Skip to content
John Mills

John Mills

Acting·1908–2005·114 films

Sir John Mills, CBE (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 1908 – 23 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. On screen, he often played people who are not at all exceptional, but become heroes because of their common sense, generosity and good judgement.

As Actor

Bean
Bean (1997)Chairman
Gandhi
Gandhi (1982)Lord Chelmsford
Around the World in 80 Days
Around the World in 80 Days (1956)London Carriage Driver
Hamlet
Hamlet (1996)Old King Norway
The Parent Trap
The Parent Trap (1961)Mitch Evers' Golf Caddy (uncredited)
Great Expectations
Great Expectations (1946)Pip
Swiss Family Robinson
Swiss Family Robinson (1960)Father
When the Wind Blows
When the Wind Blows (1986)Jim Bloggs (voice)
War and Peace
War and Peace (1956)Platon Karataev
Who's That Girl
Who's That Girl (1987)Montgomery Bell
Cats
Cats (1998)Gus the Theatre Cat
Ryan's Daughter
Ryan's Daughter (1970)Michael
Hobson's Choice
Hobson's Choice (1954)William Mossop
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)Peter Colley as a Young Man
Operation Crossbow
Operation Crossbow (1965)General Boyd
Dr. Strange
Dr. Strange (1978)Thomas Lindmer
Zulu Dawn
Zulu Dawn (1979)Sir Henry Bartle Frere
In Which We Serve
In Which We Serve (1942)Ordinary Seaman Blake / Shorty Blake
Ice Cold in Alex
Ice Cold in Alex (1958)Captain Anson
The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep (1978)Inspector Carson
Bright Young Things
Bright Young Things (2003)Gentleman
King Rat
King Rat (1965)Smedley-Taylor
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (1958)Cpl Tubby Binns
The Wrong Box
The Wrong Box (1966)Masterman Finsbury
Tunes of Glory
Tunes of Glory (1960)Lt. Col. Basil Barrow (Battalion Commander)
This Happy Breed
This Happy Breed (1944)Billy Mitchell
Sahara
Sahara (1983)Cambridge
The Colditz Story
The Colditz Story (1955)Pat Reid
Tiger Bay
Tiger Bay (1959)Superintendent Graham
The Chalk Garden
The Chalk Garden (1964)Maitland
Young Winston
Young Winston (1972)General Kitchner
Oh! What a Lovely War
Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig
Scott of the Antarctic
Scott of the Antarctic (1948)Captain R.F. Scott R.N.
The Thirty Nine Steps
The Thirty Nine Steps (1978)Scudder
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2010)Self – Interviewee
Oklahoma Crude
Oklahoma Crude (1973)Cleon Doyle
Above Us the Waves
Above Us the Waves (1955)Commandant Fraser
Chuka
Chuka (1967)Colonel Stuart Valois
The Family Way
The Family Way (1966)Ezra Fitton
The Way to the Stars
The Way to the Stars (1945)Pilot Officer Peter Penrose
I Was Monty's Double
I Was Monty's Double (1958)Major Harvey
The End of the Affair
The End of the Affair (1955)Albert Parkis
We Dive at Dawn
We Dive at Dawn (1943)Lt. Taylor RN
A Black Veil for Lisa
A Black Veil for Lisa (1968)Inspector Franz Bulon
The Rocking Horse Winner
The Rocking Horse Winner (1949)Bassett
Town on Trial
Town on Trial (1957)Supt. Mike Halloran
The October Man
The October Man (1947)Jim Ackland
Murder with Mirrors
Murder with Mirrors (1985)Lewis Serrocold
Cottage to Let
Cottage to Let (1941)Flt·Lieut. Perry
The Human Factor
The Human Factor (1975)Mike McAllister
Frankenstein
Frankenstein (1993)De Lacey
The Vicious Circle
The Vicious Circle (1957)Dr. Howard Latimer
Morning Departure
Morning Departure (1950)Lt. Cmdr. Armstrong
The Long Memory
The Long Memory (1953)Phillip Davidson
Waterloo Road
Waterloo Road (1945)Jim Colter
The Singer Not the Song
