How tall was Ray Milland

Ray Milland's Height

6ft 1 ¼ (186.1 cm)

Welsh actor best remembered for films such as The Lost Weekend, Dial M for Murder, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, Reap the Wild Wind, I Wanted Wings, A Life of Her Own, Love Story and The Uninvited. He was described as "6 feet 1 1/2 inches in his stocking feet" in a 1944 article.

Ray Milland in A Life of Her Own trailer
By the time I was fifteen I was six feet tall but weighed only about a hundred and forty pounds.
I was eighteen years old, six feet two inches tall, and I looked like a tuning fork.
My normal weight at that time was around 168 pounds, I had gone on a diet of dry toast, coffee, grapefruit juice and boiled eggs. On this night I was down to about 160 pounds, and my six-foot-two frame looked like a buggy whip.

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Add a Comment74 comments

Average Guess (27 Votes)
6ft 1.16in (185.8cm)
Gerald S said on 18/May/23
Rob, what do you think about the height difference between Milland and John Williams at 56:25? Click Here

6’1.5” for Milland, 6’1” for Williams?
Editor Rob
He was about age 50, would he have lost a fraction?
I think he was close to 6ft 1 there, maybe has a slightly lower eyelevel than Ray.
Rory said on 7/Mar/23
@ rampage, check out from 3 minutes 36 to 4 minutes 15 here with Roger Moore.

Click Here

I think in the beginning arguably Roger edges Anthony but towards the end Anthony edges Roger. My conclusion is both very similar, but I can shake on 6ft1.5 for Dawson. I think it's generous,but not implausible. Not too sure about with Milland as I haven't seen the film.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 6/Mar/23
Rory, 6ft1½ is a figure we can agree on for Anthony. You lean more toward 6ft1¼ while I go for 6ft1¾. We can put both those on ice while eliminating 6ft1 flat and the full 6ft2.

Forget Moore for a second, aren’t we forgetting someone else? I’ll give you a clue, we’re having this debate on his page! Seriously, if we’re gonna argue 6ft1½ for Milland, Dawson looks no less than 6ft2 in Dial M. May be the angles but he’s a got a clear advantage there as well.
Arch Stanton said on 6/Mar/23
6 ft 1 range is possible for Dawson wtih good posture but I never thought he looked 6 ft 2.
Rory said on 6/Mar/23
Look at Dawson here with Mcgoohan from 36 mins

Click Here

Looks similar to Mcgoohan but I'm not convinced he'd be taller than him. Mcgoohan has a chance of 186 though and I think Dawson is in the same bracket. Solid/strong 6ft1,at a push 6ft1.5 but not 6ft2 range.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 4/Mar/23
Rob, could we add Dawson?

I think 6ft1½-6ft1¾ range personally. Could pull off the full 6ft2 as well put I’d give Connery a slight edge looking at those scenes in Dr. No but Rory and Arch have him too low.
Editor Rob
He did look shorter than Connery, albeit with maybe a bit looser posture.
Rory said on 3/Mar/23
The best comparison between Moore and Dawson actually happens a little bit after that clip where they stand together. I'd say Dawson edged Moore, but as you can see at the beginning there Moore is wearing flat shoes. Whilst I don't know what shoes Dawson had on, it's fair to assume he probably had more in footwear than Roger had so I think they're both very close in height. I just can't see over 6ft1.5 for Dawson,clearly shorter than Connery and my own personal guess is 6ft1.25.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 28/Feb/23
Rory, I’d go safely over 6ft1 for Dawson, 6ft1½ is a compromise. 6ft2 isn’t entirely possible but never a solid one. I think he’s got Moore and Milland beat but just eclipsed by Connery
Gerald S said on 24/Feb/23
Rob, would you say Anthony Dawson was more 6’1” or 6’2”?
Editor Rob
Could look anywhere in 6ft 1 to 2 zone.
Rory said on 22/Feb/23
I don't actually think Dawsons posture is that bad,his neck I think is quite short which makes him seem like his posture is worse than it is. Even in the picture Rampage posted of Moore and Dawson, I'm not seeing Dawson as taller there, the tops of their heads look the same and again in The Saint episode stood facing one another they looked about the same. Dawson definitely wasn't 6ft2, I'd say at best strong 6ft1 range.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 21/Feb/23
Gerald S, that mark is probably spot on and I wouldn't object to him initially starting out at 6ft2. As I said before, he was clearly taller than Milland and Moore, about the same as Connery.
Rory said on 21/Feb/23
There's no way Anthony Dawson looked an inch taller than Roger Moore in that episode of The Saint if you watch it, and its available online. The two men are eye to eye throughout,they looked exactly the same to me. Im not having Dawson as 6ft2, I think nearer 6ft1, but taller than 184.
Gerald S said on 21/Feb/23
Rob, could Anthony Dawson please get a page? He seems to be a popular area of discussion for many members on this site and rightly so.

