Who is Penelope Ann Miller? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Penelope Andrea Miller

Age: 60 Years, 60 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: James Patrick Huggins (m. 2000), Will Arnett (m. 1994–1995)

father: Mark Miller

mother: Beatrice (née Ammidown)

children: Eloisa May Huggins, Maria Adela Huggins

Born Country: United States

Actresses American Women

Height: 5'7" (170 cm), 5'7" Females

Notable Alumni: University High School, Menlo College

U.S. State: California

City: Los Angeles

More Facts

education: Menlo College, University High School

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Childhood & Early Life

Born Penelope Andrea Miller on January 13, 1964, in Los Angeles, California, USA, Miller is the oldest of three daughters of Beatrice (née Ammidown) and Mark Miller.

Her two younger sisters are actress Marisa Miller and social worker Savannah Miller. Her father is a retired actor, writer, and producer, while her mother has worked as a costume designer, publicist, and journalist.

After graduating from a high school in Los Angeles, she enrolled at Menlo College in Atherton, California, where she spent two years between 1981 and 1983. Later, she relocated to New York to attend HB Studio for a theatre degree.

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Career

In 1985, Penelope Ann Miller starred opposite Matthew Broderick in the Neil Simon play ‘Biloxi Blues’, making her Broadway debut. She and Broderick also worked together in the 1988 cinematic adaptation of the play.

She had her screen debut in 1985 as well, in a season two episode of ‘Tales from the Darkside’. In 1987, her first film, ‘Hotshot’, was released. For both of these projects, she was credited under the name “Penelope Miller”.

She came back to Broadway to play Emily in the 1988 revival of Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’ at the Lincoln Center. It premiered on December 4, 1988, after 27 previews and ran for 136 performances before staging for the final time on April 2, 1989. Starring alongside Spalding Gray, Frances Conroy, and Eric Stoltz, Miller earned a Tony nomination for the role in 1989.

In 1990, she shared screen space with Robin Williams and Robert De Niro in the drama film ‘Awakenings’. She then worked with Anthony Edwards and Forest Whitaker in the buddy cop action comedy ‘Downtown’ (1990) and Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘Kindergarten Cop’.

She played Hollywood legend Edna Purviance opposite Robert Downey Jr in the 1992 biopic ‘Chaplin’.

She and Broderick joined forces once more for the 1990 crime comedy film ‘The Freshman’. It also starred Marlon Brando as her father. In 1991, she played Gregory Peck’s stepdaughter and lawyer in the comedy-drama film ‘Other People’s Money’. She portrayed Margo Lane in the 1994 superhero film ‘The Shadow’.

In 1998, she played real-life educator Barbara Henry in the TV movie ‘Ruby Bridges’. She played another teacher, this time a despicable one, in the telefilm ‘All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story’ (2000).

She was cast as the female lead in the short-lived comedy series ‘The Closer’ in 1998. From 2003 to 2004, she worked opposite Norm Macdonald in the Fox sitcom ‘A Minute with Stan Hooper’.

Her 2005 cinematic venture, ‘Funny Money,’ received the most votes to become the top film at the Sarasota Film Festival. She essayed the role of the former wife of a US Senator whose wife has gone missing, in ten episodes of the Fox mystery thriller series ‘Vanished’ (2006).

Miller was cast as Mary Todd Lincoln in the 2013 period drama ‘Saving Lincoln’. She had the recurring roles of Sonia Tranelli and Elizabeth Grey in the TNT comedy-drama series ‘Men of a Certain Age (2009-11) and the ABC drama series ‘Mistresses’ (2013-14) respectively.

In 2015, she played Eve Carlin in the first season of the ABC crime anthology series ‘American Crime’. Miller is set to star in the upcoming crime-drama film ‘Adverse’.

Major Works

Penelope Ann Miller is best known for her role in the 1993 crime-drama ‘Carlito’s Way.’ Directed by Brian De Palma, the film was adapted from two books by Edwin Torres, ‘Carlito’s Way’ and ‘After Hours’. It received a lukewarm response from the critics but was a hit at the box office, earning around $64 million against its $30 million budget.

For her performance as Gail, the stripper turned Carlito’s girlfriend, Miller received the Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture in 1994.

Family & Personal Life

On December 9, 1994, Penelope Ann Miller married actor and comedian Will Arnett. However, they divorced only a month later, on January 19, 1995.

She tied the knot with actor James Patrick Huggins on May 28, 2000. Their oldest daughter, Eloisa May, was born on December 10, 2000. She was followed by Maria Adela on March 23, 2009.

After 12 years of marriage, Miller approached the court seeking legal separation from Huggins on March 14, 2012. On June 15, 2012, she dropped her case for separation.

Penelope Ann Miller Biography