Millard Mitchell | |
|---|---|
 Mitchell in Singin' in the Rain, 1952 | |
| Born | August 14, 1903 Havana, Cuba |
| Died | October 13, 1953 (aged 50) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1924–1953 |
| Spouse |
Peggy Gould
(m. 1942) |
| Children | 2 |
Millard Mitchell (August 14, 1903 – October 13, 1953) was an Cuban-born American character actor whose credits include roughly 30 feature films and two television appearances.
He appeared as a bit player in eight films between 1931 and 1936. Mitchell returned to film work in 1942 after a six-year absence. Between 1942 and 1953, he was a successful supporting actor.
For his performance in the film My Six Convicts (1952), Mitchell won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. He is also remembered for his role as Col. Rufus Plummer in Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair (1948), as Gregory Peck's commanding officer in the war drama Twelve O'Clock High (1949), High-Spade Frankie Wilson in Winchester '73 (1950), as the fictional movie mogul R.F. Simpson in the musical comedy Singin' in the Rain (1952), and as a hapless old prospector in The Naked Spur (1953).
Mitchell appeared frequently on Broadway, often playing a fast-talking Broadway character. He played the starring role in The Great Campaign (1947).[1][2]
Mitchell was born to American parents in Havana, Cuba. He married actress Peggy Gould in 1942; the couple had two daughters, Mary Ellis and Margaret. Their daughter Maggie Schpak is a noted Hollywood jewelry designer.[3][4] Their granddaughter Margaret Mitchell is a noted computer scientist.
Mitchell died at the age of 50 in 1953 from lung cancer at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California,[5][6][7] and was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
