DONNA MILLS

NACIDA EL 11 DE DICIEMBRE DE 1942 EN CHICAGO, DONNA JEAN MILLER asistió a la Universidad de Illinois, donde estudió drama y baile, además de asistir a clases de actuación independientes. Fue durante sus primeros años universitarios cuando hizo su 1ª aparición ante un público como bailarina en el Melody Top Theater de Chicago. Protagonizó en el Drury Lane Theater COME BLOW YOUR HORN y THE RELUCTANT DEBUTANTE, antes de dejar su pueblo natal para irse a Nueva York.

DONNA apareció en varios montajes del "off-Broadway" antes de ser elegida para un papel en Broadway con la obra de WOODY ALLEN, DON'T DRINK THE WATER (cuya adaptación cinematográfica fue estrenada en España como LOS USA EN ZONA RUSA). Un director de reparto de la CBS se fijó en ella durante la representación y le ofreció el papel de una sexy cantante de club conocida como ROCKET en THE SECRET STORM. Donna sólo estuvo en la serie 3 meses antes de ser eliminada. La CBS la eligió de nuevo inmediatamente para interpretar a LAURA DONNELLY ELLIOTT en su serial diario LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING, donde consiguió seguir con vida durante 3 años, antes de dejar la serie, y Manhattan para proseguir su carrera en Hollywood.

Después de trasladarse a la Costa Oeste, obtuvo un pequeño papel en un episodio de la serie de BURT REYNOLDS, DAN AUGUST. Semanas después, el gran amigo de Burt, CLINT EASTWOOD, le confió que buscaba una mujer especial para protagonizar con él el thriller de suspense ESCALOFRÍO EN LA NOCHE. Burt le presentó a Donna y ella fue elegida en seguida para su primera película como director.

Cuando finalizó el rodaje, DONNA regresó a Hollywood, donde hizo una prueba y obtuvo el papel coprotagonista junto a LARRY HAGMAN en la comedia romántica de la NBC, THE GOOD LIFE. La serie tuvo una corta vida, pero condujo a numerosos papeles en TV para DONNA, entre ellos SUPERDOME, RECUERDOS, THE HUNTED LADY y THE BAIT.

DONNA MILLS ha pasado la década de los 90 interpretando y produciendo telefilmes de 2ª categoría, incluida una participación especial en el serial MELROSE PLACE como la madre natural de JANE, y sendos episodios de NIP/TUCK junto a JOAN VAN ARK. Aún así, o quizá por ello, no ha dudado lo más mínimo en recuperar su personaje más popular siempre que se lo han pedido: en el episodio final de KL o en BACK TO THE CUL-DE-SAC.

También apareció en algunas series como SIGUE SOÑANDO y UNA SEGUNDA OPORTUNIDAD, o en especiales retrospectivos sobre la serie o sus actores. El 14 de marzo de 2014, ha debutado en el serial diario HOSPITAL GENERAL interpretando a MADELINE REEVES, "una zorra glamurosa, poderosa y peligrosa".

Los lectores de la revista Soap Opera Digest la premiaron en su día como "mejor malvada de serial nocturno" en 3 ocasiones. DONNA siempre será asociada a la glamurosa imagen de la imperturbable ABBY FAIRGATE CUNNINGHAM EWING SCOTT SUMNER.

“Los guionistas siempre intentaban suavizar a ABBY, hacerla buena. Yo decía: que siga siendo mala, manipuladora y sin conciencia. Invertí mucho tiempo y energía en mi personaje.”

Born on December 11 in Chicago, DONNA JEAN MILLER attended the University of Illinois where she studied drama in addition to attending independent acting classes. It was during her early college years that she made her first appearance in front of an audience as a dancer at Chicago's Melody Top Theater. At Chicago's Drury Lane Theater she starred in COME BLOW YOUR HORN and THE RELUCTANT DEBUTANTE before leaving her hometown for New York City.

DONNA appeared in several off-Broadway productions before being cast in Broadway's DON'T DRINK THE WATER, written by WOODY ALLEN. A CBS casting director spotted her in the show and offered her the part of a sexy nightclub singer known simply as ROCKET in THE SECRET STORM. DONNA was in the show for only three months before ROCKET went the way of so many soap opera characters and was killed off. CBS immediately recast her as the lead LAURA DONNELLY ELLIOTT in their newest daytime drama LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING, where she managed to stay alive for three years before leaving the show, and Manhattan, to pursue her career in Hollywood.

