Lara Jill Miller

Lara Jill Miller
Miller in April 2021
Born	(1967-04-20) April 20, 1967 (age 57)[1] Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.[2]
Other names	Lara Miller
Education	New York University (BA) Fordham University School of Law (JD)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1978–present

Lara Jill Miller (born April 20, 1967)^[1] is an American actress. She rose to prominence when she played in roles like Samantha "Sam" Kanisky on the 1980s sitcom Gimme a Break! and Kathy on The Amanda Show.

She voices the title characters in Clifford's Puppy Days, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee and Henry Hugglemonster. She also voices Widget in Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, Lambie in Doc McStuffins, Fink in OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Lisa Loud in The Loud House, Libby Stein-Torres in The Ghost and Molly McGee, Izzie in SciGirls, Allie in Curious George, and Cat in If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

Early life and education

Miller was born April 20, 1967, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Lois (née Noll) and Stanley Miller. Her parents were both Jewish.^[3][4] Her mother, Lois Miller, founded the talent agency Star Talent Management.^[4] Her father, Stanley Miller, owned and operated a pajama factory.^[5] He was also well known for his participation in community theater, and he worked as an extra in the movie Hairspray.^[3][5]

Miller first started acting at a local dinner theater, which she tried out for after seeing its auditions advertised in a local newspaper and asking her father what the word "audition" meant.^[2] She graduated from Allentown's William Allen High School.^[6]

Career

Miller's professional acting career began on Broadway, where she appeared as Amaryllis in a revival of The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke.^[7][2]

In 1981, after her appearance on Broadway, she joined the cast of Gimme a Break!, playing the role of the tomboyish Samantha "Sam" Kanisky opposite Nell Carter. When the series ended its six-year run on NBC in 1987, Miller attended New York University, where she played on the university's women's varsity tennis team and continued performing on stage nationally. Four years later, she received her J.D. degree from Fordham University School of Law, leaving graduation early to portray Peter Pan in a production at the Pennsylvania Youth Theater. She subsequently was admitted to practice law in New Jersey, New York, and her native Pennsylvania.^[8]

In 1999, Miller resumed her on-camera acting career with recurring roles on the Nickelodeon series The Amanda Show and All That and on General Hospital. She also began working in animated series, lending her voice to various characters, including Kari in Digimon (both the series and the feature film), Koko in Zatch Bell!, Alejo in Astro Boy, and Scheris Adjani in s-CRY-ed. Miller also provided the singing voice of Dorothy Gale in the National Public Radio adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and the voices of the title characters on Cartoon Network's The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Disney Junior's Henry Hugglemonster, and the PBS Kids Clifford's Puppy Days (prequel to Clifford the Big Red Dog).^[9]

Miller appears in the recurring roles of Pookie, Wiki, and Tini on Disney Channel's Higglytown Heroes, Haruka of Daigunder, and the Nick Jr. series Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! as Widget, the show's problem-solving pink creature resembling a rabbit, both PBS series Curious George as Allie and SciGirls as Izzie,^[7][9] and regular guest-starring roles on several other animated series.^{[citation needed]}

For six seasons, she performed voice work on the Disney Channel/Disney Junior television series Doc McStuffins as the voice of Lambie and on the Nickelodeon television series The Loud House in which she voices Lisa Loud, Liam Hunnicutt, Becky, Persephone, and Nurse Patti.^[9]

In 2020, she voice acted for two cartoons, the episode "All About Zee" in DC Super Hero Girls and the English dub for Beastars as Haru. She continues to perform the role of Libby in the Disney production, The Ghost and Molly McGee.^[10][11][12]

Filmography

Live-action

List of acting performances in live-action television and film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source[13]
1981–1987	Gimme a Break!	Samantha "Sam" Kanisky	Main role	[14]
1986	Touch and Go	Courtney
1999–2002	The Amanda Show	Kathy
2000	Chicken Soup for the Soul	The Teacher	TV series
2002	General Hospital	Kate Whittaker	Episode #1.9927
2005	Shushybye	Snoozles, Dozie, and Zeez
2009	iCarly	Mrs. Kravitz	Episode: "IFind Lewberts Lost Love"	[15]

