Oscar-nominated ‘Coming Home’ actor Penelope Milford passes away at 77

NEW YORK: American stage and film actor Penelope Milford, who bagged the Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination in 1979, has passed away at 77.

According to Variety, Penelope Milford took her last breath in Saugerties, New York, as confirmed by her brother, Doug Milford. The cause of her death remains unknown.

Milford, whose professional career began on the New York stage in 1971, co-starred opposite Richard Gere in an Off-Broadway production of ‘Long Time Coming and a Long Time Gone’. It is based on the life of musician-novelist Richard Farina.

Later, in 1972, Milford made her Broadway debut in Julian Barry’s Tony Award-winning play titled ‘Lenny’. She also received a Drama Desk Featured Actress in a Musical nomination for ‘Shenandoah’.

Around the same time, she started appearing in films, making her debut with Norman Mailer’s 1970 film, ‘Maidstone’. Milford was also seen as a silent film star in Ken Russell’s ‘Valentino’.

Penelope Milford, Oscar-Nominated Actress in ‘Coming Home,’ Dies at 77

Her credits included two turns on Broadway and the films ‘Valentino,’ ‘Endless Love’ and ‘Heathers.’ pic.twitter.com/ODgyvNH7pz

— Back To The 80s (@back21980s) October 16, 2025

Penelope Milford got her major breakthrough with Hal Ashby’s Oscar-nominated ‘Coming Home’. The film went on to bag nine Oscar nominations, including her Supporting Actress nod.

She was seen as Vi Munson, whose brother had just come back after two weeks in Vietnam, suffering severe emotional problems. She later develops a friendship with Fonda’s Sally Hyde, leading her roommate to volunteer at a Veterans Administration Hospital. The film eventually won three trophies, including Best Actress for Jane Fonda and Best Actor for Jon Voight.

Milford also had a significant TV career, featuring in the Emmy-winning TV play, ‘The Oldest Living Graduate’, TV movie ‘Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris’. Another big TV film of her career came with ‘The Burning Bed’, which won several accolades, including a WGA Award and a Golden Globe. (ANI)