Sylvia Miles

Sylvia Miles (née Scheinwald;Multiple sources:

• September 9, 1924 – June 12, 2019) was an American actress. She was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performances in Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Farewell, My Lovely (1975).

Miles was a fixture in New York City society, having lived there her entire life. She performed in many Off-Broadway shows, including starring in a one-woman musical based on her life, titled It's Me, Sylvia! in 1981. A documentary about her life titled I Was Always Sylvia aired on New York City public television channel WNET as part of The 51st State series.

Early life

Miles was born and raised in Greenwich Village, New York City. She was the second daughter of Jewish parents, Belle (née Feldman) and Reuben Scheinwald, a furniture maker. She was educated at Washington Irving High School and the Actors Studio.

Career

Miles began her career on stage in 1947, and on television and film in 1954.

In the early 1960s, she played the role of Sally Rogers in the pilot episode of what would become The Dick Van Dyke Show, which was later taken by Rose Marie for the series. Her early television work included appearances in three episodes of Naked City (TV series) and two episodes of Route 66 (TV series) (cf. as Red in "The Thin White Line," Route 66, S2E11). She appeared Off-Broadway in “Ruthless!” The Musical (1992) at the Players Theatre, NYC, playing Sylvia St. Croix (originally played by Joel Vig in drag); she was one of the few females to play the role. She appeared on Broadway in two productions, most notably the 1976 revival of The Night of the Iguana.

Miles was cast in the film Midnight Cowboy (1969) as a middle-aged Park Avenue kept-woman, who invites Joe Buck (Jon Voight) up to her penthouse apartment for sex—another role in which Miles showed off her voluptuous figure. She received a second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her slightly larger role (eight minutes) in Farewell, My Lovely (1975).

Miles starred in Andy Warhol's underground feature film Heat (1972), appearing in a lingering nude scene with Joe Dallesandro. She had a role in the Indian suspense film Shalimar (1978). She appeared in Evil Under the Sun (1982), the film version of Agatha Christie's novel of the same name, portraying a Broadway producer. She played real-estate agent Dolores in the Oliver Stone film Wall Street (1987), a role she reprised in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010).

Miles was also featured in the mainstream films 92 in the Shade, Critical Condition, The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday, Crossing Delancey, and the 1989 comedy She-Devil, in which she played the mother of Meryl Streep's character. In her final years, Miles appeared in a few roles on television such as Sex and the City and One Life to Live, and in the films Go Go Tales and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

In 1975, Miles complained about being typecast as a prostitute in almost all of her then 14 movies and 26 off-Broadway plays to date. "Do I look like a prostitute? What does a hooker look like, anyway? Me?"

In a New York restaurant in 1973, Miles publicly dumped a plate of food onto critic John Simon's head for his negative comments about her in a review of a play she starred in.

Wayland Flowers and his puppet Madame first uttered the widely quoted line, "Sylvia Miles and Andy Warhol would attend the opening of an envelope".

Personal life

In 1948, Miles married William Myers, but the couple divorced two years later. From 1952 to 1958, she was married to Gerald Price. From 1963 to 1970, she was married to radio disc jockey Ted Brown. Brown cited Miles' lack of desire to have children as the main cause for their divorce.

Miles dated Rudolf Martinus, a model, in the 1970s.

In the 1960s and the 1970s she often played chess at a competitive level and was a member of the Manhattan Chess Club.

Death

Miles died on June 12, 2019, while en route to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan at the age of 94. She had been in declining health in recent years and was in nursing home care in her final months. During Miles' final years she was suffering from anemia and respiratory issues.

Filmography

Film

Television

::Sources:

References

References

1. [http://www.playbill.com/playbillpagegallery/inside-playbill?asset=00000150-aea7-d936-a7fd-eef7e2e80003&type=InsidePlaybill&slide=1 Sylvia Miles playbill bio] accessed 10/28/2019
2. [https://www.thirteen.org/the51ststate/history.html biography], ''The 51st State'', accessed 10/28/2019
3. (October 10, 1988). "Forget That Trinket in Her Right Hand—Actress Sylvia Miles' Biggest Fan Is Sylvia Miles".
4. Mel Gussow. (April 15, 1981). "Theatre: 'It's Me,' by and with Sylvia Miles". The New York Times.
5. "Sylvia Miles".
6. (June 12, 2019). "Sylvia Miles, Scene-Stealer in 'Midnight Cowboy' and 'Farewell, My Lovely,' Dies at 94". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
7. The role earned her an [[42nd Academy Awards. Academy Award nomination]] for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Best Supporting Actress]], although she appeared on-screen for about six minutes.[http://www.filmsite.org/aa69.html Miles' profile], filmsite.org; accessed November 20, 2014.
8. "Joe Dallesandro and Sylvia Miles in HEAT". TATE.org.
9. (June 12, 2019). "Interview with Sylvia Miles". [[Roger Ebert]].com.
10. (March 5, 1982). "'Evil Under Smile', New Christie". [[The New York Times]].
11. (June 12, 2019). "Sylvia Miles, Oscar-Nominated for 'Midnight Cowboy' and 'Farewell My Lovely,' Dies at 94". Variety.
12. "92 in the Shade". Parallax-View.
13. "List of Sylvia Miles Credits".
14. Vernon Scott. (August 22, 1975). "The Happy Hooker?". The Herald Journal.
15. [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100587126 NPR website referencing John Simon-Sylvia Miles altercation], NPR; retrieved October 8, 2014.
16. Gaines, Steven. (May 20, 2010). "The Envelope Please".
17. Chase, Chris. (1971-10-31). "Movies". The New York Times.
18. Reif, Rita. (1972-08-16). "The Women of Chess—So Far It Hasn't Been Their Move". The New York Times.
19. Gates, Anita. (2019-06-12). "Sylvia Miles, Actress With a Flair for the Flamboyant, Dies at 94". The New York Times.
20. Perpetual Chess Podcast. (2021-11-04). "FM Asa Hoffman, NYC Local Chess Legend, recounts his Blitz battles + shares Bobby Fischer stories".
21. (June 12, 2019). "Sylvia Miles, Actress With a Flair for the Flamboyant, Dies at 94". [[The New York Times]].
22. "Sylvia Miles, flamboyant scene-stealer with two Oscar nominations, dies at 94". Washington Post.
23. (June 12, 2019). "'Midnight Cowboy' Actress Sylvia Miles Dead at 94". [[TMZ]].