Julie Harris | |
|---|---|
 Publicity photo of Julie Harris (1973) | |
| Born | Julia Ann Harris (1925-12-02)December 2, 1925 Grosse Pointe, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | August 24, 2013(2013-08-24) (aged 87) |
| Education | Yale University |
| Years active | 1945–2009 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Julia Ann Harris (December 2, 1925 – August 24, 2013) was an American actress. Renowned for her classical and contemporary roles, she earned numerous accolades including the record fiveTony Awards forBest Actress in a Play, threeEmmy Awards, and aGrammy Award in addition to nominations for anAcademy Award, and aBAFTA Award. She was inducted into theAmerican Theatre Hall of Fame in 1979, received theNational Medal of Arts in 1994, theSpecial Lifetime Achievement Tony Award, and theKennedy Center Honor in 2005.[1][2]
After making her Broadway debut in 1945 Harris went on to win fiveTony Awards for Best Actress in a Play for her roles inI Am a Camera (1952),The Lark (1956),Forty Carats (1969),The Last of Mrs. Lincoln (1973), andThe Belle of Amherst (1977). Her other Tony-nominated roles were inMarathon '33 (1964),Skyscraper (1966),The au Pair Man (1974),Lucifer's Child (1991), andThe Gin Game (1997).
She starred in the 1950 playThe Member of the Wedding, a role she reprised in the1952 film of the same name, for which she was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actress. Her other notable film roles includeEast of Eden (1955),I Am a Camera (1955),The Haunting (1963), andReflections in a Golden Eye (1967). Harris received threePrimetime Emmy Awards for her roles inLittle Moon of Alban (1969),Victoria Regina (1962), andNot for Ourselves Alone (1999). She won theGrammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album forThe Belle of Amherst (1978)
Julia Ann Harris was born inGrosse Pointe, Michigan, the daughter of Elsie L. (née Smith), a nurse, and William Pickett Harris, an investment banker and authority on zoology.[3] She had an older brother, William, and a younger brother, Richard.[4] She graduated from Grosse Pointe Country Day School, which later merged with two others to form theUniversity Liggett School. In New York City, she attendedThe Hewitt School.[5] As a teenager, she also trained at thePerry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp in Colorado withCharlotte Perry, a mentor who encouraged Harris to apply to theYale School of Drama, which she soon attended for a year.[6][7] In 2007, Yale bestowed an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree upon Harris.[8] As a founding member ofLee Strasberg's Actors Studio,[9] Harris studiedmethod acting,[10] which emphasized psychology and emotions, and although it was strongly associated with male actors, she was able to successfully employ its techniques.[11]
In 1952, Harris won her first Best Actress Tony Award for originating the role of insouciantSally Bowles inI Am a Camera, the stage version ofChristopher Isherwood'sGoodbye to Berlin (later adapted as the Broadway musicalCabaret (1966) and as the 1972film, withLiza Minnelli as Sally). Harris repeated her stage role in the film version ofI Am a Camera (1955). Harris's screen debut was in 1952, repeating her Broadway success as the lonely teenaged girl Frankie inCarson McCullers'sThe Member of the Wedding, for which she was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actress. DirectorElia Kazan cast her inEast of Eden (1955) oppositeJames Dean in his first major screen role.
Harris was nominated for 11Primetime Emmy Awards for her television work, winning three. She starred as Nora Helmer oppositeChristopher Plummer inA Doll's House (1959), a 90-minute television adaptation ofHenrik Ibsen'splay. She made more appearances in leading roles on theHallmark Hall of Fame than any other actress, also appearing in two different adaptations of the playLittle Moon of Alban,[12] her performance in the 1958 TV movie of the same name earning her thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
She played the ethereal Eleanor Lance inThe Haunting (1963), directorRobert Wise's screen adaptation of a novel byShirley Jackson. Another cast member recalled Harris refusing to socialize with the other actors while not on set, later explaining that she had done so as a method of emphasizing the alienation from the other characters experienced by her character in the film. Other notable films Harris appeared in during the 1960s includeRequiem for a Heavyweight (1962),Harper (withPaul Newman) (1966), andReflections in a Golden Eye (1967). Another noteworthy film appearance was the World War II dramaThe Hiding Place (1975).
Her second Emmy win came for her role asQueen Victoria in the 1961Hallmark Hall of Fame production ofLaurence Housman'sVictoria Regina. She received further Emmy nominations for a range of roles includingAnastasia (1967),The Last of Mrs. Lincoln (1976)—where she reprised her Tony-winning role asMary Todd Lincoln from the 1973 play of the same name—andThe Woman He Loved (1988). She won her third Emmy award in 2000 for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for her voice role ofSusan B. Anthony inNot for Ourselves Alone.
