Sylvia Miles is an American film, stage and television actress, twice nominated for an Academy Award.
Miles was born in New York City and raised in Greenwich Village, where her father worked as a furniture maker. Her birth year has been generally reported as 1923, but Miles insists she was born in 1934.
Miles played the role of "Sally" in the pilot episode of what would become The Dick Van Dyke Show, which was later taken by Rose Marie for the series. She appeared in two episodes of Naked City, including once as a lovely barfly attempting to communicate with a psychotic Jack Warden.
One of Miles' best-known roles was in Midnight Cowboy as a well-to-do middle-aged New Yorker who invites Joe Buck (Jon Voight) up to her penthouse apartment for sex. The role earned her an Oscar nomination in 1969 for Best Supporting Actress, despite only appearing on screen for about six minutes. She received a second Oscar nomination for her slightly larger role (eight minutes) as Best Supporting Actress in 1975 for her role in Farewell, My Lovely.