Millicent Simmonds
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Millicent (Millie) Simmonds is a BAFTA nominated American actress from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania best known for Wonderstruck (2017), A Quiet Place (2018), A Quiet Place Part II (2020), and Helen & Teacher. She made her Broadway debut in 2023 starring opposite Laurie Metcalf in Levi Holloway's Grey House, directed by Joe Mantello.
Millicent originally hails from Bountiful, Utah, and grew up performing and telling stories in American Sign Language. A self-described class clown, at the age of nine Millicent joined the drama club at her elementary school, where she fell in love with acting, playing Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream. In 2016 her drama teacher received an email with a casting call looking for a Deaf actress for the part of Rose in a film adaption of Brian Selznick's award-winning novel Wonderstruck. She quickly thought of Millie and encouraged her to try out. Millie, then twelve, sent in a one-take audition that brought the film's director Todd Haynes to tears, winning her what would become a stunning breakout role. Millicent and Wonderstruck debuted at Cannes and the New York Film Festival. She was named one of the Breakthrough Entertainers of 2017 by AP, and Time Magazine listed Rose as one of the Top 10 Movie Performances of the year. Millicent landed her next major film role as Regan Abbott in John Krasinski's horror-thriller A Quiet Place, working alongside Emily Blunt and Noah Jupe. Krasinski was adamant about casting a Deaf actress to play Regan, wanting to use accurate, researched American Sign Language with the help of Deaf ASL experts and advisers including Douglas Ridloff. Her experiences became resources and inspiration for the script, story, and sound design, and the film received an Oscar nomination in the latter category. A Quiet Place was a surprise critical darling, debuting at the South By Southwest Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation. In 2017, Millicent became the first Deaf actor nominated for a Critics' Choice Award with her work in Wonderstruck. She was nominated a second time only a year later, in 2018, for her critically acclaimed performance in A Quiet Place. In 2021, Millicent's reprisal of the character Regan in A Quiet Place's sequel outing earned her a historic BAFTA Rising Star nomination and the coveted Chainsaw Award. In 2021 Millicent took a major creative leap when she announced she would be both producing and starring as Charlie Serrano in an adaptation of the New York Times Best Selling novel True Biz Project by Sara Novíc. Millicent's prolific career has opened the door for new, authentic representations of Deaf American culture and the wider disability community in film, TV, and media. Millicent is one of five siblings and loves to spend time with her family and friends. An avid reader and writer, she enjoys the outdoors, rock music, spoon collecting, painting, and riding her motorcycle. She hopes to continue acting, writing, and filmmaking for as long as she can.
Millicent originally hails from Bountiful, Utah, and grew up performing and telling stories in American Sign Language. A self-described class clown, at the age of nine Millicent joined the drama club at her elementary school, where she fell in love with acting, playing Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream. In 2016 her drama teacher received an email with a casting call looking for a Deaf actress for the part of Rose in a film adaption of Brian Selznick's award-winning novel Wonderstruck. She quickly thought of Millie and encouraged her to try out. Millie, then twelve, sent in a one-take audition that brought the film's director Todd Haynes to tears, winning her what would become a stunning breakout role. Millicent and Wonderstruck debuted at Cannes and the New York Film Festival. She was named one of the Breakthrough Entertainers of 2017 by AP, and Time Magazine listed Rose as one of the Top 10 Movie Performances of the year. Millicent landed her next major film role as Regan Abbott in John Krasinski's horror-thriller A Quiet Place, working alongside Emily Blunt and Noah Jupe. Krasinski was adamant about casting a Deaf actress to play Regan, wanting to use accurate, researched American Sign Language with the help of Deaf ASL experts and advisers including Douglas Ridloff. Her experiences became resources and inspiration for the script, story, and sound design, and the film received an Oscar nomination in the latter category. A Quiet Place was a surprise critical darling, debuting at the South By Southwest Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation. In 2017, Millicent became the first Deaf actor nominated for a Critics' Choice Award with her work in Wonderstruck. She was nominated a second time only a year later, in 2018, for her critically acclaimed performance in A Quiet Place. In 2021, Millicent's reprisal of the character Regan in A Quiet Place's sequel outing earned her a historic BAFTA Rising Star nomination and the coveted Chainsaw Award. In 2021 Millicent took a major creative leap when she announced she would be both producing and starring as Charlie Serrano in an adaptation of the New York Times Best Selling novel True Biz Project by Sara Novíc. Millicent's prolific career has opened the door for new, authentic representations of Deaf American culture and the wider disability community in film, TV, and media. Millicent is one of five siblings and loves to spend time with her family and friends. An avid reader and writer, she enjoys the outdoors, rock music, spoon collecting, painting, and riding her motorcycle. She hopes to continue acting, writing, and filmmaking for as long as she can.
