American stage and screen actress Penelope Milford, who was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1979 for her role in Hal Ashby’s “Coming Home,” died Tuesday in Saugerties, N.Y. She was 77.
Her death was confirmed by her brother Doug Milford. A cause was not immediately available.
Milford’s professional career on the New York stage began in 1971 where she co-starred opposite Richard Gere in an Off-Broadway production of “Long Time Coming and a Long Time Gone,” based upon the life of musician-novelist Richard Farina.
In 1972 Milford made her Broadway debut in Julian Barry’s Tony Award-winning play “Lenny.” Three years later Milford received a Drama Desk Featured Actress in a Musical nomination for “Shenandoah.”
In that same period, Milford began appearing in films, first playing a role in Norman Mailer’s notorious, edgy, indie film “Maidstone” (1970) and she played a silent-film star in Ken Russell’s 1977 biopic “Valentino.”
But it was her turn as Vi Munson in the Oscar-nominated Best Picture “Coming Home” that placed her in the top ranks of Hollywood performers. Nominated for nine Oscars, including her supporting actress nomination, the film won three Oscars, including Best Actress for Jane Fonda and Best Actor for Jon Voight. In 1981 she also appeared in Franco Zeffirelli’s “Endless Love.”
In the ’80s, Milford also played several notable roles on television, co-starring with Henry Fonda, Cloris Leachman and Timothy Hutton in the Emmy-winning TV play, “The Oldest Living Graduate” (1980), starring with Leonard Nimoy in the television movie “Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris” (1980), as well as taking a key role in the landmark TV film about spousal abuse, “The Burning Bed” (1984) which starred Farrah Fawcett and garnered numerous accolades, including a WGA award and a Golden Globe.
Reportedly dissatisfied with the entertainment industry, Milford played a few more key roles in acclaimed films such as “Heathers” (1988) and John McNaughton’s gritty 1996 crime shocker “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer,” which starred Michael Rooker and garnered several international film festival awards.
In the 1990s, Milford taught film acting in Chicago and Minneapolis, and in 2003 moved to the Hudson Valley village of Saugerties, where she was an ardent preservationist, restoring a historic residence and serving her local community’s efforts to maintain its storied commercial district and homes. She also performed in local theater, sang in the Bard Symphonic Chorus, and was active in the Woodstock Christian Science church.
She is pre-deceased by her brother, actor/singer Richard Kim Milford, and is survived by her sister Candace Saint and her brother Doug Milford.