Oscar-Nominated Actress Dies at 77

Penelope Milford, the Oscar-nominated actress who captivated audiences in Hal Ashby’s 1978 Vietnam War drama Coming Home, has died at 77.

Her brother, Doug Milford, confirmed her passing in Saugerties, New York. A cause of death has not been released.

Milford earned her Academy Award nomination for her emotional turn as Vi Munson opposite Jane Fonda and Jon Voight in Coming Home, a film that went on to win three Oscars, including Best Actress and Best Actor.

Before her Hollywood breakthrough, Milford honed her craft on the New York stage. She made her Broadway debut in Lenny (1972), the Tony-winning play about controversial comedian Lenny Bruce, and later scored a Drama Desk nomination for her performance in the Civil War musical Shenandoah.

Milford’s early film work included roles in Norman Mailer’s experimental Maidstone and Ken Russell’s Valentino, where she played a silent-film star. She also appeared in Franco Zeffirelli’s romantic drama Endless Love in 1981.

During the 1980s, Milford found success on television, sharing the screen with legends like Henry Fonda, Leonard Nimoy, and Farrah Fawcett. She earned praise for her role in the acclaimed TV movie The Burning Bed, which helped shine a national spotlight on domestic abuse.

By the late ’80s, she appeared in the cult classic Heathers and the chilling crime drama Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, showing her range from dark comedy to gritty realism.

Later in life, Milford stepped away from Hollywood, teaching acting in Chicago and Minneapolis before settling in Saugerties, New York, where she became a beloved local figure. Friends and neighbors remember her as an active preservationist who restored historic homes, sang with the Bard Symphonic Chorus, and performed in community theater.

She was predeceased by her brother, musician and actor Richard Kim Milford, and is survived by her sister Candace Saint and brother Doug Milford.

A true artist with an independent spirit, Milford left behind a legacy defined by quiet strength — both on and off screen.