I just saw him in The Curse of the Werewolf and he could pass for 6’2” in that. In fact, he nearly always looked 6’2” in my eyes, pretty much a full inch on Roger Moore in The Saint and on par with Connery in Dr. No. I would not go under 6’1.75” for Dawson and I’ve no reason to doubt 6’2”.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 18/Feb/23
Arch, Dawson is virtually the same height as Connery in that shot and he's slouching but here's another shot of that scene Click Here easily dropping 1in+ there while Sean is upright. Still think Connery was a stronger 6ft2 overall, IMO

Also here he is with a young Roger Moore Click Here
they're closer here but Anthony still has the edge Click Here


...and of course with Ray in Dial M Click Here Click Here


Now tell me he was 184cm. Visibly taller than two legit strong 6ft1 actors and eye to eye with a solid 6ft2 actor whilst standing with worse posture. Overall, I'm inclined to believe Anthony was nearer 6ft2 than 6ft1, 187cm worst case but comfortably above 6ft1 forget under it! He'd definitely be worth add, interesting character actor, very brooding and sinister...and not a bad looking guy either, reminds a bit of Fred Ward
Arch Stanton said on 2/Feb/23
See 39 minutes a 67 years Milland with Roger Moore. Moore edges him slightly. I think it's quite likely he was actually 6'1.5 as a younger man... Click Here
Arch Stanton said on 7/Jan/23
Although from other angles Milland looks taller than Williams. I think Milland looked comfortably over 6'1, but was he ever what he claimed?
Arch Stanton said on 7/Jan/23
Here's Anthony Dawson with Sean Connery in Dr. No Click Here Maybe 184 for him but he was nowhere near 6'2 let alone a strong 6'2!
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 13/Jul/21
Rob, is 6ft1½ arguable?


I'm not convinced he was a quite a 6ft2 guy though, obviously rounded up to that
Editor Rob
maybe it is, but I don't know I would have guessed him really as tlal as 6ft 2 like he claimed.
Sinclair said on 12/Jul/21
I would say Milland’s six-foot-two claim was valid. Milland could look taller than 6’1” listed Cary Grant. In Dial M For Murder, I thought Milland had a couple of centimetres on John Williams, who was at least a solid 6’1”. However, for me, the most determining factor for Milland once being 6’2”, was him being a touch taller than 6’2” Anthony Dawson in Dial M For Murder. Dawson practiced loose posture in that film but even taking that into account, I still didn’t see him as the taller man and in Dr. No, I even thought Dawson was a stronger 6’2” than Sean Connery! Milland was nearing 50 by the time of Dial M For Murder, so he may have started to lose height by then and even his posture was loose at times in that film. In any case, Milland certainly did lose height in his later years.
Neelasish Send Roy said on 10/Mar/19
I think Rathbone was taller because Rathbone was a fraction under 6'2" i.e. 6'1.75" and Milland was 6'1.5". Only Milland 0.25" shorter than Rathbone. There is a possibility that Rathbone would be solid 6'2"
Den said on 9/Mar/19
5'11. Two inches shorter than 6'1 George Macready in Big Clock (1948)
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 16/Feb/19
Rob, between Rathbone and Milland who do you think was taller?
Editor Rob
Both guys are quite close, from memory I used to think of Ray as taller in films than he actually seems to be. Basil I've not seen anything for a long while now, so not so sure.
Neelasish Sen Roy said on 18/Aug/18
He looked same height as stewart granger who was 6'2". He will be solid 6'2".
Rabindra sankar sen roy said on 20/Jun/18
He is 6'2"/188cm at peak. He is 6'1.5" in 1950's and 6'1" at last days.
Neelasish Sen Roy said on 15/Jun/18
He is solid 6'1" or 6'2" at peak
Ted said on 3/Jan/18
A weak 6' 2'' in his heyday. Pretty tall for the time.
Tom said on 9/Aug/17
But Milland looked positively tiny next to 6'5.5' Alan Napier in The Uninvited. There's a good five inch difference. Possibly even six inches. Milland came up to just under Napier's nose.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 7/Aug/17
Didn't look much shorter than Gary Cooper.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 10/Jun/17
A prime Milland would have been similar to Moore...
Arch Stanton said on 14/May/17
In Gold (1974) Roger Moore had about 1.5 inches on Milland. He could also look 6 ft flat in a number of his other later films. He was in his mid 60s by that time and had lost height.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 15/Apr/17
I think he could look any of those. Anywhere from 6ft1 to near 6ft2
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 14/Apr/17
Rob, which of these is most likely for his peak?