Of particular note is her Tony-winning performance inThe Belle of Amherst, a one-woman play (written byWilliam Luce and directed byCharles Nelson Reilly) based on the life and poetry ofEmily Dickinson. She received aGrammy Award for Best Spoken Word Recording for the audio recording of the play. She first performed the play in 1976 and subsequently appeared in other solo shows, including Luce'sBrontë.[13] Harris holds the Tonys record as the person with most wins (5) and nominations (9) in theLead Actress in a Play category. OtherBroadway credits includeThe Playboy of the Western World,Macbeth,The Member of the Wedding,A Shot in the Dark,Skyscraper,And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little,Forty Carats,The Glass Menagerie,A Doll's House,The Gin Game, and a North American tour in 1992 ofLettice and Lovage in the lead part originated byMaggie Smith on Broadway.
In 1980, Harris guest starred in the seriesKnots Landing as country singer Lilimae Clements, the eccentric and protective mother ofValene Ewing (Joan Van Ark); she returned to the series as a regular character from 1981 to 1987. The role earned Harris a nomination for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and twoSoap Opera Digest Award nominations. In 1983, Harris became a company member ofThe Mirror Theater Ltd's Mirror Repertory Company.[14] She became a mentor to the company, having urged Founding Artistic Director Sabra Jones to create the company from 1976 forward, when Jones marriedJohn Strasberg. Harris and Jones met at a performance ofThe Belle of Amherst, a revival of whichThe Mirror Theater Ltd recently performed in their summer home in Vermont.[15]
Harris made two recordings of narrations ofE. B. White's children's bookStuart Little for the Pathways of Sound record label: the last six chapters for a singleLP record in 1965,[16] and the entire book for a two-record set in 1979.[17][18] She also recorded narrations of many children's books forCaedmon Records. Harris also did extensive voiceover work for documentary makerKen Burns: the voices ofEmily Warren Roebling inBrooklyn Bridge (1981),Ann Lee inThe Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God (1984), and most notably Southern diaristMary Boykin Chesnut for Burns' 1990 seriesThe Civil War.
In the summer of 2008, she appeared on stage again inChatham, Massachusetts, as "Nanny" in a Monomoy Theater production ofThe Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds.[19] Harris continued to work until 2009, well into her eighties, narrating five historical documentaries byChristopher Seufert andMooncusser Films, as well as being active as a director on the board of the independentWellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (WHAT).[20] In 2007, when the company built a new, additional theater, also in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, Ms Harris declined to have the building named for her. However, she consented to their naming "a piece of it after me"; WHAT named their stage the "Julie Harris Stage".
Harris lived inWest Chatham, Cape Cod, for many years until her death.[21] Three times divorced, she had one son, Peter Gurian. Abreast cancer survivor,[5] she suffered a severe fall requiring surgery in 1999, a stroke in 2001, and a second stroke in 2010.[22]
Harris died on August 24, 2013, ofcongestive heart failure at her home in West Chatham, Massachusetts.[23][24] Harris wascremated after her death.[25]
On December 5, 2005, Harris was named aKennedy Center Honoree. At a White House ceremony, PresidentGeorge W. Bush remarked: "It's hard to imagine the American stage without the face, the voice, and the limitless talent of Julie Harris. She has found happiness in her life's work, and we thank her for sharing that happiness with the whole world."[26]
Ben Brantley, theater critic forThe New York Times, considered her "the actress who towered most luminously ... rather like aStatue of Liberty for Broadway."[27]Alec Baldwin, who played Harris's son onKnots Landing, praised her in a tribute in theHuffington Post: "Her voice was like rainfall. Her eyes connected directly to and channeled the depths of her powerful and tender heart. Her talent, a gift from God."[28]
Harris ties withAngela Lansbury with five Tony Award wins (Audra McDonald has since passed them both, with six wins).[1] However, she holds the record (alongsideChita Rivera) for the most individualTony Award nominations, with 10 (Audra McDonald has also since received her 10th nomination).[29] In 1966, Harris won theSarah Siddons Award for her work inChicago theatre.
