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Mary Miller

Posted: 24 Jun 2004, 00:25
by Kieran
I have just been noted by Billy that, rather sadly Mary Miller, who played Mildread and Lilith in Knightmare, has died.

I do believe she is the only Knightmare actor to have passed thus far, and it is a real shame to hear this.

imdb provides the information, she passed away in 1998:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0588925/

Re:Mary Miller

Posted: 24 Jun 2004, 00:27
by Malefact
:'(

Re:Mary Miller

Posted: 24 Jun 2004, 00:31
by HStorm
That's really sad news. The first season of KM might've been quite dull without Lillith to crumble causeways and demean dungeoneers.

*Salutes Mary Miller*

Re:Mary Miller

Posted: 24 Jun 2004, 00:31
by Skarkill
:'( Sad loss.

*Salutes the Original Dungone Villain.*

Re:Mary Miller

Posted: 24 Jun 2004, 06:22
by LordF
Indeed a very very sad loss. :'( :'(

Re:Mary Miller

Posted: 24 Jun 2004, 10:26
by Fidjit
She didn't look that at all old at all... (Apart from Mildread)

The dungeon salutes Mary Miller..

:'(

Goodnight...

Re:Mary Miller

Posted: 24 Jun 2004, 17:14
by keke
awww how sad. i really liked her. :'( just think maybe knightmare wouldn't have been as good without her there to crumble bridges and try and trick dungeoneers into getting into cauldrons.

Re:Mary Miller

Posted: 27 Jun 2004, 01:34
by KFan
So... she died 6 years ago and we only just found out?

meh!

Ahh well... she played her roles well in Knightmare. rest in peace ;D

Re:Mary Miller

Posted: 27 Jun 2004, 02:53
by Elita
KM_Fan wrote: So... she died 6 years ago and we only just found out?
And yet IMDB knew all along. You have to wonder exactly HOW it found out...

And rest in peace Mary Miller. Lillith and Mildread were two of the best characters in S1-2, and S2 wouldn't be my favourite series without her.

Happy Birthday to Mary Miller

Posted: 27 Dec 2014, 14:23
by Drassil
In January 2006 in another thread, Billy wrote:It seems that was a mistake made by the IMDB. That death date is no longer present, and there's an entry for something she did in 2005.
Unless anyone knows otherwise, Mary Miller (Lillith, Mildread) is 81 today. Happy Birthday, Mary, and thank you for entertaining us and helping to give Knightmare such a strong, magical presence in those formative years. To mark the occasion, Aesandre has turned the country into one big ice pack.

Edit: the above was based on incorrect information on IMDb. Other sources suggest that Mary Miller was born in 1929, so this would have been her 85th birthday.

Re: Re:Mary Miller

Posted: 17 Sep 2015, 20:00
by HStorm
I've found an interesting interview with Jacqueline Pearce, the actress who immortalised the character of Servalan in Blake's 7. She states that she was not the first choice to play the part, which was originally offered to... well well, Mary Miller!

http://www.alternativeservalan.com/conv ... interview/

Pearce insists that she and Miller are nothing alike as actresses. There may be some truth in that, there may not, but speaking for myself, Miller's portrayal of Lillith frequently reminded me of Servalan.

Mary Miller

Posted: 27 Jul 2020, 22:22
by JamesA
As many of you reading this will know, Mary Miller (aka Lillith and Mildread) has sadly passed away.

To me, losing one of Knightmare's original and iconic actors is indeed a sad loss; Lillith appeared in the very first episode and will always be remembered as the very first character to physically put an end to a team's adventure (this was Maeve's quest as David's team beforehand perished alone in the darkness for not having a lantern).

Lillith was a formidable person to deal with for a Level 1 character, fail to please her and you were guaranteed to fall to your doom. I also enjoyed Mary's performances as Mildread in Series 2 - although not as threatening she was by far more mischievous and cunning, which required teams to have their wits about them as opposed to just having an item to satisfy Lillith and cross her causeway.

A terrific character actress, and a great shame that she has now gone. Rest in peace Mary.

Mary Miller

Posted: 28 Jul 2020, 15:32
by Pooka
It's sad to hear of the loss of Mary Miller, especially after the relief of finding out that she didn't really die in 1998, as IMDb erroneously reported

Kieran wrote: 24 Jun 2004, 00:25 imdb provides the information, she passed away in 1998:

and was eventually corrected

Billy wrote: It seems that was a mistake made by the IMDB. That death date is no longer present, and there's an entry for something she did in 2005.

Still, she made a lasting impression and played two fantastic, threatening characters. One of my very favourite scenes in Series 2 was Mildread's impersonation, both physically and vocally, of Treguard - a wonderful bit of trickery.

Re: Mary Miller

Posted: 28 Jul 2020, 19:03
by Drassil
Some people like to joke that Knightmare was the province of ham actors; others of us have a sincere appreciation for the flair these actors brought to their roles. On paper, Lillith was one of Knightmare's most generic and formulaic characters — right clue object = success and reward, wrong clue object = failure; recurring location; repeated lines — but Mary Miller's performance made so much more of the part. To say that she was channelling Margaret Thatcher would be doing Mary an injustice. She brought decades of acting experience and blazed a trail (or bridged a chasm) for later actors to follow.

Encounters with Mildread were less black and white — she was most definitely grey — but she was just as much of a force to be reckoned with, thanks to Mary's portrayal. A shame she didn't have more scenes with the other cast members, but her power over Treguard added to her strength as a character. It's testament to Mary that Lillith and Mildread were both so prominent in the Knightmare gamebooks.

I hope that Mary enjoyed being in Knightmare, and that she was as keen to stay on after the 1987 pilot as Tim Child must have been to keep her. We have a lot to thank her for.

Kieran wrote: I do believe she is the only Knightmare actor to have passed thus far

Even in light of IMDb's false information in 2004, this was incorrect. Guy Standeven (Olgarth, Granitas, the Troll) passed away in 1998. (I understand a biography is in the works.) John Woodnutt and Bill Cashmore have sadly died since then.

IMDb still gives Mary Miller's year of birth as 1933, when 1929 seems to be the correct year.

On a personal level, it's been a relief to have no unapologetic accusations of 'fake news' or demands for a 'Source?' in response to our reporting of Mary's death: a contrast to the upsetting reaction to our Facebook post about Bill Cashmore in 2017.

Re: Mary Miller

Posted: 28 Jul 2020, 21:16
by Mashibinbin
I can only recho echo the above, she was highly accomplished in her time in and out of Knightmare and was someone who despite seeming unnerving as a character often seemed warm beneath it all too. Her talent was extensive and her range of roles impressive and I'd like to think inspired Iona in her later interpretation of Maldame.

My thoughts are with her direct friends and family and hope they can take some comfort in the fact her portrayals still resonate strongly today. RIP Mary.