After she moved to the west coast she landed a small part in an episode of DAN AUGUST, the BURT REYNOLDS starrer. A few weeks later BURT's longtime friend CLINT EASTWOOD confided that he was searching for a special lady to star with him in the suspense thriller PLAY MISTY FOR ME. BURT introduced him to DONNA and she was promptly cast in her first feature film, and his first directing gig. When shooting was completed, DONNA returned to Hollywood where she auditioned for and won the starring role opposite LARRY HAGMAN in NBC's romantic comedy series THE GOOD LIFE. The series was short-lived, but led to an abundance of television roles for DONNA including a long number of made-for-television movies such as SUPERDOME, REMEMBER, THE HUNTED LADY and THE BAIT.

DONNA MILLS spent the 90´s decade playing and producing second rate telemovies, including a special appearance in the soap MELROSE PLACE as JANE´s natural mother, and two NIP/TUCK episodes co-starring JOAN VAN ARK. Even so, or maybe because of it, she didn´t hesitate to get her most popular role back whenever she has been asked to: on the KL final episode or on BACK TO THE CUL-DE-SAC. She also guest-starred in a few shows like DREAM ON and TWICE IN A LIFETIME, or in retrospective specials about the show or its stars. In March 14, 2014 she debuted on the daytime soap GENERAL HOSPITAL playing MADELINE REEVES, "a glamorous, high-powered bitch on wheels".

The Soap Opera Digest readers awarded her as best villaine in a primetime soap in three occasions. DONNA will always be associated to the glamourous look of imperturbable ABBY CUNNINGHAM EWING SCOTT SUMNER.

“Writers always tried to soften ABBY, to make her good. I said: let her be evil, manipulative and conscienceless. I invested a lot of time and energy on my character.”

los mejores diálogos de Abby / Abby´s best quotes

- ABBY: "¡Eres una simplona!"

LAURA: "Y tú eres una zorra."

A.: "Hay que serlo para reconocer a otra, ¿verdad, querida?" (Laura abofetea a Abby)

ABBY: "You are so simple!"

LAURA: "You are such a slut!"

A.: "Well, it takes one to know one, doesn't it, dear?" (Laura slaps Abby, in MOMENTS OF TRUTH,

written by Robert Gilmer)

- ABBY: "Tu cama está al otro lado de la calle. A diferencia de tu esposa, que estaría junto a ti,

poniéndote compresas frías y yodo, yo no suelo perdonar. Ahora ella es la otra, no yo. Y no pienso compartirte."

ABBY: "Your bed's across the street. Unlike your wife who'd be at your side with cold compresses

and iodine, I'm not a forgiving person. She's the other woman now, not me! And I don't want to share!"

(to Gary in "A Brand New Day", written by John Pleshette)

- ABBY: "No sabes el poder que (Val) tiene sobre él. Cada vez que oye mencionar su nombre, se siente culpable.

Esto es un plan por parte de Val para recuperar a Gary...una obra grandilocuente para provocar una reunión lacrimógena."

ABBY: "You don't know the power she (Val) has over him. Every time he hears her name, he feels guilty. This is a plot on Val's part to get Gary

back...a grandstand play to effect a tearful reunion." (to Mitch Casey)

- ABBY: "Eso es tan propio de Val que podría gritar..." (cuando descubre que ha confesado haber matado a CIJI)

ABBY: "That´s so Val I could just scream..." (after VAL confesses she killed CIJI, both quotes from THE BURDEN OF PROOF, written by Diana Gould)

- ABBY: "Deja que la segunda señora Ewing le dé a la futura tercera señora Ewing un consejo: la primera señora Ewing no se marchará. Nunca."

ABBY: "Let the second Mrs. Ewing give the soon to be third Mrs. Ewing some advice. The first Mrs. Ewing doesn't go away - ever!" (to JILL in

NIGHTMARE, written by Diane & Lou Messina)

- ABBY: "Laura es una bocazas. Pero seguramente ya lo has descubierto por ti mismo."

ABBY: "Laura has a big mouth. But you probably know that first hand by now." (to Greg in Season 5)

- ABBY: "Si tuviera que elegir entre el amor y el dinero, el dinero ganaría siempre..."

