Penelope Milford, Coming Home Star And Oscar Nominee, Dies At 77

Penelope Milford, the versatile actress whose nuanced performances earned her critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for Coming Home, has passed away at the age of 77. Her sister, Candace Saint, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Milford died on Tuesday at an assisted living facility in Saugerties, New York. The cause of death has not been revealed.

Born on March 23, 1948, in St. Louis, Missouri, Milford grew up in Illinois and attended New Trier High School before setting her sights on acting. She made her early mark on Broadway, appearing in Lenny (1972) and earning a Drama Desk nomination for her role in the long-running musical Shenandoah. The New York Times critic Clive Barnes praised her as “fetching” and full of spirit.

Milford

began her screen career as an extra in Norman Mailer’s Maidstone (1970) and later performed alongside Richard Gere in the off-Broadway musical Long Time Coming and a Long Time Gone. Her breakout moment arrived in 1978 with Hal Ashby’s Coming Home, where she played Vi Munson, the sister of a traumatized Vietnam veteran. The role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film went on to sweep major acting categories, with Jane Fonda and Jon Voight winning Oscars for their performances.

A year earlier, she made headlines for her daring portrayal of silent-film star Lorna Sinclair in Ken Russell’s Valentino, opposite Rudolf Nureyev.

Across her career, Milford built a diverse filmography that included Man on a Swing (1974), Endless Love (1981), Heathers (1988), Cold Justice (1991), and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part II (1996). She also appeared in several television projects such as The Burning Bed (1984), The Oldest Living Graduate (1980), and Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982).

Outside Hollywood, Milford embraced a quieter, creative life. She ran an art gallery in Los Angeles during the mid-1980s, taught acting, and participated in local theatre. A longtime member of the Woodstock Christian Science Church, she moved to Saugerties in 2003 to restore a historic home.

Milford’s brother, Kim Milford, an actor and musician who performed in The Rocky Horror Show and collaborated with Jeff Beck, died in 1988 at the age of 37. She was briefly married to poet Michael Lally.

She is survived by her sister Candace, her brother Douglas, and three nieces and nephews.