Dick Miller, best known for his role in the classic 1984 horror-comedy film Gremlins, has died, aged 90.
The actor enjoyed a career spanning more than 60 years, featuring hundreds of screen appearances, starting in 1955 when he starred in the Roger Corman western Apache Woman.
In 1959, he starred in cult horror A Bucket of Blood as Walter Paisley, reprising the role multiple times later in his career, including in 1981’s The Howling and 1983’s Twilight Zone: The Movie.
Born in the Bronx in 1928, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Miller served in the US Navy, before attending City College of New York, Columbia University, and New York University, attaining a PhD in psychology.
Alongside his role as Murray Futterman in Gremlins and its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Miller also featured in the likes The ‘Burbs, Fame, and The Terminator.
He also worked frequently with high-profile directors such as James Cameron, Ernest Dickerson, Martin Scorsese, John Sayles and Joe Dante.
Dante featured Miller in almost every film he directed. On Twitter, he called Miller “one of my best friends and most treasured collaborators”, adding: “I always looked for a role for Dick – not just because he was my friend but because I loved watching him act!”
Miller is survived by his wife Lainie, daughter Barbara and granddaughter Autumn.
