Editing Ray Milland (section)

==Early life==
Milland was born Alfred Reginald Jones{{refn|group=notes|name=namenote|The birth name ''Alfred Reginald Jones'' and the birth date of 3 January 1907 are from the ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]''. Other sources give a different date of birth and birth name. Milland's obituary in ''The New York Times'' gave 3 January 1905 with the name Reginald Truscott-Jones.<ref name=obit/> ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' gives 3 January 1907 and Reginald Truscott-Jones.<ref name=Britannica/>}} on 3 January 1907 in [[Neath]], [[Wales]], the son of Elizabeth Annie (née Truscott) and steel mill superintendent Alfred Jones.<ref name=Britannica>{{cite web|title=Ray Milland|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ray-Milland|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=14 December 2016}}</ref><ref name=ODNB>{{cite ODNB|id=57315 |title=Ray Milland|first=David|last=Parkinson|year=2011}}</ref> He was schooled independently before attending [[Kings Monkton School|King's College School]] public school in [[Cardiff]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Asghar|first1=Mohammed|title=Hollywood star Ray had close links with capital|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/hollywood-star-ray-close-links-1808277|website=Wales Online|date=1 September 2011}}</ref> He also worked at his uncle's horse-breeding farm before leaving home at the age of 21.<ref name=obit/> Of his parents, he wrote in his 1974 autobiography:

{{cquote|My father was not a cruel or harsh man. Just a very quiet one. I think he was an incurable romantic and consequently a little afraid of his emotions and perhaps ashamed of them ... he had been a young [[hussar]] in the [[Second Boer War|Boer War]] and had been present at the relief of [[Siege of Mafeking|Mafeking]]. He never held long conversations with anyone, except perhaps with me, possibly because I was the only other male in our family. The household consisted of my mother, a rather flighty and coquettish woman much concerned with propriety and what the neighbours thought.<ref>Milland (1974), p.23</ref>}}

===Household Cavalry===
Prior to becoming an actor, Milland served in the [[Royal Horse Guards]] of the [[Household Cavalry]], in 1925.<ref name="house">https://householdcavalry.co.uk/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/06/Not-a-Lot-of-People-Know-This-Podcast-7-text.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> An expert shot, he became a member of his squadron’s rifle team, winning many prestigious competitions, including the [[National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom#The National Shooting Centre|Bisley]] Match in England. He won the British Army Championship in both pistol and rifle marksmanship.

While stationed in London, Milland met dancer Margot St. Leger, and through her was introduced to American actress [[Estelle Brody]].<ref>Milland (1974) pp. 75–78</ref> Brody queried Milland's commitment to an army career, which led him into buying himself out of the forces in 1928 with the hope of becoming an actor.<ref name="house"/><ref name="Milland 1974 pp. 78–84">Milland (1974) pp. 78–84</ref> (According to one account, he was able to support himself with a £17,000 inheritance from his aunt. <ref> Ray Milland Faces Wide Acclaim for New Picture: Actor Relates Film's Effect Upon Himself Ray Milland Faces Wide Acclaim for New Picture
Masters, Marcia. ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' 9 September 1945: B1.</ref> Another said he was forced to drop out when his father refused to continue subsidising him.<ref name="new"/>)