Miller was born John Anthony Miller Jr. in Queens, New York City[1] to Mary Claire (née Collins), a teacher, and John Anthony Miller Sr., an electrician.[2][3] His ancestry was primarily Irish Catholic, with some German.[4]
His family moved to Scranton in 1941, where Miller was educated at St. Patrick's High School and the Jesuit-run University of Scranton, where he received a degree in English and philosophy. He then attended the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., as a graduate student in the speech and drama department. Although the Associated Press reported upon his passing that he earned a master's degree there, Miller had claimed that he was asked to leave the school before taking a degree "for never attending classes, never taking tests and never getting the girls back to their dormitory by 10 o'clock."[5] During this time, he taught drama and English at nearby Archbishop Carroll High School.
In 1998, he toured the country in his one-man play Barrymore's Ghost, ending the tour with a four-month run off-Broadway. In October 2000, he performed Barrymore's Ghost in a successful and critically acclaimed production directed by Michael Leland at Theatre Double main stage in Philadelphia. Miller's last project was a 2001 revival of The Odd Couple for the Pennsylvania Summer Theatre Festival, in which he was to appear in the role of Oscar Madison, but he died of a heart attack before the production opened.[7][5]
In 1982, he returned to Scranton to become artistic director of the Scranton Public Theatre, a regional theatre company founded the year before.
Death
On May 13, 2001, Miller died of a heart attack in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.[10]
In 2004, actor Paul Sorvino, a longtime friend of Miller's and a cast member of all three versions of That Championship Season, was commissioned by Scranton to create a bronze bust of the late playwright and actor. The statue was unveiled in December 2008.
In March 2011, the first Broadway revival of That Championship Season opened. The cast comprised Brian Cox, Kiefer Sutherland, Jim Gaffigan, and Miller's elder son, actor Jason Patric.[11] The urn containing Miller's ashes was placed on the set by Patric, who played the role Miller had based on himself.
^Funke, Phyllis. "Jason Miller Found Success in Failure", The New York Times, February 10, 1974. Accessed January 6, 2024. "Yet, in his next breath, this long‐time resident of Queens (Flushing and Neponsit) who moved to Upper Saddle River, N.J. last June, concedes, 'I would. In fact, I must. As much as I love to wander, I could never leave the New York area forever."