ABBY: "If I have to choose between love and money, money is going to win everytime." (to Greg in Season 5)

- ABBY: "Sólo espero que a Jill le produzca tanto placer como a ti ir pisando estiércol por ahí."

ABBY: "I just hope Miss Jill gets as much pleasure as you do out of stomping around in the manure out here." (to Gary in Season 8)

- OLIVIA: "Pensaba que tendría una vida normal para variar, pero supongo que es imposible con una madre como tú."

ABBY: "¿Una madre como yo? Si hay algo que he sido, es una buena madre para ti, maldita sea."

O.: "¿...Qué harás cuando Brian y yo nos hayamos ido? ¿A quién señalarás entonces para decir que estás haciendo algo bueno? Nos has utilizado

como excusa durante toda tu vida: "Soy buena con mis hijos, por lo tanto soy buena persona". Pues no, no lo eres..."

OLIVIA: "I thought I'd have a normal life for once, but I guess not with a mother like you."

ABBY: "A mother like me? If there's one thing that I have been, it's a damn good mother to you."

O.: "... What are you going to do when Brian and I have gone?

Who can you point to then and say that you are doing something good? You use us as an excuse for the rest of your life: 'I am good to my kids so I'm

a good person.' Well, you're not!" (in BOUNCING BABIES, written by William Devane!!)

- VAL: "¿Y qué hay de la moral?"

ABBY: "La moral es algo que sólo te preocupa cuando sabes que tendrás comida en el plato."

V.: "¿De verdad lo crees?"

A.: "¿Tú qué piensas?"

V.: "Pienso que más vale que te vigile..."

A.: "Val...HAZLO...¿Cómo si no vas a aprender?

VAL: "And what about morals?"

ABBY: "Morals are something you worry about after you know where your next meal is coming from."

V.: "Do you really believe that?"

A.: "What do you think?"

V.: "I think I better keep my eye on you."

A.: "Val....DO.....how else you gonna learn?" (in Season 3)

- ABBY: "No seas una esclava de la moda..."

ABBY: "Don't be a slave to fashion..." (to Karen, wearing a mini-skirt to a meeting, in Season 9)

- PAIGE: "Durante años, has mentido, engañado y estafado a la gente, y has salido indemne, pero NO permitiré que te salgas con la tuya esta vez."

ABBY: "Sabes, eres buena. De verdad lo eres. Si tuviera que puntuarte en la escala de Abby, conmigo como un 10, conseguirías, hum, un 6, lo cual

está muy bien considerando tu juventud e inexperiencia."

P.: "Bueno, yo no juzgo las cosas en la escala de Abby, ni tampoco Greg."

A.: "No cuentes con ello."

PAIGE: "For years, you have lied, cheated, and conned people, and you've gotten away with it, but I am NOT going to let you get away with this."

ABBY: "You know, you're good. You really are. If I were rating you on the Abby scale, Abby being a 10, you'd be a mmm...a 6, which is very good

considering your youth and inexperience."

P.: "Well, I don't judge things on the Abby scale, and neither does Greg."

A.: "Don't count on it." (in DOWN CAME THE RAIN AND WASHED THE SPIDER OUT Part 1, written by M.J. Cody & Chuck Bulot)

- ABBY: "Oh, por cierto, Paige, ¿aún te acuestas con Greg?

PAIGE: "Por la mañana, por la tarde y por la noche. Cada vez lo hace mejor..."

ABBY: "Yo no pensaba igual. Bueno, que pases un buen día."

ABBY: "Oh, by the way, Paige, are you still sleeping with Greg?"

PAIGE: "Morning, noon and night. He just keeps getting better and better."

ABBY: "I didn't think so. Well, have a nice day." (in JUST LIKE OLD TIMES Part 2, written by Ann Marcus)

her Spanish voices / sus voces en España

Mª LLUÏSA MAGANYA (Califòrnia), Mª JESÚS LLEONART, PALOMA ESCOLA, Mª JULIA DÍAZ, Mª ROSA GUILLÉN y ANA ÁNGELES GARCÍA.

You can find Donna Mills´ complete filmography here.

© 2015 Toni Díaz

© All the "Knots" photos and others copyrighted by Warner and / or their authors.

Donna´s childhood photo belongs to her official site.

We thank Billy Nolan for his kind collaboration.

Videos courtesy of the YouTube users (limited time).