A) 189cm/187cm
B) 188.5cm/186.5cm
C) 188cm/186cm
D) 187.5cm/185.5cm
E) 187cm/185cm
Editor Rob
I'm happy enough with C, A I feel is still a bit high, E a bit low.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 27/Sep/16
Lost a fair bit of height in later life.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 28/Sep/15
Arch I haven't seen that but I do think Anthony Quinn had to have been very near 6ft2 in his prime. In his mid 70s he was taller Kevin Costner.
Arch Stanton said on 11/Jul/15
@Rampage Doubt it, watch The River's Edge, Quinn was taller I think.
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 14/Jan/15
Rob, is 187cm possible?
Steve said on 2/Jan/15
Arch, I watched the entire movie. Mitchum is consistantly taller. I don't go by a single shot. And in the shot we don't see their feet. Watch it again. Mitchum is taller.
Arch Stanton said on 1/Jan/15
Click Here

With Roger Moore in 1974 in Gold there he's looking about 6 ft.
Arch Stanton said on 1/Jan/15
No he wasn't Steve. There was a scene in the hallway in which Grant and Mitchum are stood eye to eye for a lengthy period and they looked exactly the same height, 185cm.
Steve said on 30/Dec/14
Mitchum was an inch taller than Cary Grant in The Grass is Greener. Mitchum was a solid 6'1".

I believe Milland was 6'1".

I think Mitchum and Milland were the same height in The Last Tycoon.

Click Here
Arch Stanton said on 30/Dec/14
Click Here Milland if anything looks like he might have pavement advantage there too!
Arch Stanton said on 30/Dec/14
What baffles me on this Rob though is that I thought Mitchum was still standing pretty tall even if a looking a bit jaded in his 70s films and Sam says Milland edged out Mitchum even in 1976. You get a really good look at Milland and O Neal walking together in Love Story and in proportions you can see that he's definitely not even close to 6'1.25 and likely nearer 5 ft 11. And if there was any doubts about the slope where they were walking at the end of the film they're stood on flat ground together it's clear O Neal is a bit taller. Milland certainly clearly looked this in his prime though with Wayne, Tone, McMurray and many others. Did he wears lifts in The Last Tycoon? Something isn't right!
Sam said on 30/Dec/14
Well, Ryan O'Neal certainly looked a solid six foot at peak, I think he and Bruce Dern looked eye-to-eye in The Driver, so he could have been a fraction over the six foot mark as well. Nonetheless, it is surprising that O'Neal could have that much on Milland.
Arch Stanton said on 29/Dec/14
Rob/Sam G image ray milland ryan o neal and you'll see two photos. That's the exact height difference in the film! Baffling isn't it? O Neal can't be over 6 ft because Bruce Dern as Jake I think it was rightly said edged him out.

