Jason Miller (playwright)
| Jason Miller | |
|---|---|
Miller as Father Damien Karras in The Exorcist
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|
| Born |
John Anthony Miller, Jr. April 22, 1939 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 13, 2001 (aged 62) Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, playwright |
| Years active | 1973–2001 |
| Spouse(s) |
Linda Gleason (m. 1963; div. 1973) Susan Bernard (m. 1974; div. 1983) Ruth Josem (m. 1984; div. 1990) |
| Children | 4; including Jason Patric and Joshua John Miller |
Jason Miller (April 22, 1939 – May 13, 2001) was an American actor and playwright. He received the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play That Championship Season and was widely recognized for his role as Father Damien Karras in the 1973 horror film The Exorcist, a role he reprised briefly in The Exorcist III. He later became artistic director of the Scranton Public Theatre in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where That Championship Season was set.
Miller was born John Anthony Miller Jr. in Queens, New York to Mary Claire (née Collins), a teacher, and John Anthony Miller Sr., an electrician. His ancestry was primarily Irish Catholic, with some German.
His family moved to Scranton in 1941, where Miller was educated at St. Patrick's High School and the Jesuit-run University of Scranton, where he received a degree in English and philosophy. He then attended the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. as a graduate student in the speech and drama department; although the Associated Press reported upon his passing that he earned a master's degree there, Miller had claimed that he was asked to leave the school before taking a degree "for never attending classes, never taking tests and never getting the girls back to their dormitory by 10 o'clock." During this period, he taught drama and English at nearby Archbishop Carroll High School.
Miller was launched into stardom in 1973 by winning a Pulitzer Prize for his play, That Championship Season. The original Broadway cast featured Charles Durning, Richard Dysart, and Paul Sorvino. That same year, he was offered the role of the troubled priest, Father Damien Karras, in William Friedkin's horror film The Exorcist (1973), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. After his nomination for The Exorcist, he was offered the lead role in Taxi Driver but turned it down to do Robert Mulligan's The Nickel Ride.
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