# Kim Milford
**Kim Milford** (Richard Kim Milford, 1951-1988) was an American stage actor, singer, and songwriter best remembered as the original Rocky in the American productions of [Richard O'Brien](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-obrien)'s *The Rocky Horror Show*, and for a rock career that included a stint as frontman of the Jeff Beck Group lineup that became Beck, Bogert & Appice.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Kim Milford[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507) |
| Born | 1951, Glen Ridge, New Jersey[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507) |
| Died | June 16, 1988, Chicago, Illinois, of complications following open heart surgery[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507) • [2](https://ovrtur.com/biography/10122036) |
| Family | Brother of actress Penelope Milford[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507) |
| Signature role | Rocky in *The Rocky Horror Show*, Roxy Theatre Los Angeles 1974 and Broadway 1975; returned as Rocky in the 1980-81 North American touring production[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507) • [3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/shows/The-Rocky-Horror-Show-2797/cast) • [9](https://www.ozrockyhorror.com/USA%20Tour%201980%20-%201981.html) |
| Broadway shows | *Henry, Sweet Henry* (1967), *Hair* (1968-72 run), *The Rocky Horror Show* (1975), *Rockabye Hamlet* (1976)[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507) |
| Recording | Lead vocal on "The Sword of Damocles" on the 1974 Original Roxy Cast album[4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/40d32266-d689-419b-9ed2-99fc762ee6ed) |
## Early life and stage beginnings
Milford grew up in the Chicago suburb of [Winnetka, Illinois](https://www.edgepedia.org/winnetka-illinois), and attended [New Trier High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-trier-high-school). He first appeared in summer stock theater in Chicago at ten years old.[5](https://rdfranciswriter.medium.com/rocky-horror-jeff-beck-corvettes-and-lasers-the-life-and-career-of-kim-milford-77828d04897b) He was the older brother of the actress Penelope Milford.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0587340/bio/)
His Broadway debut came in the musical *Henry, Sweet Henry*, which ran at the Broadway Theatre from October 23 to December 31, 1967, where he played a Knickerbocker Grey.[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507) The following year he joined the Broadway production of the rock musical *Hair*, joining as a replacement in the role of Berger, and also performing as Woof and understudying Claude during a run that lasted from April 1968 to July 1972.[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507)
In 1972 he toured in summer stock with the first concert tour of *Jesus Christ Superstar*, where he alternated the roles of Jesus of Nazareth and [Judas Iscariot](https://www.edgepedia.org/judas-iscariot).[2](https://ovrtur.com/biography/10122036) • [5](https://rdfranciswriter.medium.com/rocky-horror-jeff-beck-corvettes-and-lasers-the-life-and-career-of-kim-milford-77828d04897b) [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) credits from this period include *Your Own Thing* (1968, taking over the role of Sebastian), and *More Than You Deserve* in 1974, a musical with songs by [Jim Steinman](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-steinman).[2](https://ovrtur.com/biography/10122036)
## The Rocky Horror Show
Milford's most visible stage work came in *The Rocky Horror Show*, Richard O'Brien's glam-rock parody of 1950s horror films. He played Rocky, the blond creation of [Dr. Frank-N-Furter](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-frank-n-furter), in the American premiere at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles in 1974, opposite [Tim Curry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-curry), who repeated his London performance as Frank-N-Furter, and [Meat Loaf](https://www.edgepedia.org/meat-loaf).[3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/shows/The-Rocky-Horror-Show-2797/cast) The production was mounted by producer Lou Adler after he saw the London show, and its cast album, recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood, features Milford's lead vocal on "The Sword of Damocles" and his part in the closing "Rose Tint My World" sequence.[4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/40d32266-d689-419b-9ed2-99fc762ee6ed) • [7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/the-rocky-horror-show-original-roxy-cast--mr0000095099)
The show transferred to Broadway's Belasco Theatre, opening March 10, 1975 and closing April 6, 1975 after 45 performances, with Milford again as Rocky in the original Broadway cast.[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507) • [8](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-rocky-horror-show-3732) No Broadway cast album was recorded; the Roxy recording stands as the American cast document of the show.[7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/the-rocky-horror-show-original-roxy-cast--mr0000095099) Milford returned to the role five years later, playing Rocky as a replacement in the 1980-81 Broadway revival that ran from October 14, 1980 to April 12, 1981.[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507)