Did he really lose 2-2.5 inches by 63 or did he wear lifts in all his older movies? Doubt it.
Editor Rob
would need to watch it again to see how he looked
Arch Stanton said on 29/Dec/14
The bizarre thing is that Sam said he had the edge on Mitchum in The Last Tycoon which was 1976!! Now surely Mitchum didn't lose a similar amount by then, I know he still standing tall in Ryan's Daughter and that was 1970 too.
Arch Stanton said on 29/Dec/14
Rob how much do you think he could have reasonably lost by mid 60s? In Love Story (1970) he and Ryan O Neal are walking side by side and O Neal looks a good inch TALLER than Milland!! He looks about 180-81 range in comparison! Could he have lost 2 inches by then? Mmm. Could O Neal have been a bit taller? He looks about 4 inches taller than Ali MacGraw so I think about 6 ft is probably right? Milland?? Baffling. He looks nothing like he did in his prime in stature, although the face still instantly recognizable.
Editor Rob
some people seem more susceptible to height loss. I think bad habits can contribute towards it. It's not impossible for a mid 60's to have lost 1.5-2 inches, but that's more than average for sure at that age for men.

My advice to anybody in their 40's is to take up a very simple routine. Set aside 10 minutes every other day and do basic types of stretches like touching ceiling/toes etc. Just keep your back muscles active and if you find yourself slouching a lot try to remember not to. But natural degredation in your spine does occur, a good diet can help also help reduce that.
Sam said on 4/Dec/14
Still had an edge I think in The Last Tycoon next to Robert Mitchum. Weird to seem him with a cue-ball look.
Click Here
Arch Stanton said on 15/Nov/14
Rob can you add Reap the Wild Wind, I Wanted Wings, A Life of Her Own and Love Story. Looks spot on next to Franchot in Star Spangled Rhythm.
Arch Stanton said on 13/Nov/14
The newspaper source mentions that the average height of the actors in Ministry of Fear was 6 ft 2 inches or something!
Arch Stanton said on 13/Nov/14
Rob I found a quote from The Daily Notes of Canonburg, Pennsylvania dated 19 July 1944 Click Here (subscription source). Can you add "A 1944 Pennsylvania newspaper described his height as being "6 feet 1 1/2 inches in his stocking feet". It also mentions Percy Waram being 6 ft 1.
Sam said on 24/Apr/14
Thanks for the link, Arch. Both Milland and Massey look like they could have been a strong 6'1", don't know why Massey has the edge here, maybe he forgot to take off his Lincoln lifts?
Gonzalo said on 24/Apr/14
In The fountainhead Massey looks two inches shorter than Gary Cooper. Click Here
However there are scenes in Reap the wild wind in which Massey looks as tall as John Wayne
Arch Stanton said on 20/Apr/14
Knowitall, any idea about Raymond Massey? He was listed at 1.85, yet looks an inch taller than Milland in Reap the Wild Wind and was also the same height as Cary Grant in Arsenic. Yet Milland looks as listed here next to Wayne and most other actors I've seen him next to.
Arch Stanton said on 20/Apr/14
Oh no, Raymond Massey looks an inch or so taller than Milland in the film. I didn't have him pegged at anything over 6'1".
Arch Stanton said on 20/Apr/14
Yeah, I see a little over 2 inches difference between him and John Wayne, whether or not you believe Wayne was a full 6'4" or not, he looked near 6'1.5 in comparison. At 57 minutes he looks taller but Wayne's posture isn't great but at 1 hr 2 minutes I see a bit over 2 inches difference.

