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Sylvia Miles, the Oscar-nominated actor who appeared in Midnight Cowboy and Farewell, My Lovely , has died.
Miles died during an ambulance ride to the hospital after telling a health care worker she wasn’t feeling well. The cause of death is unclear.
The news was announced by Miles’s friend Mauricio Padiha.
One of the actor’s most memorable roles arrived in John Schlesinger’s 1969 drama Midnight Cowboy . She earned an Oscar nomination despite appearing in the film for just six minutes.
In her sole scene, she plays a brassy Manhattan woman who invites an aspiring male prostitute from Texas, played by Jon Voight, up to her penthouse for sex, but ends up taking money from him instead.
“You were going to ask me for money?” Miles’s character, Cass, says as she breaks into increasingly angry mock-tears.
“Who the hell do you think you’re dealing with? ... In case you didn’t happen to notice it, you big Texas longhorn bull, I’m one hell of a gorgeous chick!”
In 1975’s Farewell, My Lovely , which starred Robert Mitchum as detective Philip Marlowe, her screen time is only slightly longer as a down-on-her-luck entertainer who swaps information for a bottle of booze.
Her appearances in real life were just as memorable for those who came across her.
“She was pretty much the same person off screen as she was on screen,” Mr Padilha said. “She was quite a character.”
Miles was born in, and became a lifelong resident of, Manhattan, where she was married and divorced three times and had no children. She is believed to have been 94 when she died.
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Try for free She studied at The Actors Studio, making her name in a series of Off-Broadway roles starting in the 1950s, and moving on to movies in the 1960s.
Her film credits included 1972’s Andy Warhol-produced Heat , 1987’s Wall Street and its 2010 sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps , and 1988’s Crossing Delancey .
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Freddie Starr Comedian Starr was the star of several eponymous TV shows during the 1990s such as Freddie Starr, The Freddie Starr Show and An Audience with Freddie Starr. Starr was the subject of one of the most famous tabloid headlines in the history of the British press, splashed on the front page of The Sun in 1986: "Freddie Starr ate my hamster." Starr was found dead in his home in Costa Del Sol on 9 May 2019.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Carmine Cardini Carmine Cardini, who was most famous for playing two different roles in the Godfather franchise, died on 28 May, 2019 at Cedars Sinai Hospital, aged 85. He played Carmine Rosato in The Godfather Part II (1974) before returning to the franchise in 1990 as Albert Volpe in The Godfather Part III.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Judith Kerr Judith Kerr, the author and illustrator best known for The Tiger Who Came to Tea, died at the age of 95 on 23 May. Born in Berlin in 1923, the daughter of a German-Jewish theatre critic, Kerr was forced to flee Germany with her family after the rise of the Nazi Party because her father had been openly critical of the Nazis. His books were burnt shortly after they left the country. The Kerrs travelled first to Switzerland, then to France and finally to Britain, where Kerr remained for the rest of her life. Although she had always wanted to be an author, she only began to write and draw when her own children were learning to read. Alongside The Tiger Who Came to Tea – which concerns a young girl and her mother, whose afternoon tea is interrupted by the arrival of said feline – Kerr is also known for her 17-book Mog series, which details the adventures of an ordinary house cat.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Leon Redbone Leon Redbone died on 30 May, 2019, aged 69. The singer-songwriter, who was noticed by Bob Dylan in the Seventies and was an early guest on Saturday Night Live, released more than 15 albums over the course of four decades.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Paula Williamson Actor Paula Williamson, who starred in Coronation Street and married criminal Charles Bronson, was found dead on 29 July, 2019.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Toni Morrison Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison died at the age of 88 on 6 August. Her death was confirmed “with profound sadness” by the Morrison family, who said she had passed away in the Bronx, New York, “following a short illness”. The celebrated writer of 11 novels was known for her searing works about slavery and the experiences of black women, including 1987’s Beloved, the story of a runaway female slave – for which she won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction the following year. She became the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Ben Unwin Home and Away star Ben Unwin was found dead aged 41 on 14 August, according to New South Wales Police. He starred as 'bad boy' Jesse McGregor on the popular Australian soap between 1996-2000, and then 2002-2005 before switching to a career in law
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Franco Columbu Italian bodybuilder, who appeared in The Terminator, The Running Man and Conan the Barbarian, died on 30 August, 2019, aged 78. The former Mr Olympia enjoyed a successful career as a boxer and was best friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Kylie Rae Harris The country singer died in a car crash on 4 September, 2019, at the age of 30. Harris, of Wylie, Texas, she was scheduled to perform at a music festival in New Mexico the next day.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 LaShawn Daniels Songwriter and producer LaShawn Daniels died 4 September aged 41. He was best known for his collaborations with producer Darkchild, and had songwriting credits on a number of pop and R&B classics by artists including Beyonce, Destiny's Child, Janet and Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Brandy and Whitney Houston.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Robert Evans Producer Robert Evans died on 26 October aged 89. He backed seminal films such as 'Chinatown', 'The Godfather', 'Harold and Maude' and 'Love Story'.