On August 28, 2013, Broadway theaters dimmed their lights for one minute in honor of Harris.[30]
On December 3, 2013, Joan Van Ark announced at a Broadway memorial service the creation of the Julie Harris Scholarship, which provides annual support to an actor studying at theYale School of Drama. Alec Baldwin made the first contribution.[31] In 2021, Yale Drama became tuition-free and was rebranded the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University.[32]
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | It's a Gift | Atlanta | |
| 1946 | Henry IV, Part 2 | ||
| Oedipus Rex | |||
| 1946–1947 | The Playboy of the Western World | Nelly | |
| 1947 | Alice in Wonderland | White Rabbit | alternate[33] |
| 1948 | Macbeth | Witch | |
| Sundown Beach | Ida Mae | ||
| 1948–1949 | The Young and Fair | Nancy Gear | |
| 1949 | Magnolia Alley | Angel Tuttle | |
| Montserrat | Felisa | ||
| 1950–1951 | The Member of the Wedding | Frankie Addams | |
| 1951–1952 | I Am a Camera | Sally Bowles | |
| 1954 | Mademoiselle Colombe | Colombe | |
| 1955–1956 | The Lark | Joan | |
| 1959–1960 | The Warm Peninsula | Ruth Arnold | |
| 1960 | King John | Blanch of Spain | |
| 1960 | Romeo and Juliet | Juliet | |
| 1960 | Little Moon of Alban | Bridgid Mary Mangan | |
| 1961–1962 | A Shot in the Dark | Josefa Lantenay | |
| 1963–1964 | Marathon '33 | June | |
| 1964 | Hamlet | Ophelia | |
| 1964–1965 | Ready When You Are, C.B.! | Annie | |
| 1965–1966 | Skyscraper | Georgina | |
| 1968–1970 | Forty Carats | Ann Stanley | |
| 1971 | And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little | Anna Reardon | |
| 1972 | Voices | Claire | |
| 1972–1973 | The Last of Mrs. Lincoln | Mary Todd Lincoln | |
| 1973–1974 | The au Pair Man | Mrs. Rogers | |
| 1974–1975 | In Praise of Love | Lydia Cruttwell | |
| 1976 | The Belle of Amherst | Emily Dickinson | |
| 1979 | On Golden Pond | ||
| 1979 | Break a Leg | Gertie Kessel | |
| 1980–1981 | Mixed Couples | Clarice | |
| 1983 | Under The Ilex | Dora de Houghton Carrington Partridge | |
| 1988 | Bronte | Charlotte Brontë | |
| 1989–1990 | Love Letters | Melissa Gardiner | |
| 1990 | Driving Miss Daisy | Daisy Werthan | |
| 1991 | Lucifer's Child | Isak Dinesen | |
| 1992 | Dear Liar | Mrs. Patrick Campbell | |
| 1993 | The Fiery Furnace | Eunice | |
| 1994 | Exile in Jerusalem | Elsa | |
| 1994–1995 | The Glass Menagerie | Amanda Wingfield | |
| 1996 | Sonya | Sonya Tolstoy | |
| 1997 | The Road to Mecca | Miss Helen | |
| 1997 | The Gin Game | Fonsia Dorsey | |
| 1998 | Scent of the Roses | Annalise Morant | |
| 2000 | All My Sons | Kate Keller | |
| 2001 | Fossils |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | The Member of the Wedding | Frances "Frankie" Addams | Film debut |
| 1955 | East of Eden | Abra Bacon | |
| I Am a Camera | Sally Bowles | ||
| 1957 | The Truth About Women | Helen Cooper | |
| 1958 | Sally's Irish Rogue | Sally Hamil | |
| 1962 | Requiem for a Heavyweight | Grace Miller | |
| 1963 | The Haunting | Eleanor "Nell" Lance | |
| 1964 | Hamlet | Ophelia | |
| 1966 | Harper | Betty Fraley | |
| You're a Big Boy Now | Miss Nora Thing | ||
| 1967 | Reflections in a Golden Eye | Alison Langdon | |
| 1968 | The Split | Gladys | |
| Journey to Midnight | Leona Gillings | "The Indian Spirit Guide" | |
| 1970 | The People Next Door | Gerrie Mason | |
| 1975 | The Hiding Place | Betsie Ten Boom | |
| 1976 | Voyage of the Damned | Alice Fienchild | |
| 1979 | The Bell Jar | Mrs. Greenwood | |
| 1983 | Brontë | Charlotte Brontë | |
| 1985 | Crimewave | Uncredited | |
| 1986 | Nutcracker: The Motion Picture | Clara (voice) | |
| 1988 | Gorillas in the Mist | Roz Carr | |
| 1992 | Housesitter | Edna Davis | |
| 1993 | The Dark Half | Reggie Delesseps | |
| 1996 | Carried Away | Joseph's Mother | |
| 1997 | Bad Manners | Professor Harper | |
