Jean Carol Miller, better known as Jean Carol, practices what she teaches. The enthusiastic adjunct professor in the School of Visual and Performing Arts, Department of Media and Entertainment Arts at the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California, since 2005, is also an award-winning, prolific theater and television actress, screenwriter, and producer of short films. Through her parallel careers in academia and the arts, Prof. Miller has always relished taking risks in her desire to make a positive impact in the world, reach wide audiences, produce meaningful stories, and share her knowledge, with no plans to stop.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, to her late parents Edward John Miller and Doris Dora Daly Miller, growing up, Prof. Miller’s mother was a showroom model who would take young Jean Carol with her to work instead of hiring a babysitter. When a talent agent asked her mother if her daughter could model, her mother accepted, allowing the 3-year-old to model for a company that made knitted hats and mittens, for example, and thereafter enrolled her in acting classes. After high school, the young woman stayed focused on securing a solid education while consistently working as an actor in numerous theater, television, and film productions. Prof. Miller graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 1969 and earned a Master of Science in 1971, both from Florida State University, and became a certified community college instructor from 1972 to 1974. In the entertainment and media arenas, she has hosted, written, and produced a plethora of periodicals and shows for decades.
Making strides in varied careers, Prof. Miller was a project director at the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council between 1971 and 1978, during which she created an open space and recreation plan used by cities, counties, the State of Florida, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the United Nations as a planning model. Later, she became a host, producer, and reporter on LA City View TV in 2008 and 2009 while simultaneously working as a media trainer. Today, in addition to her years at the College of the Canyons, she is an adjunct professor at the Los Angeles Performing Arts Conservatory, first serving in 2008 and then returning in 2021.
Prof. Miller has been recognized repeatedly for her work and artistry. She recently was featured in Millenium Magazine, received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, and was named Who’s Who in the South and Southwest. Leading to these honors, a sampling of her accolades spanning decades have included winning an Emmy Award as a producer for outstanding informational programming, being nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, winning the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Newcomer, and much more.
Married to Gerry Diez, Prof. Miller cherishes time with her two stepchildren and four grandchildren. She raises Dachshund rescue dogs and enjoys adventure travel and photography.