Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Millie Perkins grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and began her career as a model in New York City. By 1958 she was was an international cover girl. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

January 15, 1957 Vogue Magazine
Photographer: Karen Radkai

She had a very wide range, appearing as a cute teenager, a middle class housewife, a junior sophisticate or the girl next door. She was selected as a cover model for Teen, Seventeen an Vogue among others. Through impeccable research, MMM60s archivist, Bonnie Thomas has uncovered very rare photos of this interesting and talented model who went on to a career in films.


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January 1958 Seventeen Magazine
Photographer: Bill Bell


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July 1958 McCall's Magazine
Photographer: Tom Palumbo

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January 1959 'TEEN Magazine
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However, in 1958 she was vigorously pursued and then selected to appear in her first film, in the title role of The Diary of Anne Frank.

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Perkins had never studied nor sought to be an actress, but George Stevens saw her on the cover of several magazines and tried to convince her to read for the part. Finally, she flew to Hollywood for a screen test and with much fanfare, landed the role of Anne Frank in George Stevens' 1959 film "The Diary of Anne Frank."

Millie Perkins received almost universally excellent reviews for her portrayal of Anne Frank. After her work with George Stevens, Perkins was under contract to Universal Studios and was given little choice in what movies or roles in which she could appear.

She was cast in the 1961 Elvis Presley film Wild in the Country, in which she played the girlfriend of Presley's character. She was one of the bright young stars of Hollywood, but broke her contract with Universal because the studio system did not allow for any experimentation in roles.

Subsequently, she worked with Jack Nicholson in several movies that he directed, taking a hiatus from film-making in the latter part of the 1960s to raise her children and teach acting in Jacksonville, Oregon. She returned to acting only years later when she was in her 40s.

She has worked on a variety of television shows, including seven episodes of Knots Landing (over the period 1983-1990) and four episodes of Any Day Now (from 1998-2002).