Not the best of films or acting. Milland's character is a dandy and a bit annoying. A pleasure to look into Paulette's gorgeous blue eyes though, and I always enjoy seeing films of that period in colour as I'm sure most of us tend to think that the world was black and white back then LOL..
Arch Stanton said on 2/Mar/14
Yeah Sam I scoured the web for it too!! I think I saw it on TCM yonks ago but didn't take much notice of their heights.
Sam said on 20/Feb/14
Yeah, I was being Captain Obvious to you, Arch, but for other posters who are dying to know how Ray Milland & Wayne stacked up, they're out of luck unless they rent the movie.
Arch Stanton said on 19/Feb/14
Uh yeah Sam, that's obvious, don't do a Gonzalo on me now amigo...
Sam said on 18/Feb/14
Haven't seen Reap the Wild Wind in a long while, all the pictures online, Wayne is seated!
Sam said on 17/Feb/14
Good addition, again. I thought he was 6'1" range but can see on review that he could pass for 6'2" and was most likely between those two marks.
Arch Stanton said on 16/Feb/14
With Cary Grant around 1960 I'd say: Click Here
Arch Stanton said on 16/Feb/14
Click Here
Arch Stanton said on 16/Feb/14
Well I saw it a few months back and remember thinking Milland was shorter. I've seen To Catch a Thief too and didn't notice.
Arch Stanton said on 16/Feb/14
Well I saw it a few months back and remember thinking Milland was shorter.
Knowitall said on 15/Feb/14
Arch, Williams was not any taller than Milland. I've seen the movie many times. They're the same height.

Go to the fourth color image down:

Click Here

Same height.

John Williams was six-one. He was no taller than Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief.

Milland was still a solid six-one when I met him. And by then he was in his seventies.
Arch Stanton said on 14/Feb/14
LOL Knowitall I think it's pretty obvious, I was winding up any potential visitor who's into Wayne that's all. You can see he's leaning! One thing which confuses me is that Milland actually looked a bit taller in comparison to Jimmy Stewart than Cary Grant did in the 30s yet by the late 50s Grant actually looked a bit taller than Milland. As Knowitall says though Milland aged prematurely and looked older than his years by 1960. It is quite possible he began losing height in his 50s. Another thing is that John Williams had him by almost 2 inches in Dial M. Williams looked nearer 6'3" to me though. Anyway I've seen Millannd in a good half dozen films and I concluded based on the observations with his costars that he was a solid 6'1". He could look a bit taller and a bit shorter at times, 186 is sort of like my mean guess!
jtm said on 14/Feb/14
6'1 is accurate.
Gonzalo said on 14/Feb/14
I always thought Milland was around 1`85. In the pics I`ve seen of Milland next to James Stewart he can look taller than that since he looks only an inch shorter. However in Beau Geste Milland is minimum two inches shorter than Gary Cooper. So, 1`86 for Milland looks reasonable.
Knowitall said on 13/Feb/14
Arch, Wayne is seated in a courtroom in that shot. Or are you trying to pull our legs?

I met Milland. He was six-one. He wasn't in good health when I ran into him.
Arch Stanton said on 12/Feb/14
Ah seems George Raft was only 5'6-5'7", no wonder Milland towers him LOL. I'm not too familiar with him, I recognize him now from Some Like It Hot and the Invisible Stripes but he's never been an actor I've taken much notice of.
Arch Stanton said on 12/Feb/14
Click Here

Taken in 1935 with supposed 5'10 George Raft (weak 5'9" in reality). Looks near 6'2" there.
Arch Stanton said on 12/Feb/14
Click Here

With John Wayne, proof that Wayne was 6 ft without his lifts ;-] Ha that'll wind up Outlaw and co heheee.
Arch Stanton said on 12/Feb/14
186-7 peak looked right next to Jimmy Stewart. I suspect he began losing height in his 50s though. He was a heavy smoker and although I think he was the same age as Grant he looked a good 10-15 years older by the late 1950s and his posture looked poorer too. He looked a strong 6'1" next to Jimmy Stewart I thought in 1936, there wasn't much in it, there's a few photos if you g image but by the late 1950s I think he started looking nearer 6ft. There's one photo with Cary Grant and he looks a bit shorter taken around 1960 I'd say looking at Grant. Although he still looked pretty tall in 1954 Click Here with Wilder and Holden, visiting probably on set of Sabrina. Holden is further away though. There's still a few of his films I'd like to see but I think 186 is a good shout for his peak but I think he could look a bit shorter than that by the late 1950s and 1960s.
Arch Stanton said on 12/Feb/14
Yea that's a great addition, diolch as we'd say in Wales! He was definitely shorter than John Williams in Dial M or Murder although I suspect John Williams was nearer 6'3" he looked pretty lanky. He looked between 6'1" and 6'2" next to Jimmy Stewart in Next Time We Love too etc. Sam can you remember how he fared next to John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind?

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