Hayley Mills, the former child star of Disney classics like 'The Parent Trap' and 'That Darn Cat!', has revealed that a 'crook' helped her lose much of her fortune. Now 80, Mills shared her experiences with money on Gyles Brandreth’s Rosebud Podcast, recalling the early days of her fame.
A Lucrative Disney Deal
As a child, Mills signed a lucrative deal with Disney to star in several movies, including The Parent Trap (1961), That Darn Cat! (1965), and In Search of the Castaways (1962). At the peak of her celebrity, she was encouraged to put her earnings into a trust by a solicitor named Stanley Passmore, who had previously worked with Mills’s actor father, Sir John Mills.
'Stanley also advised Daddy, and not very well,' Mills told Brandreth. Brandreth added, 'I do know the background of this, and it’s partly because you were poorly advised. But also, it was partly to do with the naïveté of your father, I think. There was an innocence about him and a sort of optimism.'
The 90% Super-Tax
Mills’ trust was subsequently engulfed by the 90% super-tax rate of the era, implemented to help Britain recover after the Second World War. She recalled, 'When I reached 21, instead of being given the key to the door, I was handed an envelope across a green baize tablecloth by Stanley, which was the Inland Revenue basically saying, “Thank you. You owe us 90% of your earnings.”'
Mills admitted she had never been skilled at handling money and was unsure what it meant for her finances or career. 'Stanley laughed and said, “Well, I think it means you have to move to America [for work].” And that’s all he ever said,' Mills added. 'He was a crook. He didn’t give a flying Dutchman.'
Legal Battle and Loss
Mills sought legal advice to claw back her earnings and appealed to the British government, but she eventually lost her appeal, losing millions of dollars. She told The Times in 2021 that she wished she had the opportunity to rest and enjoy financial security rather than work in America out of necessity.
'The main thing it would have given me is the freedom to say no and not to have to go to America for work,' she said. 'My son had to go to boarding school when he was 10. I didn’t want him to go, but I wasn’t there. I regret that very, very much.'
Career After the Loss
Despite the blow to her bank balance, Mills maintained a steady acting career in the US, starring in the sitcom Good Morning, Miss Bliss (which was retooled as Saved by the Bell) and the Agatha Christie adaptation Appointment with Death. She returned to British screens in 2007 as one of the stars of the hit ITV drama Wild at Heart. In 2024, she made a surprise return to the big screen in M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller Trap.
