Jason Miller (April 22, 1939 – May 13, 2001) was an American
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and
playwrightA playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or drama. These works are usually written to be performed in front of a live audience by actors...
. He received the 1973
Pulitzer Prize for DramaThe Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than being the calendar...
for his play
That Championship SeasonThat Championship Season is a 1972 play by Jason Miller. The play made its off-Broadway debut at the Estelle Newman Theatre on May 2, 1972, where it ran for 144 performances...
, and was widely recognized for his role as
Father Damien KarrasFather Damien Karras, SJ is a fictional Greek-American character from the novel The Exorcist, its sequel Legion, and their film adaptations....
in the 1973 horror classic
The ExorcistThe Exorcist is a 1973 U.S. horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl, and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her daughter through an exorcism conducted by two priests....
.
Miller was born
John Anthony Miller in
Long Island City, QueensLong Island City is the westernmost neighborhood of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is bounded on the north by the Queens neighborhood of Astoria; on the west by the East River; on the east by Hazen Street, 31st Street, and New Calvary Cemetery; and on the south by Newtown Creek, which...
, the son of Mary Claire Collins, a teacher, and John A. Miller, an electrician. He was of Irish ancestry. His family moved to the city of
Scranton, PennsylvaniaScranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to figures released by the United States Census Bureau in 2000,...
, where Miller was educated at St.
Jason Miller (April 22, 1939 – May 13, 2001) was an American
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and
playwrightA playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or drama. These works are usually written to be performed in front of a live audience by actors...
. He received the 1973
Pulitzer Prize for DramaThe Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than being the calendar...
for his play
That Championship SeasonThat Championship Season is a 1972 play by Jason Miller. The play made its off-Broadway debut at the Estelle Newman Theatre on May 2, 1972, where it ran for 144 performances...
, and was widely recognized for his role as
Father Damien KarrasFather Damien Karras, SJ is a fictional Greek-American character from the novel The Exorcist, its sequel Legion, and their film adaptations....
in the 1973 horror classic
The ExorcistThe Exorcist is a 1973 U.S. horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl, and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her daughter through an exorcism conducted by two priests....
.
Early years
Miller was born
John Anthony Miller in
Long Island City, QueensLong Island City is the westernmost neighborhood of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is bounded on the north by the Queens neighborhood of Astoria; on the west by the East River; on the east by Hazen Street, 31st Street, and New Calvary Cemetery; and on the south by Newtown Creek, which...
, the son of Mary Claire Collins, a teacher, and John A. Miller, an electrician. He was of Irish ancestry. His family moved to the city of
Scranton, PennsylvaniaScranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to figures released by the United States Census Bureau in 2000,...
, where Miller was educated at St. Patrick's High School and the Jesuit-run
University of ScrantonThe University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a university in...
. He also attended
The Catholic University of AmericaThe Catholic University of America , located in Northeast Washington, D.C., is the national university of the Roman Catholic Church and the only higher education institution founded by U.S. Roman Catholic bishops...
in Washington, D.C.
Career
Miller was launched into stardom in 1973 by winning a
Pulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by Hungarian-American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City....
for his play,
That Championship SeasonThat Championship Season is a 1972 play by Jason Miller. The play made its off-Broadway debut at the Estelle Newman Theatre on May 2, 1972, where it ran for 144 performances...
. That same year, he was offered the role of the troubled priest in
William FriedkinWilliam Friedkin is an American film director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing The Exorcist and The French Connection in the early 1970s...
's horror film
The ExorcistThe Exorcist is a 1973 U.S. horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl, and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her daughter through an exorcism conducted by two priests....
(1973), for which he was nominated for an
Academy AwardThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
for
Best Supporting ActorPerformance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
. Miller's film career was sporadic, however, and he preferred to work in regional theatre. He starred as Henry Drummond opposite
Malachy McCourtMalachy Gerard McCourt is an Irish-American actor, writer and politician. He was the 2006 Green Party candidate for governor in New York State, losing to the Democratic candidate Eliot Spitzer. He is the younger brother of Frank McCourt.-Personal life:Born in Brooklyn, New York, McCourt was raised...
as Matt Brady in the Philadelphia production of
Inherit The WindInherit the Wind is a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee. The play, which debuted in 1955, is a parable that fictionalizes the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial as a means to discuss the then contemporary McCarthy trials. -Background:...
. The show is to date the longest running production in Philadelphia history. He was also co-founder of Scranton Public Theatre.
Miller continued to act occasionally in such films as
The Ninth ConfigurationThe Ninth Configuration, is an American-made film, released in 1980, directed by William Peter Blatty . It is often considered a cult film and it won the Best Screenplay award at the 1981 Golden Globes...
