at the Nigel Kneale & Quatermass Appreciation
| |
| * [http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/person/2887/john-mills Photographs and literature]
| |
| *[https://historyproject.org.uk/interview/john-mills John Mills] interview [[British Entertainment History Project]]
| |
| *[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10841538/john-mills Sir John Mills] at [[Find a Grave]]
| |
| | |
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, John}}
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| [[Category:1908 births]]
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| [[Category:2005 deaths]]
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| [[Category:Military personnel from Norfolk]]
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| [[Category:Burials in Buckinghamshire]]
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| [[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
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| [[Category:20th-century English singers]]
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| [[Category:Actors awarded knighthoods]]
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| [[Category:BAFTA winners (people)]]
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| [[Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners]]
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| [[Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners]]
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| [[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
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| [[Category:British people of English descent]]
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| [[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
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| [[Category:Conservative Party (UK) people]]
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| [[Category:English male film actors]]
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| [[Category:English male musical theatre actors]]
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| [[Category:English male stage actors]]
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| [[Category:English male television actors]]
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| [[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
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| [[Category:Labour Party (UK) people]]
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| [[Category:People educated at Norwich High School for Boys]]
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| [[Category:People from Felixstowe]]
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| [[Category:People from North Elmham]]
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| [[Category:People from Suffolk (before 1974)]]
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| [[Category:Royal Engineers officers]]
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| [[Category:Volpi Cup for Best Actor winners]]
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