NEATH LEGEND: Hollywood’s first Welsh Oscar winner honoured with blue plaque at childhood home
The tribute was unveiled at the house on Dalton Road where the legendary actor lived from the age of four.
Milland, who was born Alfred Reginald Jones in 1907, remains a titan of the silver screen and was once Paramount’s highest-paid star.
The installation follows a special exhibition at Melincryddan Community Hall on Friday, March 6, which brought together relatives, fans, and local dignitaries.
Organised by the Neath Antiquarian Society, the event marked the 80th anniversary of Milland’s historic Academy Award win for his role in The Lost Weekend.
He was the first Welsh actor to ever scoop an Oscar, a feat that cemented his place in cinematic history alongside greats like Grace Kelly and John Wayne.
Relatives of the Hollywood star attended the celebratory exhibition in Neath to mark the 80th anniversary of his Oscar win. (Image: Neath Port Talbot Council)
The plaque was successfully nominated by the Neath Antiquarian Society through Neath Port Talbot Council’s Blue Plaque Scheme.
It serves as a permanent reminder of a man who told the world he was from Neath, even at the height of his global fame.
Jonathan Davies, Chair of the Neath Antiquarian Society, hailed Milland’s “varied and lasting” career which spanned more than 55 years.
“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,” he said.
“Over the course of 55 years, he won everything; Oscar, Grammy, Cannes Film Festival, the lot.”
The blue plaque is now a permanent fixture on the wall of the actor’s former home on Dalton Road in Neath. (Image: Neath Port Talbot Council)
The actor’s incredible journey saw him serve in the Royal Horse Guards before a chance meeting with an American actress convinced him to try his hand at acting.
His 1929 debut in The Flying Scotsman led to a contract with MGM and a move to Hollywood that would change his life forever.
Milland went on to star in classics such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder and the terrifying spy thriller Ministry of Fear.
Despite his stardom, he never forgot his roots, famously being “lionised” in Cardiff in 1946 and touring Neath by car during a visit in 1947.
Councillor Cen Phillips, Cabinet Member for Nature, Tourism and Wellbeing for Neath Port Talbot Council, said the plaque celebrates a key part of the area’s “incredible cultural legacy.”
The ceremony was attended by Milland’s relatives and local residents, including the current tenant of the house on Dalton Road.
(L-R) The current tenant of the Dalton Road house, Ray Milland’s cousin, Councillor Cen Phillips, and Jonathan Davies of the Neath Antiquarian Society at the unveiling. (Image: Neath Port Talbot Council)
Funding for the 2026 Commemorative Blue Plaque window will open from April 1 to September 30 for new nominations.
The scheme is part of the council’s wider Heritage Strategy, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore and celebrate local history.
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