(1980),
Toy SoldiersToy Soldiers is a 1991 American action drama film, directed by Daniel Petrie, Jr. and starring Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, Louis Gossett, Jr., Denholm Elliott, Andrew Divoff, and R. Lee Ermey. The plot revolves around an elite, independent all-male boarding school, the Regis High School, which is...
(1984),
The Exorcist IIIThe Exorcist III is a 1990 supernatural thriller and the third installment in The Exorcist series, written and directed by William Peter Blatty. It is a film adaptation of his 1983 novel, Legion, and stars George C...
(1990) and
RudyRudy is a 1993 film directed by David Anspaugh. It is an account of the life of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who harbored dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles....
(1993), playing a role close to his heart, Notre Dame coach
Ara ParseghianAra Raoul Parseghian is a former American collegiate football coach of Armenian descent. He served as head coach for three teams, most notably the University of Notre Dame team from 1964-1974...
.In 1998 he toured the country in his one man play Barrymore's Ghost , ending the tour with a 4 month run
Off-BroadwayOff Broadway theater is an umbrella term for a defined set of plays, musicals or revues performed in New York City. Originally referring to the location of a venue and its productions on a street intersecting Broadway in Manhattan's Theatre District, the hub of the theater industry in the United...
. Miller's most recent project had been a revival of
The Odd CoupleThe Odd Couple is a 1965 Broadway play by Neil Simon, followed by a successful film and television series, as well as other derivative works and spin offs, many featuring one or more of the same actors. The plot concerns two mismatched roommates, one neat and uptight, the other more easygoing but...
for the Pennsylvania Summer Theatre Festival, in which he was appearing in the role of
Oscar MadisonOscar Madison is a character in The Odd Couple, which began as a Broadway play, then was a film and then a television series.In The Odd Couple, Oscar Madison is the everyman, and is a sportswriter for the New York Herald...
.
Personal life
Miller was the father of actors
Jason PatricJason Patric is an Irish American film, television and stage actor, and Jackie Gleason's grandson, perhaps best known for his roles in such films as The Lost Boys and The Alamo .-Family:...
(by first wife Linda Gleason, daughter of
Jackie GleasonHerbert Walton Gleason, Jr. , baptized as John Herbert "Jackie" Gleason, was an American comedian, actor and musician....
) and
Joshua John MillerJoshua John Miller is an American actor, screenwriter, novelist, and filmmaker.-Personal life:Miller was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Irish-American actor and playwright Jason Miller , and Jewish-American actress and Playboy pin-up Susan Bernard Joshua John Miller (born December 26,...
(by second wife
Susan BernardSusan Bernard was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for its December 1966 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Mario Casilli.-Personal life:...
). On May 13, 2001, the thrice-divorced Miller died of a
heart attackMyocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, is the interruption of blood supply to part of the heart, causing some heart cells to die...
at Farley's Pub and Eatery in
Scranton, PennsylvaniaScranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to figures released by the United States Census Bureau in 2000,...
, at the age of 62.
In 2004, actor
Paul SorvinoPaul Anthony Sorvino is an American actor. He is the father of actress Mira Sorvino. A portrayer of authority figures on both sides of the law, his best known film role was Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas .- Early life :...
, a longtime friend of Miller, was commissioned by the city of
ScrantonScranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to figures released by the United States Census Bureau in 2000,...
to create a bronze bust of the late playwright and actor. The statue was unveiled in December 2008.
Filmography
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1973 |
The ExorcistThe Exorcist is a 1973 U.S. horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl, and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her daughter through an exorcism conducted by two priests....
|
Father Damien KarrasFather Damien Karras, SJ is a fictional Greek-American character from the novel The Exorcist, its sequel Legion, and their film adaptations....
|
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
|
| 1974 |
The Nickel Ride The Nickel Ride is a 1974 crime film directed by Robert Mulligan. It was entered into the 1974 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Jason Miller - Cooper* Linda Haynes - Sarah* Victor French - Paddie* John Hillerman - Carl* Bo Hopkins - Turner...
|
Cooper |
|
| 1975 |
A Home of Our Own |
Father William Wasson |
TV |
| 1976 |
F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood |
F. Scott FitzgeraldFrancis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are evocative of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost Generation" of the Twenties...
|
TV |
| El Perro |
Aristides Ungria |
aka The Dog The Dog or The Dogs may refer to:* The Dog , a painting by Francisco Goya* "The Dog ", an episode of the television series Seinfeld* The main character in the comic strip Footrot Flats...
aka VengeanceVengeance may refer to:In publications:*Vengeance , a character in the 1859 novel by Charles Dickens*Vengeance , by Scott Ciencin and Dan Jolley*Vengeance , a character in the Marvel Universe...