Anime

List of dubbing performances in anime

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source[13]
1999	Digimon Adventure	Kari Kamiya
2000	Digimon Adventure 02
2001	Digimon Tamers	Nami Asaji
2002	Daigunder	Haruka
	Argento Soma	Second Lt. Sue Harris
2002-03	Great Teacher Onizuka	Anko's friend
2003	.hack//Legend of the Twilight	Random Girl
2003	S-CRY-ed	Scheris Adjani
2004	Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex	Tachikoma	also in Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG (series 2)
	Astro Boy	Alejo, Vivienne, C.J., Mimi, Nina	Sony Pictures / Kids' WB!/ Cartoon Network/Toonami
	Please Twins	Karen Onodera
2005	Planetes	Nono
	Rave Master	Hole	Episode 2
2005–2007	Zatch Bell!	Koko
2005	Naruto	Matsuri
2007	Blood+	Min, Lulu, Javier
2008	Lucky ☆ Star	Misao Kusakabe
2008	Strait Jacket	Kapelteta Fernandez		[16]
2010	Nodame Cantabile	Yuiko Miyoshi
2020–present	Beastars	Haru		[11]

Animation

List of voice performances in animation

Year	Title	Role	Note's	Notes	Source[13]
2001–2013	Totally Spies!	Ariel	Episode: W.O.W.
2002	Static Shock	Teen Girl #2	Episode: "Power Play"	[17]
2002	Rocket Power	Girl #1, Kid #1	Episode: "Beach Boyz and a Girl/X-treme Ideas"
2003–2006	Clifford's Puppy Days	Clifford		[17]
2004	The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy	Girl/Kid C	Episode: "Which Came First?/Substitute Teacher"
2004	Megas XLR	Little Girl, Kelly		[17]
2004	All Grown Up!	Olivia
2004–2008	Higglytown Heroes	Pookie, Wiki, Tini
2005–2007	The Life and Times of Juniper Lee	Juniper Lee		[17]
2006	Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi	Julie Hinikawa	Episode: "Julie AmiYumi"	[17]
2006	Shorty McShorts' Shorts	April	Episode: "My Mom Married A Yeti"
2006–2010	Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!	Widget, Huggy, Old Lady Zamboni		[17]
2009–2022	Curious George	Allie
2010–2023	SciGirls	Izzie		[17]
2011–2012	Winx Club	Chatta, Tune, Livy	Special 4, season 3–4 Atlas Oceanic version
2011–2016	Poppy Cat	Mother Bumblebird
2012–2020	Doc McStuffins	Lambie, additional voices		[14] [17]
2013–2015	Henry Hugglemonster	Henry Hugglemonster
2016–present	The Loud House	Lisa Loud, Liam Hunnicutt, Becky, Margo Roberts (2016-2018), Nurse Patti, Levi Loud, Persephone, Additional Voices		[17]
2017	Vampirina	Matilda	Episode: "The Monster Snore"	[17]
2017–present	If You Give a Mouse a Cookie	Cat
2017–2019	OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes	Fink, Cantalop, Truffle, Koala Princess		[17]
2018	Bunnicula	Lil Capone	Episode: "Haunted Dog House"
2020	DC Super Hero Girls	Casey Krinsky	Episode: "#AllAboutZee"
2020–2022	The Casagrandes	Lisa Loud	2 episodes	[17]
2021–2023	Looney Tunes Cartoons	Petunia Pig
2021–2024	The Ghost and Molly McGee	Libby Stein-Torres		[17]

Film

List of voice performances in direct-to-video and television films

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source[13]
2005	Digimon Adventure 02: Revenge of Diaboromon	Kari Kamiya	[17]
2008	Wubbzy's Big Movie!	Widget, Huggy, Old Lady Zamboni		[17]
2013	Curious George Swings Into Spring	Allie, Balloonist		[17]
2013	Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest	Allie		[17]
2021	The Loud House Movie	Lisa Loud, 1600's Lisa		[18][17]
2022	Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!	Prisoner Costume Teen, Superhero Boy, Musketeer 3		[17]
2024	No Time to Spy: A Loud House Movie	Lisa Loud		[19]

List of voice performances in feature films

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source[13]
2000	Digimon: The Movie	Kari, Young Kari		[17]
2011	Puss in Boots	Additional Voices

