Biography
Many viewers first became acquainted with actor Penelope Ann Miller when she appeared as the stranded Brenda in the classic family comedy "Adventures in Babysitting" (1987) though many may not have recognized her. Born to a Los Angeles-based actor/producer father and costume designer mother in 1964, Miller felt a natural gravitation towards show business as a child. She studied for two years at Atherton, California's Menlo College before dropping out to concentrate on studying acting at HB Studio in New York. She had only been in the Big Apple for a little over a year when she landed her big break, playing Daisy opposite Matthew Broderick on Broadway in Neil Simon's "Biloxi Blues." The role opened many doors for the young actor, and she was soon parlaying her success into film work, landing her first major role in the enduring "Adventures in Babysitting" as Brenda, the best friend of Elisabeth Shue's character, who spends much of the film costumed in a pair of massive, thick glasses. Miller also re-teamed with Broderick to reprise the role of Daisy in a movie adaptation of "Biloxi Blues" (1987) that same year, before returning to Broadway to star as Emily in a revival of "Our Town." Oscillating back to films when the show wrapped, Miller was eventually paired with Broderick yet again, this time in the crime comedy "The Freshman" (1990). She made waves starring opposite Al Pacino in Brian De Palma's "Carlito's Way" (1993) before returning to the Broadway stage for the play "On the Waterfront." Miller's next phase in her Hollywood career was marked by films built on terror and suspense, as she most notably starred in horror films like "The Relic" (1997), thrillers like "The Break Up" (1998), and mysteries like "Along Came a Spider" (2001). As the medium of TV became a more prestige venue for high caliber actors, Miller began co-starring on series like the critically lauded "Men of a Certain Age" (Fox, 2009-2011). She also made a turn in the celebrated modern-day silent film "The Artist" (2011) and in the confrontational "The Birth of a Nation" (2016). Ever on the cutting edge as a performer, Miler next appeared in the TV movie "The College Admissions Scandal" (Lifetime, 2019), with a story ripped straight from the headlines.