(USA Video Title) |
| 1977 |
The Devil's Advocate |
|
(UK) |
| 1978 |
The Dain Curse The Dain Curse is a novel written by Dashiell Hammett and published in 1929.-Plot summary:The detective known only as The Continental Op investigates a diamond heist that looks like an inside job. He is told of a supposed curse on the Dain family, said to inflict sudden and violent deaths upon...
|
Owen Fitzstephan |
TV mini-series |
| 1979 |
Vampire (1979 film)>Vampire |
John Rawlins |
TV |
| 1980 |
Marilyn: The Untold Story |
Arthur Miller |
TV |
| The Ninth Configuration The Ninth Configuration, is an American-made film, released in 1980, directed by William Peter Blatty . It is often considered a cult film and it won the Best Screenplay award at the 1981 Golden Globes...
|
Lt. Frankie Reno |
aka Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane |
| The Henderson Monster |
Dr. Tom Henderson |
TV |
| 1981 |
The Best Little Girl in the World The Best Little Girl in the World is a 1981 television film directed by Sam O'Steen and executive produced by Aaron Spelling. The film is based upon the 1978 novel of the same name Steven Levenkron.-Plot:...
|
Clay Orlovsky |
TV |
| 1982 |
That Championship SeasonThat Championship Season is Jason Miller's 1982 film version of his 1973 Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway play of the same name. It stars Robert Mitchum, Martin Sheen, Bruce Dern, Stacy Keach and Paul Sorvino and was filmed on location in Scranton, Pennsylvania where it is set.In 1999, Sorvino...
|
|
Screenwriter/Director
Nominated - Golden Berlin BearAccording to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
|
| Monsignor Monsignor is a 1982 film about a Roman Catholic priest's rise through the ranks of the Vatican, during and after World War II. Along the way, he involves the Vatican in the black marketeering operations of a mafia don, and has an affair with a woman in the postulant stage of becoming a nun.The...
|
Don Vito Appolini |
|
| 1984 |
A Touch of Scandal |
Garrett Locke |
TV |
| Toy Soldiers |
Sarge |
|
| Terror in the Aisles Terror in the Aisles is a 1984 horror film documentary featuring clips from Friday the 13th I and II, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween I and II, Jaws I and II, Alien, John Carpenter's The Thing, The Shining, etc. The film is hosted by Donald Pleasence and Nancy Allen...
|
|
archival footage |
| 1987 |
Deadly Care |
Dr. Miles Keefer |
TV |
| Light of Day Light of Day is a 1987 drama film starring Michael J. Fox, Gena Rowlands, Joan Jett and Michael McKean. It was written and directed by Paul Schrader. The original music score was composed by Thomas Newman and the cinematography is by John Bailey....
|
Benjamin Rasnick |
|
| 1990 |
The Exorcist III The Exorcist III is a 1990 supernatural thriller and the third installment in The Exorcist series, written and directed by William Peter Blatty. It is a film adaptation of his 1983 novel, Legion, and stars George C...
|
Patient X |
(Father Damien KarrasFather Damien Karras, SJ is a fictional Greek-American character from the novel The Exorcist, its sequel Legion, and their film adaptations....
) |
| 1992 |
Small Kill |
Mikie |
|
| 1993 |
RudyRudy is a 1993 film directed by David Anspaugh. It is an account of the life of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who harbored dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles....
|
Ara ParseghianAra Raoul Parseghian is a former American collegiate football coach of Armenian descent. He served as head coach for three teams, most notably the University of Notre Dame team from 1964-1974...
|
|
| 1995 |
Mommy |
Lieutenant March |
|
| Murdered Innocence |
Detective Rollins |
|
| 1998 |
Trance |
The Doctor |
aka The Eternal The Eternal are an Australian band formed in 2003 by Mark Kelson and Chris Stevenson.-History:The Eternal formed in Melbourne, Australia in mid-2003. Later that year, they signed a two-album deal with Firebox Records of Finland on the strength of a self-titled promotional EP...
|
| 1999 |
That Championship Season That Championship Season is a 1999 television film about a four members of a championship high school basketball team, along with their coach, that reunite 20 years later. The film is based on Jason Miller's Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name...
|
|
TV
Screenwriter |
| 2000 |
Slice |
|
|
| 2002 |
Paradox Lake |
|
|
| 2003 |
Finding Home |
Lester Bownlow |
|
External links