John Milius - Personal Life

Personal Life

Milius is a self-proclaimed Zen anarchist, but he also publicly aligns himself with conservative factions in Hollywood and he was interviewed in the documentary Rated R: Republicans in Hollywood. Consistent with his conservative leanings, he has also been consultant to a military think tank, the Institute for Creative Technologies.

For years Milius was a member of the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association, where he was a leader (with the late Charlton Heston) of a moderate faction, in opposition to the so-called Militia Movement. An avid firearms collector, shooter and a renowned authority on firearms, and a vocal opponent of gun control legislation, Milius is a popular personality amongst gun hobbyists.

Milius' filmmaking role models are John Ford and Akira Kurosawa. He has also mentioned Sam Peckinpah, Sergio Leone, David Lean, and his friend and mentor John Huston as important influences. His favorite films are reportedly Red River, The Battle of Algiers, They Died With Their Boots On, The Searchers, They Were Expendable, The Wild Bunch, Seven Samurai, Sunset Boulevard, La Dolce Vita, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Lawrence of Arabia and Citizen Kane.

Milius is Jewish and has been married three times. His current marriage (since 1992) is to actress Elan Oberon (who appeared in Red Dawn as the woman behind the counter at the store, his 1989 film Farewell to the King and who is seen—and heard—singing Garryowen in Rough Riders). He has two children by his first wife, Renee Fabri, and one child by his second wife, Celia Kaye.