A Blue Plaque is now installed on a house in Neath – the childhood home of a local Hollywood legend.
Ray Milland starred alongside prominent stars such as Grace Kelly and John Wayne and was once Paramount’s highest-paid actor during a career which spanned more than 50 years.
The plaque can now been seen on Dalton Road, which was Ray Milland’s family home from the age of 4.
It follows a celebratory exhibition at Melincryddan Community Hall in Neath on Friday (6th March), arranged by Neath Antiquarian Society. Among those in attendance was the Society’s Chairman Jonathan Davies, relatives and fans of Ray Milland, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Nature, Tourism and Wellbeing Councillor Cen Phillips, and the Mayor and Mayoress of Neath Port Talbot. The exhibition was supported by Neath Town Council.
The event coincided with the 80th Anniversary of Ray Milland winning an Academy Award (Oscar) – the first Welsh actor to do so. 1946 also saw him win Best Actor Award in the Cannes Film Festival and the Best Actor Award at the Golden Globes.
Chair of Neath Antiquarian Society, Jonathan Davies says:
“From romantic leads to comedy, horror, Broadway Theatre and his own TV shows, I don’t think there are many other careers in Hollywood that have been as varied or lasted as long.
“Over the course of 55 years, he won everything; Oscar, Grammy, Cannes Film Festival, the lot.”
Cabinet Member for Nature, Tourism and Wellbeing, Councillor Cen Phillips says:
“This blue plaque celebrates yet another figure from the incredible cultural legacy that we have across the whole of Neath Port Talbot.”
The successful nomination for Ray Milland to be posthumously awarded a Blue Plaque came from Neath Antiquarian Society (NAS), following an application via Neath Port Talbot Council’s Blue Plaque Scheme.
The 2026 Commemorative Blue Plaque funding window at Neath Port Talbot Council will open from 1st April to 30th September.
