Sarah Miles became one of the most celebrated actresses in British film by her mid-20’s and built a resume of global success, appearing in such works as ‘The Servant’, ‘Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines’, ‘Blowup’, ‘Lady Caroline Lamb’ and ‘Ryan’s Daughter’.
She received a 1971 Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for ‘Ryan’s Daughter’, an epic love story set in strife-torn Ireland during World War I. Sarah claimed to be a second cousin, once removed, of Queen Elizabeth.
She was married twice to the screenwriter Robert Bolt, who won Academy Awards for ‘Doctor Zhivago’ and ‘A Man for All Seasons’, and also wrote ‘Ryan’s Daughter’, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, and ‘Lady Caroline Lamb’.
Sarah’s film career stalled after starring opposite Burt Reynolds in the 1973 western, ‘The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing’, with the project haunted by the suspicious death of her young business manager David Whiting in her hotel room while the crew was at Gila Bend in Arizona.
Still, her career revived after a few years and she was nominated for a 1977 Golden Globe after appearing with Kris Kristofferson in the controversial ‘The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea’. She launched publicity for the movie with a nude spread in Playboy magazine.
In 1987 she won rave reviews for her roles in ‘White Mischief’ and ‘Hope and Glory’.
Sarah Miles
