Born in Oklahoma, Vera Miles (born Vera Ralston, she had to change her name, as Republic Pictures' resident leading lady Vera Ralston got to Hollywood first) attended school in Pratt and Wichita, Kansas. Entering the beauty pageant circuit, she became "Miss Kansas" in 1948, and went to Hollywood soon soon after. She began landing small roles in minor films and in television. After a few such parts she was cast by John Ford as the spunky ingenue in the Western classic The Searchers. More leading roles quickly followed, and for a brief period she shone in a number of major films. However much of her subsequent work, both in feature films and in television movies, has been in material considerably below her abilities.
Daughter Debra Miles born 1950 Daughter Kelley Miles born 1952 Son Michael Scott born 1957 Was a favorite of Alfred Hitchcock after Grace Kelly retired, but pregnancy prevented her from many starring roles. Many people, for years, have argued over what Miles' middle name is. Some people say June, while others say May. Mother of Erik Larsen, who was born on 30 April 1961 in Burbank, California. Was a contestant on You Bet Your Life on April 4, 1951. She and her partner won $8 in the quiz, guessed the secret word ("hand") and incorrectly answered the De Soto-Plymouth $5,500 Question ("Who was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?"). In the late 1940s, made a television commercial for Lustre Creme's shampoo campaign. She appeared in two television episodes that each revolved around the portrait of her character, first in The Men from Shiloh episode "Portrait of a Widow" (episode 3.13, December 9, 1964) and over a decade later in the Ellery Queen episode "The Adventure of the Two-Faced Woman" (episode 1.18, February 29, 1976). Appeared in the trailer for The Beast from 20 000 Fathoms. Her scenes as John Wayne's wife in The Green Berets were cut from the movie prior to its release.