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Wentworth Miller

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Wentworth Miller
Miller photographed by Andrew Horovitz
on September 25, 2011
Born
Wentworth Earl Miller III

(1972-06-02) June 2, 1972 (age 52)
Chipping Norton, England
EducationBachelor's degree
Alma materPrinceton University
Occupations
Years active1998–present

Wentworth Earl Miller III (born June 2, 1972)[1] is an American actor, model, screenwriter and producer. He rose to prominence following his role as Michael Scofield in the Fox series Prison Break, for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for best actor in a leading role. He made his screenwriting debut with the 2013 thriller film Stoker. He is currently playing a recurring villain in The Flash as Leonard Snart / Captain Cold, and is playing the role as a series regular in the spin-off Legends of Tomorrow. Miller will reprise his role as Michael Scofield for the Prison Break series in 2017.

Early life

Miller was born in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, the son of American parents,[2] Roxann, a special education teacher, and Wentworth E. Miller II, a lawyer and teacher.[1] His father, a Rhodes Scholar, was studying at Oxford at the time of Miller's birth.[3] Miller said in 2003 that his father is black and his mother is white.[4] His paternal grandparents had African-American, Jamaican, English, German, Jewish, and Cherokee ancestry. His mother is of Russian, French, Dutch, Syrian, and Lebanese ancestry.[5][6][7][8]

Miller's family moved to Park Slope, Brooklyn when he was a year old.[3][9] He graduated from Princeton University in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in English literature. While at Princeton, he performed with the a cappella group the Princeton Tigertones, and was a member of the Quadrangle Club and the Colonial Club.[10]

Career

Miller at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International.

In 1995, Miller relocated to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.[11] He has stated that his rocky road to stardom "was a long time in the coming and there were a lot of upsets and a lot of failures and roadblocks, but I couldn’t walk away from it. I needed it like I needed air, it was just something I had to do."[12] Miller's first TV appearance was as student-turned-sea monster Gage Petronzi on Buffy the Vampire Slayer ("Go Fish", 1998).

Miller's first starring role was in 2002 as the sensitive, introverted David Scott in ABC's mini-series Dinotopia. After appearing in a few minor television roles, he moved on to co-star in the 2003 film The Human Stain, playing the younger version of the Anthony Hopkins character, Coleman Silk. He identified strongly with the core dilemma of the movie, about a black man who chooses to "pass" as white. Miller worked extensively on the role, not only in researching Anthony Hopkins, but by embarking on a four-month regimen to accurately portray Silk as a boxer. Also in 2003, he had a minor role in the film Underworld, playing a doctor and friend of the character Michael Corvin.

In 2005, Miller was cast as Michael Scofield in Fox Network's television drama Prison Break. He played the role of a caring brother who created an elaborate scheme to help his brother, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) escape death row after being found guilty of a crime he did not commit. His character had a full upper body (front and back) tattoo. Covering both the front of Miller's torso and his back, along with both arms from shoulders to wrists, the special effects for the tattoo took over four hours to apply. His performance in the show earned him a 2005 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series.[13]

Miller appeared in two Mariah Carey music videos, "It's Like That" as a party guest and "We Belong Together" as her love interest. Director Brett Ratner, who directed the pilot episode of Prison Break, was also signed on to direct the two Carey videos. Ratner decided to use Miller in the videos as well.[14]

In addition, Miller guest-starred in the Season 11 premiere of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Detective Nate Kendall, a detective from Precinct 24 of the NYPD.[15][16] He also featured in Resident Evil: Afterlife, the fourth film in the commercially successful Resident Evil film series based on the video game series of the same name; Miller plays Chris Redfield, one of the protagonists of the video game series.

Miller wrote the screenplay for the film Stoker, as well as a prequel to Stoker, Uncle Charlie.[17] He used the pseudonym Ted Foulke, later explaining, "I just wanted the scripts to sink or swim on their own."[18] Miller's script was voted to the 2010 "Black List" of the 10 best unproduced screenplays then making the rounds in Hollywood.[19] The film is about a teenage girl who must deal with a mysterious uncle following the death of her father. Miller described it as a "horror film, a family drama and a psychological thriller".[20] Although influenced by Bram Stoker's Dracula, Miller has clarified that Stoker is not a vampire story.[20][21] Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt also influenced the film but only as a jumping-off point, from which the story takes a different direction.[20] Park Chan-wook directed, with stars Mia Wasikowska as the teenager, Nicole Kidman as the mother, and Matthew Goode as the uncle.[22] The film was released in 2013.

Miller scripted the film The Loft, an American-Belgian thriller film, which is a remake of the 2008 Dutch-language Belgian film Loft by Erik Van Looy. The plot is about five married men who share an upmarket loft with their mistresses. When the body of a murdered woman is found in the loft, the men begin to suspect each other of having committed the gruesome crime, as they are the only ones with keys to the premises. Through flashbacks, which are intertwined with scenes from the present, the entire story is unraveled.

