Sir John Mills (1908 - 2005)

He's was a part of British cinema for almost seventy years, and if there's one word to describe him it's "dependable". He was never the flashiest of actors, yet he was able to play across class barriers far more than his contemporaries.

He was born in Felixstowe. His elder sister Annette (famous in the 50s for Muffin the Mule) got him involved in acting and he became a chorus boy. This lead to juvenile roles in the West End including the original production of Cavalcade.

Like many West End actors he slummed in films for a while, and made his first impact in Forever England. From then on there was scarcely a glitch in his career.

The war brought several great films; and Mills, with his slight figure and youthful looks, represented every mother's son fighting a decent war. After the success of Great Expectations, he was allowed to play grown up heroes such as Scott of the Antarctic or disillusioned war veterans (The October Man). The fifties brought a boom in war films and plenty of work for Mills.

At the end of the fifties he appeared in Tiger Bay in which daughter Hayley made her debut. His other daughter Juliet had made her debut as a baby in In Which We Serve. He started the sixties with a good film, Tunes of Glory, but then made a total stinker The Singer Not the Song.

His career gradually declined in the sixties and he frequently appeared as support for Hayley. In 1966 she appeared in the only film he directed, Sky West and Crooked, based on a book by her mother Mary Hayley Bell.

He got an Oscar for his supporting role in Ryan's Daughter, but his subsequent films are best forgotten. His TV work was excellent however: he made an interesting Quatermass, and did three series of the sitcom Young at Heart.

Towards the end of his life his sight became poor, and his wife suffered from Alzheimer's, though he still made the occasional appearance. 

Filmography (features only)

(There's a recent interview with Sir John here)

 John Mills at Amazon UK

 John Mills at Amazon US