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Vera Miles

ACTOR · BORN 1930

Vera Miles

Born
23 August 1930, Boise City, Oklahoma, USA
Known for
Psycho (1960), Psycho II (1983)

15 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

Vera Miles (born 23 August 1930) is an actor best known for Psycho and Psycho II.

15 Interesting Facts About Vera Miles

Interesting Facts (2)

  1. #001

    Is only nine years older than Katharine Ross, who played her daughter in Hellfighters (1968).

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  2. #002

    In Italy, a great number of her films were dubbed by Rosetta Calavetta or Micaela Giustiniani. She was occasionally dubbed by Miranda Bonansea, Renata Marini, Dhia Cristiani and most notably by Lydia Simoneschi in Psycho (1960).

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Production Story (4)

  1. #003

    Her scenes as John Wayne's wife in The Green Berets (1968) were deleted from the movie before its release.

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  2. #004

    Originally, she was considered for the role of Marion Crane in Psycho (1960) and Janet Leigh was intended for the role of Lila Crane. After a few screen tests, the actresses roles were reversed when they, and Hitchcock, agreed that it would be better for both them and the characters centered within the screenplay.

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  3. #005

    She was considered for the role of Judy Barton in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958), but she became pregnant and was unavailable. The role instead went to Kim Novak.

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  4. #006

    She was cast as the wife of the U.S. President (played by Charles Durning) in Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977), a role involving two scenes only. Director Robert Aldrich praised her performance, but, as the film was running long, he cut both her scenes out completely.

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Career & Awards (6)

  1. #007

    In her senescence, she has made no secret of her contempt for the books about Alfred Hitchcock written by Donald Spoto, insisting that his repeated claims that she and Hitchcock had an antagonistic relationship are quite false and that she thought of Hitchcock "very fondly".

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  2. #008

    Once in a fan letter response, she was questioned about if she had seen Hitchcock (2012) and if so what did she think of Jessica Biel's portrayal of her. In answer, Miles simply wrote back "Didn't, won't see".

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  3. #009

    Was a contestant on You Bet Your Life (1950) on April 4, 1951. She and her partner won $8 in the quiz, guessed the secret word ("hand") and incorrectly answered the De Soto-Plymouth $5,500 Question ("Who was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?").

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  4. #010

    Along with Anthony Perkins and Virginia Gregg, she is one of only three actors to appear in both Psycho (1960) and Psycho II (1983).

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  5. #011

    In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), John Wayne pursued Miss Miles, but lost her to James Stewart. Six years later, his luck improved. Miles played Wayne's wife in Hellfighters (1968) and The Green Berets (1968), though her scenes in the latter were left on the cutting room floor.

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  6. #012

    Changed her name to Vera Miles (derived from her first married name) upon first arriving in Hollywood, due to there already being a Vera Ralston who was working there at the time.

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Life & Family (3)

  1. #013

    By sheer coincidence, all three of Vera's handsome, strapping ex-husbands died within a short time span of each other. Her third husband, Keith Larsen died on December 13, 2006; first husband/stuntman and small part actor Bob Miles died on April 12, 2007; and bodybuilder second husband actor Gordon Scott, who played Tarzan in films, died on April 30, 2007.

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  2. #014

    In the Spring of 2025, she announced with the utmost regret that she would no longer be able to honor requests for autographs due in part to both her age and failing eyesight.

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  3. #015

    In the Spring of 2025, she announced with the utmost regret that she would no longer be able to honor requests for autographs due in part to both her age and failing eyesight.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

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