Miller has also sold a screenplay for a film called The Disappointments Room, the story reportedly also a family drama with horror elements similar to Stoker, to Voltage Pictures and Killer Films.[23] Miller is reportedly in negotiations to write the screenplay adaptation of the novel The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski which is set to be produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks among others.[24]

In July 2014, it was announced that Miller had joined the cast of The CW superhero series The Flash in a recurring role as Leonard Snart / Captain Cold.[25] He made his first appearance in the fourth episode of the first season, and reprised his role on Legends of Tomorrow.[26] Miller exited Legends of Tomorrow as a series regular at the end of season one, but signed a contract with Warner Bros. TV to continue portraying Snart simultaneously on multiple shows in the Arrowverse.[27]

Personal life

Miller in 2015

Miller lives in Los Angeles, California. He has two sisters, Leigh and Gillian. He holds dual British and US citizenship by virtue of his birth in the United Kingdom to American parents.[21]

In 2007, Miller denied to InStyle magazine that he was gay.[28] However, he came out as gay in August 2013, when he posted a letter on GLAAD's website declining an invitation to attend the Saint Petersburg International Film Festival because he felt "deeply troubled" by the Russian government's treatment of its gay citizens (referring to Russian LGBT propaganda law enacted the previous June which banned "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations").[29][30] Miller wrote that he "cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly".[29]

At the 2013 Human Rights Campaign Dinner in Seattle, Washington, Miller said he had attempted suicide multiple times as a teenager before coming out as gay.[31] He said: "When someone asked me if that was a cry for help, I said no, because I told no one. You only cry for help if you believe there's help to cry for."[31] He discussed struggling in Hollywood as a closeted actor, and talked about how his involvement in the ManKind Project helped him learn about brotherhood, sisterhood, and being part of a community.[32]

In a 2016 Facebook post, he revealed that he "[had] struggled with depression since childhood. It's a battle that's cost me time, opportunities, relationships, and a thousand sleepless nights." He made this emotional post in reaction to a meme of himself which poked fun at his weight gain in 2010. Miller said that his weight gain was down to him finding comfort in food as he was suicidal.[33]

Filmography

† Denotes films/television series that have not yet been released
Film performances
Year Title Role Notes
2000 Romeo and Juliet Paris Direct-to-video
2001 Room 302 Server #1 Short
2003 Underworld Dr. Adam Lockwood
2003 The Human Stain Young Coleman Silk
2005 The Confession The Prisoner / Tom Short
2005 Stealth EDI Voice
2009 Blood Creek German soldier Uncredited
2010 Resident Evil: Afterlife Chris Redfield
2014 The Loft Luke Seacord
2015 2 Hours 2 Vegas Guy in rally car Short
As screenwriter and producer
Year Title Notes
2013 Stoker Writer and co-producer
2016 The Disappointments Room † Writer
Television performances
Year Title Role Notes
1998 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Gage Petronzi Episode: "Go Fish"
1999–2000 Time of Your Life Nelson 3 episodes
2000 Popular Adam Rothschild-Ryan 2 episodes
2000 ER Mike Palmieri Episode: "Homecoming"
2002 Dinotopia David Scott Main role
2005 Joan of Arcadia Ryan Hunter 2 episodes
2005–09 Prison Break Michael Scofield Main role
2005 Ghost Whisperer Sgt. Paul Adams Episode: "Pilot"
2009 Family Guy Jock #4 / Popular Kid #2 Voice, Episode: "Stew-Roids"
2009 Prison Break: The Final Break Michael Scofield Television film
2009 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Detective Nate Kendall Episode: "Unstable"
2011 House Benjamin Byrd Episode: "Charity Case"
2013 Young Justice Slade Wilson / Deathstroke Voice, Episode: "The Fix"
2014-present The Flash Leonard Snart / Captain Cold Arrowverse regular
2016-present Legends of Tomorrow
2017 Prison Break † Michael Scofield Main role, Filming
Music videos
Year Song title Artist
2005 "It's Like That" Mariah Carey
2005 "We Belong Together" Mariah Carey
Video games
Year Title Role Notes
2010 Prison Break: The Conspiracy Michael Scofield Voice

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Work
2004 Black Reel Award Best Actor Nominated The Human Stain
2004 Black Reel Award Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated The Human Stain
2005 Golden Globe Award Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series – Drama Nominated Prison Break
2005 Saturn Award Best Actor on Television Nominated Prison Break
2006 Gold Derby Award Breakthrough Performer of the Year Nominated Prison Break
2006 Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor Nominated Prison Break
2006 Teen Choice Award Choice TV Breakout Star Nominated Prison Break
2007 Bravo Otto Best Male TV Star 2nd place Prison Break
2007 Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor: Drama Nominated Prison Break
2008 Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actor: Action Adventure Nominated Prison Break
2013 Fright Meter Award Best Screenplay Nominated Stoker
2013 International Online Cinema Awards Best Original Screenplay Nominated Stoker
2014 Fangoria Chainsaw Award Best Screenplay 2nd place Stoker
2015 Saturn Award Best Guest Starring Role on Television Won The Flash

