To a generation of Baby Boomers, she was the magical Nanny. To the several million people who watch NBC's daytime drama parody Passions, she's Tabitha, the centuries-old spell-casting witch who just might have a few soft spots in her evil old heart. To friends, family and colleagues, she's Juliet Mills, actress, wife, mother, and member of theatre royalty.
Her father was the great actor Sir John Mills. Her sister is 1960s Disney superstar Hayley Mills. Her mother is the noted British playwright/novelist Mary Hayley Bell, who wrote Whistle Down the Wind . Her godparents were none other than Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. The great gay playwright/actor Noel Coward was a family friend and a frequent dinner guest.
"In many ways, my childhood was like the movies of the period I grew up in," Mills said in a recent phone interview. "Vivien Leigh would take me shopping in London. We'd visit her couture by appointment. Models would parade before us as we made our fashion choices. It was all quite magical."
What was it like growing up in the presence of such theatre greats?
"Oh dear, I wish I had taped some of those dinner conversations!" Mills said. "As a child, you don't realize who these people are, they were just Daddy's friends! One of my most treasured memories is listening to Noel Coward play piano and sing at my parent's house. He was such a brilliant, funny and perceptive man!"
Mills followed her Dad and sister into the "family business," playing small roles on the British stage and on television. In 1970, her first brush with stardom came when she was cast as Phoebe Figalilly in a short-lived but fondly remembered sitcom, Nanny and the Professor.
"In many ways, Phoebe was a forerunner to Passions' Tabitha," said Mills. "Nanny had her magic, but it wasn't as blatant. She'd announce that someone was at the door, and then the doorbell would ring. It was quite a fun role to play!"
Soon after the series ended, Mills got to work with two cinema legends.
"I was Jack Lemmon's leading lady in Avanti! [1972]. We were directed by the great Billy Wilder, and we shot all over Italy. How lucky is that?
"Dear Jack was exactly what you'd expect him to be. Professional, always on time and prepared, and very, very kind. Billy Wilder was a genius! I loved him, he was a meticulous director and a brilliant, funny man. He had a very deep perception of things, of the world around him."
Mills spent a number of years doing prime time guest shots and working in the theatre, where she met her husband, actor Maxwell Caulfield. Married since 1980, they have two children, and their daughter Melissa, now an actress herself, has twice appeared on Passions, playing Mom's old Nanny role.
Witch craft
Passions came into Mills' life in 1999. She was cast as Tabitha Lennox, a 300-year-old witch on this outrageous daytime soap that threw caution and soap conventions to the wind. Not even Dark Shadows, which had been quite an eye-opener to daytime audiences in the 1960s, was as bizarre as Passions, a deliberate parody. It combines elements of Dark Shadows, All My Children, Bewitched and classic Joan Crawford melodramas, all played at a level of hysteria not seen since the heyday of silent cinema. Early episodes even featured Bewitched characters Dr. Bombay and Esmeralda, played by their original portrayers, Bernard Fox and Alice Ghostley.
For its first three years, Passions focused primarily on the mad, satanic adventures of Tabitha, and the little doll she brought to life, Timmy (Josh Ryan Evans). Tabitha spent her days and nights inflicting "pain and suffering" on the residents of Harmony, Maine. Timmy was her conscience. He loved his "princess," as he called her, and tried to get her to do good. Their adventures took them to Ancient Egypt and aboard the Titanic — it was Tabitha who sent the ship careening into the iceberg! They crossed paths with a variety of witches and demons. They even journeyed to Oz, where Timmy appeared in drag as Dorothy. These stories ended in August 2002, when Evans, a "little person," died of a heart ailment.
"I love talking about Josh," said Mills. "It keeps him alive. He was a beautiful little fairy elf who loved life, and loved show business. He really believed in magic. His motto was, 'Dream big!' He only had 20 years on this Earth, but he made his dreams come true.
"One of my favorite memories of Josh goes back about four years. We had gone to New York for the Emmy awards, and we had a blast dancing the night away. I can't believe he's been gone this long. He'll always be a part of Passions!"
Now Sci-Fi Channel has acquired rerun rights to these early episodes. Beginning Mon., Feb. 13, Passions will air on Sci-Fi weekday mornings at 9 a.m. Beginning with episode 1, which first aired July 5, 1999, viewers can re-live or discover for the first time the magic of Tabitha and Timmy.
"These early episodes will definitely appeal to a gay audience," Mills said. "They're high camp, filled with dazzling effects. They're unlike anything ever seen on daytime TV. When they first aired, all my gay friends in New York called to tell me how much they loved the show."
These days, Tabitha is a new Mom to a two-year-old "witchling," named after her "dear friend Endora." "That little girl is a natural actress," said Mills. "I've worked with her since she was six weeks old. Off-camera, she calls me 'Tabba Mummy!'" Mills assured me that Tabitha and Endora would soon be embarking on some very Tabitha/Timmy-like adventures.
Reruns of Passions will air weekday mornings at 9 a.m. on Sci-Fi Channel. Dish Network and Direct TV customers might get the channel's feed from the East Coast, so check local listings.
Current episodes will airing continue weekdays at 2 p.m. on most NBC stations, including the Bay Area's NBC 11.