Penelope Milford

Stage-trained Penelope Milford made her feature debut in Frank Perry's "Man on a Swing" (1974) and three years later earned an Academy Award nomination (Best Supporting Actress) as Jane Fonda's fellow hospital worker keeping an eye on her brother (Robert Caradine) in Hal Ashby's "Coming Home." She acted in a couple of turkeys for distinguished directors Ken Russell ("Valentino" 1977) and Franco Zeffirelli ("Endless Love" 1981) but landed work in quality projects for the small screen: "Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris" (CBS, 1980), in which she played the titular singer who nearly died as a result of brain surgery; "Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story" (CBS, 1982), as sister Betty Clooney; and "The Burning Bed" (NBC, 1984), one of the highest rated TV movies of all time. Although her appearances have been sporadic, Milford portrayed one of the adults in the outrageous black comedy "Heathers" (1989) and also acted in John McNaughton's "Normal Life" (HBO, 1996).