References

  1. ^ a b "Wentworth Miller Biography (1972-)". FilmReference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/08/yes-the-newly-out-wentworth-miller-is-british
  3. ^ a b "Being Wentworth Miller: The star of Fox's upcoming "Prison Break" navigates Hollywood's biracial politics". EURWeb.com. June 27, 2005. Archived from the original on December 27, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2008. Though he was raised in Brooklyn, Miller was actually born in Chipping Norton, England where his black father, a Rhodes Scholar, had been studying. Miller retains dual citizenship, but affirms he is 'American – first, last and always.'
  4. ^ Baskin, Ellen (November 6, 2003). "A clear sense of self". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved 2015-08-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Paumgarten, Nick.Central Casting: The Race Card, The New Yorker, November 10, 2003. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
  6. ^ Reider, Maxim (March 13, 2008). "'Prison Break' star on furlough here". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved May 22, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Loudon, Christopher (Spring 2006). Wentworth Miller's Big Break. Sir. Canada's International Magazine of Style for Him. p. 61. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Wentworth Miller: The Great Uniter". TMZ.com. August 30, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  9. ^ "On The Move: Wentworth Miller". The Times. London. May 11, 2008. (subscription required)
  10. ^ "From Princeton to Primetime". The Daily Princetonian. Princeton University. November 10, 2005. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  11. ^ Dutch television program Jensen!, September 10, 2007.
  12. ^ Rob Owen (September 16, 2007). "'Prison Break' role reversals energize Wentworth Miller". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 28, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "2006 Golden Globe Nominations & Winners". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. January 26, 2006. Archived from the original on February 17, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2007.
  14. ^ "Wentworth Miller says he's not gay, just shy and concentrating on career @ Flylip.com – Latest Breaking Celebrity News, Celebrity Photos And Celebrity Gossip From Around The Web. The latest celebrity news from the webs best celebrity blogs".
  15. ^ "Wentworth Miller Photo". tv.com. September 3, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  16. ^ "News | Wentworth Miller Joins SVU". TV Guide Magazine. June 29, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
  17. ^ "'Prison Break' Star Secretly Writing Horror Scripts?".
  18. ^ Buchanan, Kyle (July 24, 2010). "Wentworth Miller on How He Became Hollywood's Hottest Secret Screenwriter". Movieline. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  19. ^ "Black List: 2010 Best Unproduced Screenplays". moviefone.com.
  20. ^ a b c Radish, Christina (August 3, 2010). "SDCC 2010: Wentworth Miller Interview RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE; Plus Updates on STOKER and UNCLE CHARLIE". collider.com. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  21. ^ a b "Wentworth Miller On Love, His Celebrity Crush". Who. January 26, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  22. ^ Kroll, Justin (June 8, 2011). "Matthew Goode in talks for 'Stoker' lead". Variety. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  23. ^ Wentworth Miller Script 'The Disappointments Room' Grabbed by Voltage Pictures and Killer Films, Jay A. Fernandez, April 13, 2012
  24. ^ Wentworth Miller in Talks to Adapt the Bestselling Novel, THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, Dave Trumbore, August 13, 2012,
  25. ^ Fowler, Matt (July 18, 2014). "The Flash: Prison Break Star To Play Captain Cold". IGN. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  26. ^ Beedle, Tim (2015-05-06). "Breaking News: DC's Legends of Tomorrow, a New Arrow and Flash Spinoff Series, is Coming to The CW". DC Comics. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  27. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2016-05-12). "'DC's Legends Of Tomorrow': Wentworth Miller Exits As Regular, Becomes Regular In The Berlanti Universe". Deadline. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  28. ^ "Prison Break's Wentworth Miller comes out in letter protesting Russian government". The A.V. Club. August 22, 2013.
  29. ^ a b Adam, Seth (August 21, 2013). "Wentworth Miller rejects Russian film festival invitation; 'As a gay man, I must decline'". GLAAD. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  30. ^ Shira, Dahvi (August 21, 2013). "Wentworth Miller Comes Out as Gay". People. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  31. ^ a b Idato, Michael (November 15, 2012). "Wentworth Miller reveals struggles with suicide". smh.com.au. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  32. ^ Peeples, Jase. "Wentworth Miller Attempted Suicide Before Coming Out". advocate.com. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  33. ^ Grant, Stacey (March 29, 2016). "Wentworth Miller Opens Up About Depression And Suicidal Thoughts In Candid Facebook Post". MTV.com. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
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