Biographie

The play, An American Tragedy, in Los Angeles, California, USA, with Helene Millard in the starring role, required her to shed tears. During the run of the play, her father, Royal C. Millard, passed away on March 13, 1927 in San Francisco, California, USA. Helene was granted a leave of absence by the producer and an understudy was to assume her role. An automobile accident prevented the understudy from ever taking over the role, and Helene agreed to put aside her grief and return to the stage. Later she reflected that she had no problem shedding tears in her role because all she had to do was think of her father and real tears flowed.

A garage employee, Frank A. Bergren, was bound over to a Portland, Oregon, USA grand jury on January 30, 1928. He was under $1,000 bond for cashing a forged check which had been signed by the forged name of Miss Helene Millard. Bergren had received a check from her for garage services. He took the check and traced her signature on to another check made out for $105. In tracing the name he had misspelled the actress' first name by dropping the last E in Helene.

A petition for an injunction to prevent Helene Millard, actress at a Hollywood theater, from flying to the bedside of her father, Royal Millard, reported ill in San Francisco, California, USA was denied February 28, 1927 by Judge William S. Baird. The court had inspected the airplane that had been chartered by Miss Millard, and pronounced it safe for the flight. On March 13, 1927 her father passed away after she had returned to the theater where she was starring in An American Tragedy.

The Henry Duffy Players were in Denver, Colorado, USA presenting the play, The Bad Man. The role of Pancho Lopez was played by Leo Carrillo, later to gain fame as Pancho, sidekick on the television series The Cisco Kid. The role of Lucia Pell, played by Helene Millard, required a song to be sung. Just as she finished the song, a shot rang out. A man in the lobby committed suicide putting the audience in a temporary panic. She later joked that perhaps he could not bear my singing.

Helene was a graduate of the Cumnock School of Expression and in 1925 was awarded first prize medals from the California Eisteddfod Association. Such an award reflected her commanding personality which effectively sways the emotions of an audience.