1908 22nd February
Birth of John Mills
Birth of John Mills, born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills
Cinema history · permanent subject timeline
John Mills
British actor whose long career spans wartime, post-war and later cinema. This page combines historical context with 21 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database cinema archive.
Historical context
John Mills: overview and significance
What happened?
John Mills worked across British stage and screen for decades, appearing in war films, literary adaptations and major post-war productions.
Why was it important?
Mills's career provides a long view of British film acting from the studio era through changing post-war production.
World History Database records
John Mills timeline
The records below are selected from the 2,036-record Cinema History archive and rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1908
1932
1932
The Midshipmaid
Film debut in The Midshipmaid
1939
1939
Goodbye, Mr Chips
Appears as Colley in the 1939 film version of Goodbye, Mr Chips, opposite Robert Donat
1942
1942
In Which We Serve
Appears in In Which We Serve
1943
1943
We Dive at Dawn
Appears in We Dive at Dawn
1944
1944
Waterloo Road
Appears in Waterloo Road. Appears in This Happy Breed
1945
1945
The Way to the Stars
Appears in The Way to the Stars
1946
1946
Great Expectations
Takes the lead in Great Expectations
1948
1948
Scott of the Antarctic
Appears as Captain Robert Falcon Scott in Scott of the Antarctic
1954
1954
The Colditz Story
Appears in The Colditz Story
1955
1955
Above Us the Waves
Appears in Above Us the Waves
1958
1958
I was Montys Double
Appears in I was Montys Double. Appears in Ice Cold in Alex
1960
1960
CBE
Appointed a CBE
1960
Tunes of Glory
Appears in Tunes of Glory
1969
1969
Oh! What a Lovely War
Appears in Oh! What a Lovely War
1970
1970
Ryans Daughter
For his role as the village idiot in Ryans Daughter, Mills wins an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1972
1972
Young Winston
Appears in Young Winston
1976
1976
Knighthood
Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
1979
1979
Zulu Dawn
Appears in Zulu Dawn
2002
2002
BAFTA
Recieves a Fellowship of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the highest award given by the Academy
2008
2008 23rd April
Death of John Mills
Death of John Mills
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database.
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database cinema records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
British Film Institute · Library of Congress · Academy Awards
Continue exploring