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Goo Ha-ra South Korean singer and actor Goo Ha-ra died in November 2019 at the age of 28.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Godfrey Gao Godfrey Gao died on 27 November, aged 35. He suffered a cardiac arrest after collapsing on set of a game show in China. Gao was considered the first Asian supermodel, and appeared in 2013 Hollywood film The Mortal Instruments.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Ron Leibman Ron Leibman, who played Rachel’s father in Friends, died 7 December at the age of 82. The actor died from pneumonia, a representative for his family confirmed. Leibman won a Tony Award in 1993 for originating the role of the closeted gay lawyer Roy Cohn in the first Broadway production of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. He also appeared in films including Norma Rae and Slaughterhouse-Five.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Juice Wrld Chicago-born rapper Juice Wrld, real name Jarad Anthony Higgins, died 8 December at the age of 21. The Associated Press confirmed that the “Lucid Dreams” rapper suffered a "medical emergency" at Chicago's Midway International Airport, and was later pronounced dead in hospital.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Caroll Spinney Puppeteer Caroll Spinney, who portrayed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the children’s programme Sesame Street, has died at the age of 84. Spinney died 8 December at his home in Connecticut after suffering from Dystonia for some time, the Sesame Workshop confirmed.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Rene Auberjonois Prolific character actor Rene Auberjonois died 8 December at the age of 79. His credits included the Robert Altman film MASH and TV shows Benson and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Marie Fredriksson Marie Fredriksson, one-half of the pop duo Roxette, died 9 December after suffering a long illness. Roxette's most famous hits include "It Must Have Been Love" and 'Listen to Your Heart".
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Chris Cotton The US comedian Chris Cotton, best known for the Comedy Central web series Every Damn Day, died on 13 December at the age of 32. A cause of death has yet to be announced. Cotton is survived by his wife Ericalynn, who is due to give birth to their first child in February.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Danny Aiello Actor Danny Aiello, best known for his role as Sal in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, died on Thursday, 12 December at the age of 86.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Chuy Bravo Comedian and entertainer Chuy Bravo, who found fame as the sidekick to comic Chelsea Handler, died 15 December at the age of 63. Bravo was taken ill during a trip to his native Mexico, and died in hospital.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Kenny Lynch Entertainer Kenny Lynch, known for roles in Carry On Loving and TV show The Sweeney along with a successful pop career, died aged 81. Lynch was born in east London in 1938, to a Barbadian father and a mother of British and Jamaican heritage. He was one of the UK’s first black pop stars, who toured with The Beatles and achieved two top 10 hits including “Up on the Roof”, which was originally recorded by The Drifters. He was also the first artist to cover a Beatles song, when he released a version of Lennon and McCartney composition “Misery” in 1963.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Jerry Herman The Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist Jerry Herman, who wrote the music and lyrics for shows including Hello, Dolly! and La Cage aux Folles, died 26 December at the age of 88. Herman’s death was confirmed by his goddaughter, who told the Associated Press that he died of pulmonary complications in Miami, Florida. Herman created 10 Broadway shows, and won two Tony Awards for Best Musical for Hello, Dolly! (1964) and La Cage aux Folles (1983). He also won two Grammys and, in 2010, became a Kennedy Center honouree.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Andrew Dunbar The extra, who worked as a body double for Theon Greyjoy actor Alfie Allen, reportedly died at his home in Belfast on 23 December. He was in his thirties. Pamela Smyth, head of Crowd Makeup on the hit HBO show, told Belfast Live: “Even among the thousands of extras that came through the crowd room on Thrones – Andrew always stood out.” Dunbar’s co-star and friend Andy McClay said: “Everyone always wanted Andrew. There was just something about him that was special."
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Kelly Fraser Kelly Fraser, the Canadian pop artist who gained worldwide attention for her Inuit-language colour of “Diamonds” by Rihanna, died in December aged 26. Fraser was known for her advocacy efforts for her indigenous culture, and wrote or translated songs into the Inuit language of Inukitut with the aim of using pop music to raise awareness of it.
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Culture stars we lost in 2019 Neil Innes Comedian and musician Neil Innes, who collaborated with Monty Python and played with The Rutles, died on 30 December aged 75. Essex-born Innes wrote music for Monty Python’s albums including Monty Python’s Previous Record and The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief, after becoming involved with the comedy group in the 1970s.
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Her TV roles included guest appearances on Miami Vice , One Life to Live and Sex and the City .
Miles was a competitive chess player, according to The New York Times , which twice featured her in its coverage of the game.
And she went, it seems, to nearly every party in New York for a time, becoming as beloved for her outgoing personality and flamboyant fashion sense than as for her acting.
“She shows up at premieres, screenings, receptions, teas and charity cocktail parties,” said a 1976 article in People magazine titled, “What would a Manhattan party be without the ubiquitous Sylvia Miles?”
“I get invited because I’m fun,” Miles told People at the time. “I have a good sense of humour. I look good. I’m not bad to have at a party.”
Additional reporting by Agencies
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