Matinee Classics - Ann Miller Biography & Filmography

Ann Miller ACTOR

PHOTOS

ANN MILLER BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Ann Miller was born on April 12th, 1923 in Austin, Texas with the birth name Johnnie Lucille Collier. Up until the age of nine she was raised in Texas, however when her mother chose to leave her father, they relocated to California.

Miller took an interest in dancing and danced in various night clubs from a young age to help support her family as her mother was hearing impaired and unable to hold a job. She was approached by RKO Pictures to sign with them as a contract player at the age of fourteen. They required for her to prove she was eighteen so Miller got a fake birth certificate so she could sign with them and make more income for her family.

Her career as an actress began in Hollywood working on a number of low budget films between 1937 and 1946 such as, "The Good Fairy" (1935), "Hit Parade of 1941" (1940), "Too Many Girls" (1940) starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Eddie Bracken, Frances Langford and Richard Carlson, "Go West, Young Lady" (1941) starring Penny Singleton, Glenn Ford, Charlie Ruggles and Onslow Stevens and "Reveille with Beverly" (1943).

After leaving RKO and working briefly with Columbia Pictures she signed with MGM and her career finally began to really take off. She had now gained quite a bit of experience in small roles she soon began to make a name for herself in the industry and it was just a matter of time before she was adding more successful film roles to her resume such as, "Easter Parade" (1948) co-starring Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Peter Lawford, "On the Town" (1949) starring with Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Betty Garrett, "Kiss Me Kate" (1943) starring alongside Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore and "Hit the Deck" (1955) also starring Walter Pidgeon, Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds and Russ Tamblyn.

Towards the end of her career she focused more on television and stage work adding appearances on the series, "The Love Boat", "Love, American Style", "Home Improvement" and "Out of this World".

After she retired from acting in films, she still continued her involvement in the entertainment industry appearing as a dancer in a variety of nightclubs and even appeared on Broadway in a production of, "Mame", "Sugar Babies" and "Follies".

Ann Miller married three times throughout her lifetime, first to Reese Llewellyn Milner in 1946 and they had one child together before the marriage came to an end in 1948. She then married Bill Moss in 1958 however by 1961, this marriage also ended in divorce. Her third and final husband was Arthur Cameron and they married in 1961 but again, an unsuccessful marriage was annulled in 1962.

She did not re-marry and on January 22nd, 2004, Ann Miller passed away in Los Angeles, California after suffering from lung cancer.