Dick Miller

Actor Dick Miller appeared in over 100 movies as a character actor, typically portraying an everyman with whom the audience could identify and connect. Born in New York City to Russian immigrant parents, Miller attended the City College of New York after serving a tour in the US Navy. Miller completed his undergraduate studies and went on to do further academic work at New York University and Columbia University, earning a Ph.D. in psychology. While he worked at New York's Bellevue Hospital in the Mental Hygiene Clinic, Miller was also pursuing acting, appearing on the Broadway stage. He moved from New York City to Los Angeles in 1952, determined to get work as a writer. He began acting in small roles in movies, and on television. For the first 5 years of his career he appeared in a number of works directed by Roger Corman, including Apache Woman (1955), "It Conquered the World" (1956), "Sorority Girl" (1957) and "A Bucket of Blood" (1959) where he first played the character Walter Paisley. Miller would go on to play characters named Walter Paisley in different movies a total of 6 times, two in projects directed by Corman. While he made a name for himself in the exploitation movies of the 60s and 70s, Miller was also known for his work in later movies like "The Terminator" (1984), "Small Soldiers" (1998), and "Demon Knight" (1995). He was also well known for his portrayal of Murray Futterman in "Gremlins" (1984) and "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" (1990). His television work included appearances in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (Syndication 1987-1994), "Police Squad!" (ABC, 1982), and "Fame" (Syndication 1982-87).