RIP. Oscar Nominated Actress Penelope Milford Has Died

Penelope Milford, nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Hal Ashby’s Coming Home, has died at the age of 77. 

Milford died Tuesday in an assisted living facility in Saugerties, New York, her sister, Candace Saint, told The Hollywood Reporter. 

Born on March 23, 1948, in St. Louis, Missouri, Milford’s early acting career began on Broadway. She made her debut in Julian Barry’s production of ‘Lenny’ in 1972 and was cast shortly after as Jenny Anderson in the musical ‘Shenandoah’ in 1974. Milford’s performance earned her a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Featured Actress. 

Her big-screen debut was as an extra in Norman Mailer’s film ‘Maidstone’ in 1970. She then went on to appear in various films, including Man on a Swing (1974) and her role as a silent-film star named Lorna Sinclair in Valentino (1977).

It was her role as Vi Munson in Coming Home (1978) where she had her big break as an actress.  Starring alongside Jane Fonda and Jon Voight, who won Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively, Milford received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film. 

In the ‘80s, Milford made television appearances in shows like The Oldest Living Graduate (1980), starring Henry Fonda and Cloris Leachman, Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris (1980), Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982), and The Burning Bed (1984), starring Farrah Fawcett. 

Although she took a break from appearing in the spotlight, key films from later in life included her role as hippy school counselor Pauline Flemming in the 1988 cult classic Heathers and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part II (1966).

Milford’s last released film was Night of the Lawyers (1997) as Anna Carroll.