April 18, 1946 – Actress and Disney Legend Hayley Mills is Born
“Walt was very fond of Hayley Mills, as he should be, because she was a wonderful little actress, and he wasn’t very impressed with most actors and actresses, but as a young girl he thought she had the charm that he wanted in pictures like Pollyanna .” – Matte Artist Peter Ellenshaw
On April 18, 1946, Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills was born in London, England, to actor Sir John Mills and writer Mary Hayley Bell. At the age of 12, Mills played the lead role in the 1959 British crime drama film Tiger Bay. After seeing her performance, Lillian Disney suggested to her husband Walt that Mills would be perfect for the lead role in the upcoming live-action feature film Pollyanna. The role shot her to super-stardom, and she was awarded a special Academy Award for Most Outstanding Juvenile Performance; she would be the last person to receive this award. She was then cast in the dual role of twins Susan and Sharon in the 1961 film The Parent Trap, which helped cement Mills’ star status. She had a song in the film written by the Sherman Brothers called “Let’s Get Together,” which became a hit song on the Billboard Charts, peaking at number 8. This song lead to the release of an album on the Buena Vista label, called “Let’s Get Together with Hayley Mills.” which had one other hit song, “Johnny Jingo.” She acted in four more films for Disney: In Search of the Castaways, Summer Magic, The Moon-Spinners, and That Darn Cat!.
After her contract with Disney, she starred in the 1966 film The Trouble with Angels, then returned to England, hoping to break out of her girl-next-door image. She played a mentally challenged teenager in the film Sky West and Crooked, written by her mother and directed by her father. She then starred in the films The Family Way, Pretty Polly, Endless Night, and The Kingfisher Caper, after which she left the film business for a few years. She returned to UK series acting in 1981 in the television miniseries The Flame Trees of Thika, and made some other appearances in television work, including appearances in The Love Boat. In 1987, she starred in the Disney Channel series, Good Morning, Miss Bliss as the title character. The show was cancelled after thirteen episodes, and the rights were purchased by NBC, with the show being retooled as Saved by the Bell. Mills also reprised her roles as Sharon and Susan for three made-for-television sequels to The Parent Trap: The Parent Trap II, The Parent Trap III, and The Parent Trap IV: Hawaiian Honeymoon. In 1998, Mills was honored as a Disney Legend.
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