As a horror fan in the late 70’s and early 80’s – one of the treats that I, and others in my chosen age bracket get to be thankful for is bearing witness to the pinnacle of one of the worlds foremost character actors – Dick Miller – as it occurred. Sure, we can all relive all those great moments thanks to DVD and Blu-ray but to be able to sit in the theater and actually see it – for the first time ever – those moment are golden and precious – as was the amazing career of Dick Miller.
When I heard the news that Dick Miller had passed I immediately recalled the first time I had seen him on screen – it was Roger Corman’s Piranha, late 70’s and it began a long run of cameo appearances by Dick Miller in some of the greatest horror films ever filmed as well as a literal ton of TV shows. It seemed that about roughly the same time I noticed Miller in Piranha – Fangoria Magazine started covering his numerous genre appearances and the mid 80’s brought a wealth of iconic, memorable performances – The Howling, The Terminator, Night of the Creeps, V: The Final Battle, Gremlins – you could literally spend an hour listing them all. For those of us from that era – seeking and finding a Dick Miller cameo was one of life’s little joys.
Always embracing the genre and its fans – Dick Miller’s absence is a tough one to imagine but his legacy of hard work and amazing performances will live on for generations to embrace.