The Singer Not the Song (1961)Father Michael Keogh
The Truth About Spring
The Truth About Spring (1965)Tommy Tyler
The Ghost Camera
The Ghost Camera (1933)Ernest Elton
The Lady and the Highwayman
The Lady and the Highwayman (1988)Sir Lawrence Dobson
The Grotesque
The Grotesque (1995)Sir Edward Cleghorn
Night of the Fox
Night of the Fox (1990)Brig. Dougal Munro
Lady Caroline Lamb
Lady Caroline Lamb (1972)Canning
Dulcima
Dulcima (1971)Mr. Parker
The Masks of Death
The Masks of Death (1984)Dr. John H. Watson / Narrator
So Well Remembered
So Well Remembered (1947)George Boswell
The Gentle Gunman
The Gentle Gunman (1952)Terence Sullivan
The Green Cockatoo
The Green Cockatoo (1937)Jim Connor
Flame in the Streets
Flame in the Streets (1961)Jacko Palmer
Emma Hamilton
Emma Hamilton (1968)Lord William Hamilton
Adam's Woman
Adam's Woman (1970)Sir Philip MacDonald
The History of Mr. Polly
The History of Mr. Polly (1949)Alfred Polly
Tiara Tahiti
Tiara Tahiti (1962)Lt. Col. Clifford Southey
The Baby and the Battleship
The Baby and the Battleship (1956)Puncher Roberts
Mr. Denning Drives North
Mr. Denning Drives North (1951)Tom Denning
The Young Mr. Pitt
The Young Mr. Pitt (1942)William Wilberforce
The Quatermass Conclusion
The Quatermass Conclusion (1979)Prof. Bernard Quatermass
Escapade
Escapade (1955)John Hampden
Run Wild, Run Free
Run Wild, Run Free (1969)The Moorman (Colonel)
Tudor Rose
Tudor Rose (1936)Lord Guilford Dudley
Brown on Resolution
Brown on Resolution (1935)Albert Brown
Deadly Advice
Deadly Advice (1994)Jack the Ripper
Car of Dreams
Car of Dreams (1935)Robert Miller
The Black Sheep of Whitehall
The Black Sheep of Whitehall (1942)Bobby Jessop
Broadway Gondolier
Broadway Gondolier (1935)
It's Great to be Young!
It's Great to be Young! (1956)Dingle
The Big Blockade
The Big Blockade (1942)Tom
The Big Freeze
The Big Freeze (1993)Dapper man
Forever Ealing
Forever Ealing (2002)Self
Old Bill and Son
Old Bill and Son (1941)Young Bill
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1959)Barney
Trial by Combat
Trial by Combat (1976)Colonel Bertie Cook
Harnessing Peacocks
Harnessing Peacocks (1993)Bernard Quigley
The Valiant
The Valiant (1962)Captain Morgan
The Devil's Advocate
The Devil's Advocate (1977)Monsignor Blaise Meredith
O.H.M.S.
O.H.M.S. (1937)Cpl. Bert Dawson
Those Were the Days
Those Were the Days (1934)Bobby Poskett
The Wind and the Bomb
The Wind and the Bomb (1986)
All Hands
All Hands (1940)Jack
Doctor's Orders
Doctor's Orders (1934)Ronnie Blake
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
Sir John Mills' Moving Memories (2000)Self
The Midshipmaid
The Midshipmaid (1932)Golightly
First Offence
First Offence (1936)Johnnie Penrose
Africa: Texas Style!
Africa: Texas Style! (1967)Wing Commander Hayes
Land of Promise
Land of Promise (1946)The Voice
Royal Cavalcade
Royal Cavalcade (1935)Young Enlistee
A Political Party
A Political Party (1934)Tony Smithers
The Many Lives of Richard Attenborough
The Many Lives of Richard Attenborough (2003)
One More Audience with Dame Edna Everage
One More Audience with Dame Edna Everage (1988)Self (uncredited)
Swiss Family Robinson: Adventure in the Making
Swiss Family Robinson: Adventure in the Making (2002)Self (archive)
Escape to Paradise/Water Birds
Escape to Paradise/Water Birds (1960)
The Gentleman Thief
The Gentleman Thief (2001)Arthur Rosehip
A Profile of In Which We Serve
A Profile of In Which We Serve (2000)Interviewee
The Way to Wimbledon
The Way to Wimbledon (1952)Self - Commentator

As Director