Mandy Miller | |
|---|---|
| Born | Carman Isabella Miller 23 July 1944 |
| Years active | 1951–1958 |
| Spouse(s) | Christopher Davey (m. 1965) |
| Children | 3 |
Mandy Miller (born Carman Isabella Miller, 23 July 1944) is an English child actress who made a number of films in the 1950s and is probably best remembered for her recording of the 1956 song "Nellie the Elephant".
Early life
She was christened Carmen but called Mandy by her family. Her career tended to involve serious acting roles rather than comedy, even in her first small part in The Man in the White Suit, where she was a sad-faced little girl who helped Alec Guinness escape from his pursuers.
She was a natural actress and put in a much praised performance in her second film, another Ealing production, Mandy (1952), playing a deaf-mute child whose parents (played by Terence Morgan and Phyllis Calvert) did not know how to cope with bringing her up. This made her briefly a leading actor.[1]
She was also convincing in the next film, Background (1953), along with the other two child actors in this film about a family breaking up because of an impending divorce. Like Mandy, this was a drama about a well-to-do middle-class family; Valerie Hobson played her mother.
She also had lighter roles, such as in Raising a Riot (1955) starring Kenneth More. Some of her other famous co-stars were Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Godfrey Tearle, Thora Hird and Sam Wanamaker. Miller also made two single records, familiar to British people of a certain age: "Snowflakes" and "Nellie the Elephant".
She also appeared in television dramas, making films until she was 18.
Personal life
In 1962, at the age of 18, Miller moved to New York City to become an au pair. In 1965, she married Christopher Davey, an architect, and had three children (two girls and a boy). She lives in retirement in Britain.
She is the aunt of actress Amanda Pays.
Filmography
- The Man in the White Suit (1951) Gladdie
- Mandy (1952) Mandy
- Background (1953) Linda Lomax
- Adventure in the Hopfields[2] (1954) Jenny Quin
- Dance, Little Lady (1954) Jill Gordon
- The Secret (1955) Katie Martin
- Raising a Riot (1955) Anne Kent
- The Feminine Touch (1956) Jessie
- Child in the House (1956) Elizabeth Lorimer
- The Snorkel (1958) Candy Brown
References
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (17 November 2020). "John Guillermin: Action Man". Filmink.
- ^ "Lost Asher film returns home" (web). BBC News. 8 March 2002. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
External links
- Mandy Miller at IMDb