Video games

List of voice performances in video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source[13]
1998	Baldur's Gate	Girl
1999	EverQuest	Various characters
2000	Adiboo: Discover series	Adiboo
2001	Diablo II: Lord of Destruction	Assassin		[17]
2002	Digimon Rumble Arena	Kari		[17]
2002	Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos	Jaina Proudmoore
2002	Nickelodeon Party Blast	Jimmy Neutron
2003	Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne	Jaina Proudmoore		[17]
2003	Tak and the Power of Juju	Dinky Juju		[17]
2004	Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams	Dinky Juju		[17]
2004	EverQuest II	Various characters
2005	Tak: The Great Juju Challenge	Dinky Juju		[17]
2005	Psychonauts	Milka Phage		[17]
2006	Barnyard	Zak Boy, various
2007	Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots	Bustup Ballerina, Mr. Huggles, Springy Rabbit		[17]
2008	de Blob	Comrade Black, Zip, Graydians		[17]
2009	FusionFall	Juniper Lee
2010	White Knight Chronicles	Various		[20]
2011	de Blob 2	Comrade Black, Papa Blanc, Inkies
2011	Once Upon a Monster	Shelby
2016	World of Warcraft: Legion	Korine
2017	Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue	Chirithy		[21]
2019	Kingdom Hearts III	Chirithy
2020	Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind	Chirithy
2020	Legends of Runeterra	Crackshot Corsair, Ava Achiever
2020	Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory	Chirithy
2023	Arknights	Vermeil
	Learn Through Music	Leo the Lion (singer)
	Hooked on Phonics	Pig Wig

Personal life

In 2006, Miller's mother was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a progressive brain disease, which forced her to close her talent agency; Miller has since helped spread awareness of the disease.^[22]

References

1. Lawler, Sylvia (May 2, 1985). "TO LARA JILL MILLER, TURNING 18 MEANS MORE THAN THE END OF HIGH SCHOOL INSIDE TELEVISION". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023.
2. "Lara Jill Miller PT1 - Voice Over - Henry Hugglemonster, Clifford's Puppy Days, Digimon, EP174". YouTube. August 1, 2015. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
3. "WHY 'HAIRSPRAY' EXTRAS DID WHAT THEY DID". The Morning Call. June 19, 1987. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
4. "Lois Nanette Miller Obituary (2014) Morning Call". Legacy.com.
5. "Stanley Miller Obituary". Legacy.com. Bachman, Kulik & Reinsmith Funeral Homes. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
6. "City Profile: Allentown - Morning Call". Articles.mcall.com. August 5, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
7. Lara Jill Miller Archived 2012-03-24 at the Wayback Machine - Disney Channel Medianet
8. Lawler, Sylvia (January 15, 1995). "With Law Degree In Hand, Lara Jill Miller Returns To Acting - Morning Call". The Morning Call. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
9. Williams, Kathy (April 2, 2015). "Lehigh Valley's Vince Sherry, Lara Jill Miller work on Daytime Emmy-nominated shows". The Morning Call. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
10. Dar, Taimur (March 27, 2020). "Tween Titans & more debut in DC SUPER HERO GIRLS". The Beat. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
11. Mateo, Alex (February 20, 2020). "BEASTARS Anime Reveals English Dub Cast". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
12. Betti, Tony (July 23, 2022). ""The Ghost And Molly McGee" Panel At San Diego Comic Con Enhappified Fans With Sneak Peek At Second Season". The Laughing Place. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
13. "Lara Jill Miller". Retrieved October 10, 2015.
14. "Exclusive: Actress Lara Jill Miller Talks Gimme a Break and Her Current Hot Career as a Voice-over Actress". Snakkle. March 20, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
15. "Episode 019 – Lara Jill Miller". fuelthepodcast.com. March 3, 2020.
16. Strait Jacket (DVD). Manga Video. October 7, 2008. OCLC 244206876.
17. "Lara Jill Miller (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved October 10, 2015. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
18. Milligan, Mercedes (July 26, 2021). "Trailer: 'The Loud House Movie' Unravels an Heir-Raising Adventure Aug. 20". Animation Magazine. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
19. Milligan, Mercedes (May 30, 2024). "Nickelodeon Sends 'The Loud House' Gang on Secret Mission for All-New Movie 'No Time to Spy'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
20. "White Knight Chronicles (2010 video game)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 28, 2021. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
21. "The Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover Cast Lists Have Been Revealed - Kingdom Hearts News - KH13.com". KH13.com, for Kingdom Hearts. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
22. Lauer-Williams, Kathy (February 13, 2012). "Allentown's Lara Jill Miller talks about FTD, her mom's disease". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. Retrieved December 26, 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Lara Jill Miller on Twitter
• Lara Jill Miller at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Lara Jill Miller at IMDb
• Lara Jill Miller at the Internet Broadway Database