Academy Award for Best Actor

1945

Ray Milland

As

Don Birnam

The Lost Weekend

Ray Milland (3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend (1945), a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind (1942), the murder-plotting husband in Dial M for Murder (1954), and as Oliver Barrett III in Love Story (1970).

Before becoming an actor Milland served in the Household Cavalry of the British Army, becoming a proficient marksman, horse-rider and plane pilot. He left the army to follow a career in acting and appeared as an extra in several British productions before getting his first major role in The Flying Scotsman. This led to a nine month contract with MGM and he moved to the United States where he appeared as a stock actor. After being released by MGM he was picked up by Paramount, who used Milland in a range of lesser speaking parts, normally as an English character. He was loaned out to Universal in 1936 for a film called Three Smart Girls, and its success saw Milland given a lead role in The Jungle Princess alongside new starlet Dorothy Lamour. The movie was a big success and catapulted both to stardom. Milland remained with Paramount for almost 20 years and as well as his Oscar winning role in The Lost Weekend he is remembered for the films The Big Clock, The Major and the Minor and The Thief, the last of which saw him nominated for a Golden Globe. After leaving Paramount he began directing and ended his career moving into television.

Milland, who was at one time Paramount Pictures highest paid actor, co-starred alongside many of the most popular actresses of the time including Gene Tierney, Grace Kelly, Lana Turner, Marlene Dietrich, Ginger Rogers, Jane Wyman, Loretta Young and Veronica Lake.