1961 Disney Darling Hayley Mills Opened a Letter at 21-The Contents Cost Her Millions
HayleyMills recently revealed she lost millions of dollars while on the RosebudPodcast.
The Disney legend became a household name after appearing in projects such as Tiger Bay (1959), The Parent Trap (1961), and That Darn Cat! (1965). Mills said she ended up losing the majority of her wages by the time she turned 21.
The actress explained she was recommended to move her finances into a trust by StanleyPassmore, her father's financial advisor. Mills found out later that this advice was "not very well."
She explained, the reason she lost so much was "because it was all put into a trust fund, because [British] supertax was 90 percent in those days, so they had to do something."
"The trust company was set up for me. Stanley was also involved in setting up a trust company for JackHawkins. And the Inland Revenue attacked his trust company, which affected British law. It created the precedent," Mills said.
"And so, 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 percent of your earnings,'" she said.
The actress did not understand what had transpired, adding, "I've never been good at figures." She asked Passmore for clarity on the situation.
"Stanley laughed and said, ‘Well, I think it means you have to move to America.' And that's all he ever said. He was a crook," she said.
The 80-year-old got her start in the British crime drama Tiger Bay, for which she won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Mills also received the Academy Juvenile Award for Pollyanna (1960) and the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year 1961.
She is the daughter of legendary actor JohnMills, known for films such as Great Expectations (1946) and Swiss Family Robinson (1960).
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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 8:18 PM.