20 Facts About Andy Milligan

Andy Milligan was a self-taught filmmaker and was responsible for much of the creative activity on his movies.

Andy Milligan became involved with directing low-key theater productions at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.

Andy Milligan met some of the actors for his early movies at Caffe Cino.

In 1966, Andy Milligan set up his residence in a Victorian-era mansion located in St George, Staten Island, within a mile walking distance of the Staten Island Ferry.

Andy Milligan wrote, directed, built sets and sewed costumes for nearly all of his movies.

In 1968, Andy Milligan began to make horror movies featuring gore effects with The Ghastly Ones, a 19th-century period piece and his first color movie, produced by JER and titled by Sam Sherman.

Andy Milligan then teamed with William Mishkin again where Mishkin produced and Andy Milligan directed three more 19th-century period piece British horror pictures: Bloodthirsty Butchers, The Man With Two Heads, and The Rats Are Coming.

On his return to New York, Andy Milligan wrote and directed another medieval period piece titled Guru the Mad Monk, which was shot for the first time with a 35mm Arriflex camera and filmed entirely inside the St Peter's Episcopal Church in Chelsea, Manhattan.

On October 27,1977, Andy Milligan moved into 335 West 39th Street in Manhattan, where he founded and ran the Troupe Theatre, an off-off Broadway venue above which he lived in a third-floor loft until he left New York City for good in March 1985.

Andy Milligan moved to Los Angeles, where he briefly owned a dress shop on Highland Boulevard from late 1985 to early 1986.

Andy Milligan then directed three more independently produced horror movies in 1987 and 1988, which included Monstrosity, The Weirdo, and Surgikill as well as operated another theater and production company, called Troupe West, which ran until early 1990.

In 1968, Milligan married Candy Hammond, a North Carolina stage actress and former "erotic dancer" who starred in a few of his movies.

The wedding was not viewed seriously by any of the attendees because Andy Milligan was openly gay.

Andy Milligan had a reputation throughout his life of being demanding and bad-tempered, often provoking fights and arguments with actors, movie producers and financiers.

Andy Milligan never had a driver's license, relying on public transportation wherever he lived.

In poor health from 1989, Andy Milligan was diagnosed with AIDS some months after his lover Keeton died.

Andy Milligan initially kept his condition a secret as he tried to continue working on writing stage play scripts and screenplays.

In June 1990, Andy Milligan confided in only two people the true nature of his health; friend and actor John Miranda and writer-biographer Jimmy McDonough, who then became his part-time caregivers for the next 12 months.

Andy Milligan died in the early morning hours of June 3,1991, from complications to AIDS at the Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles, California, at age 62.

Andy Milligan was buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in Los Angeles due to his poor financial situation on death.