In early 1976 he returned to Broadway in *Rockabye Hamlet*, a rock musical adaptation of *Hamlet*, playing Laertes in a production that ran only from February 17 to February 21, 1976.[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507)
## Rock music
Alongside his stage work Milford pursued rock music. As a teenager he cut late 1960s singles for [Decca Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/decca-records) with Ron Dante, the producer behind the Archies, and he recorded the song "Justice" for the 1972 film *Ciao! Manhattan*.[5](https://rdfranciswriter.medium.com/rocky-horror-jeff-beck-corvettes-and-lasers-the-life-and-career-of-kim-milford-77828d04897b) In 1972 he was plucked from a production of *Hair* to serve as frontman for the group formed around guitarist [Jeff Beck](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-beck) with Tim Bogert and [Carmine Appice](https://www.edgepedia.org/carmine-appice); the band, known as Beck, Bogert & Appice, released one album before Beck dissolved the lineup in 1975 in favor of a solo instrumental career with *Blow by Blow*.[5](https://rdfranciswriter.medium.com/rocky-horror-jeff-beck-corvettes-and-lasers-the-life-and-career-of-kim-milford-77828d04897b)
Milford fronted his own band, Moon, and in 1974 received an extensive profile in the magazine *Viva*, which credited the visibility he had gained through *Jesus Christ Superstar*, *Hair*, and *Rocky Horror*.[5](https://rdfranciswriter.medium.com/rocky-horror-jeff-beck-corvettes-and-lasers-the-life-and-career-of-kim-milford-77828d04897b) He later wrote music and lyrics for the show *All Bets Off*, credited in the Ovrtur musical theater database under his writing credits.[2](https://ovrtur.com/biography/10122036)
## Screen work and later career
On television Milford appeared in hour-long police dramas of the early 1970s, and in film he co-starred with [Mark Hamill](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-hamill) in *Corvette Summer* (1978), Hamill's first picture after *Star Wars*. His later screen work included a guest role in the series *Crime Story* in 1986.[5](https://rdfranciswriter.medium.com/rocky-horror-jeff-beck-corvettes-and-lasers-the-life-and-career-of-kim-milford-77828d04897b) His late stage credits include the original Off-Broadway productions of *Livin' Dolls* (1982) and *Sunset* (1983).[2](https://ovrtur.com/biography/10122036)
Milford died in Chicago on June 16, 1988, at the age of 37, from complications following open heart surgery.[1](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507) • [2](https://ovrtur.com/biography/10122036)
## Legacy
Milford's recorded performances preserve a specific moment in *Rocky Horror* history: he is the Rocky of the Roxy cast album that documented the show's American premiere, at a time when the role was played live in the theater rather than, as in the 1975 film, performed by [Peter Hinwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-hinwood).[4](https://musicbrainz.org/release/40d32266-d689-419b-9ed2-99fc762ee6ed) His short tenure with Beck, Bogert & Appice, though it produced no studio recordings with him, remains the aspect of his career most discussed by rock audiences, alongside his appearances in *Corvette Summer* and the early *Rocky Horror* stage productions.[5](https://rdfranciswriter.medium.com/rocky-horror-jeff-beck-corvettes-and-lasers-the-life-and-career-of-kim-milford-77828d04897b)
## References
1. [Kim Milford, Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB (Internet Broadway Database)](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kim-milford-79507)
2. [Kim Milford, Ovrtur: Database of Musical Theatre History](https://ovrtur.com/biography/10122036)
3. [The Rocky Horror Show Original Broadway Musical Cast 1975, Broadway World](https://www.broadwayworld.com/shows/The-Rocky-Horror-Show-2797/cast)
4. [Release "The Rocky Horror Show" by Richard O'Brien, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/40d32266-d689-419b-9ed2-99fc762ee6ed)
5. [Kim Milford: Rocky Horror, Jeff Beck, Corvettes and Lasers, R.D Francis, Medium (2018)](https://rdfranciswriter.medium.com/rocky-horror-jeff-beck-corvettes-and-lasers-the-life-and-career-of-kim-milford-77828d04897b)
6. [Penelope Milford - Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0587340/bio/)
7. [The Rocky Horror Show [Original Roxy Cast], AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/the-rocky-horror-show-original-roxy-cast--mr0000095099)
8. [The Rocky Horror Show - Broadway Musical - Original, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-rocky-horror-show-3732)
9. [ozrockyhorror.com](https://www.ozrockyhorror.com/USA%20Tour%201980%20-%201981.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Hard rock and glam metal › Hard rock lead vocalists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license