Millie Perkins

Millie Perkins (born May 12, 1938) is an American film and television actress probably best known for her debut film role as Anne Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), and for her supporting actress roles in two 1966 westerns, The Shooting and Ride in the Whirlwind, both directed by Monte Hellman. 2Early life and career Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Millie grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey and attended Fair Lawn High School. Her father was a merchant marine captain. Perkins was working as a receptionist at a New York City advertising agency when she caught the eye of a visiting photographer with a resultant career as a model; by 1958 Perkins was an international cover girl. In 1958, she was vigorously pursued, and then selected, to appear in her first film, in The Diary of Anne Frank. Perkins had never studied nor sought to be an actress, but George Stevens saw her in Gluck's photo and on the covers of several magazines and tried to convince her to read for the part. Finally, she flew to Hollywood for a screen test and, with much fanfare, landed the role of Anne Frank in George Stevens' 1959 film The Diary of Anne Frank. Perkins received almost universally excellent reviews for her portrayal of Anne although the film was less of a box office success than expected. After her work with George Stevens, Perkins was placed under contract to 20th Century Fox. She was one of the promising young stars of Hollywood, but the studio contract system, which was coming to an end, was a poor fit for Perkins, who had come of age with the Beat Generation in 1950s New York Cit