| 1998 | Passage to Paradise | Martha McGraw | |
| The First of May | Carlotta | ||
| 2006 | The Way Back Home | Jo McMillen | |
| 2008 | The Golden Boys | Melodeon Player | |
| 2009 | The Lightkeepers | Mrs. Deacon |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–1949 | Actors Studio | 4 episodes | |
| 1951 | Starlight Theatre | Bernice | episode: "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" |
| 1951–1953 | Goodyear Television Playhouse | 2 episodes | |
| 1955 | The United States Steel Hour | Shevawn | episode: "A Wind from the South" |
| 1956 | The Good Fairy | Lu | TV movie |
| 1957 | The Lark | Joan of Arc | TV movie |
| 1958 | Little Moon of Alban | Bridgid Mary Mangan | TV movie |
| Johnny Belinda | Belinda | TV movie | |
| 1959 | A Doll's House | Nora Helmer | TV movie |
| 1960 | NBC Sunday Showcase | Francesca | episode: "Turn the Key Deftly" |
| 1960–1961 | DuPont Show of the Month | Mattie Silver/Julia | 2 episodes |
| 1961 | Play of the Week | episode: "He Who Gets Slapped" | |
| The Heiress | Catherine Sloper | TV movie | |
| The Power and the Glory | Maria (Priest's Mistress) | TV movie | |
| Victoria Regina | Queen Victoria | TV movie | |
| 1963 | Pygmalion | Eliza Dolittle | TV movie |
| 1964 | Little Moon of Alban | Brigid Mary Mangan | TV movie |
| Kraft Suspense Theatre | Lucy Bram | episode: "The Roborioz Ring" | |
| 1965 | The Holy Terror | Florence Nightingale | TV movie |
| Rawhide | Emma Teall | episode: "The Calf Women" | |
| Laredo | Annamay | episode: "Rendezvous at Arillo" | |
| 1966 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Isobel Cain/Vicky Cain | episode: "Nightmare" |
| 1967 | Anastasia | Anastasia | TV movie |
| 1967–1968 | Tarzan | Charity Jones | 4 episodes |
| 1968 | Garrison's Gorillas | Therese Donet | episode: "Run from Death" |
| Run for Your Life | Lucrece Lawrence | episode: "The Rape of Lucrece" | |
| Daniel Boone | Faith | episode: "Faith's Way" | |
| Bonanza | Sarah Carter | episode: "A Dream to Dream" | |
| Journey to the Unknown | Leona Gillings | episode: "The Indian Spirit Guide" | |
| The Big Valley | Jennie Hall | episode: "A Stranger Everywhere" | |
| 1969–1970 | The Name of the Game | Verna Ward/Ruth 'Doc' Harmon | 2 episodes |
| 1970 | House on Greenapple Road | Leona Miller | TV movie |
| How Awful About Allan | Katherine | TV movie | |
| 1971 | The Virginian | Jenny | episode: "Wolf Track" |
| 1972 | Home for the Holidays | Elizabeth Hall Morgan | TV movie |
| 1973 | Thicker than Water | Nellie Paine | 9 episodes |
| Medical Center | Helen | episode: "The Guilty" | |
| Columbo | Karen Fielding | episode: "Any Old Port in a Storm" | |
| Hawkins | Janet Hubbard | episode: "Die, Darling, Die" | |
| The Evil Touch | Aunt Carrie/Jenny | 2 episodes | |
| 1974 | The Greatest Gift | Elizabeth Holvak | TV movie |
| 1975 | Long Way Home | TV movie | |
| The Family Holvak | 10 episodes | ||
| Match Game | Herself (panelist) | 6 total episodes (1 for syndication) | |
| 1976 | The Last of Mrs. Lincoln | Mary Todd Lincoln | TV movie |
| The Belle of Amherst | Emily Dickinson | TV movie | |
| 1978 | Stubby Pringle's Christmas | Georgia Henderson | TV movie |
| 1979 | Backstairs at the White House | Mrs. Helen 'Nellie' Taft | miniseries |
| Tales of the Unexpected | Mrs. Bixby/Mrs. Foster | 2 episodes | |
| The Gift | Anne Devlin | TV movie | |
| 1980–1987 | Knots Landing | Lilimae Clements | 165 episodes |
| 1986 | Annihilator | Girl | TV movie |
| Family Ties | Margaret | episode: "The Freshman and the Senior" | |
| 1987 | The Love Boat | Irene Culver | episode: "Who Killed Maxwell Thorn?" |
| 1988 | The Woman He Loved | Alice | TV movie |
| Too Good to Be True | Margaret Berent | TV movie | |
| The Christmas Wife | Iris | TV movie | |
| 1989 | Single Women Married Men | Lucille Frankyl | TV movie |
| 1990 | The Civil War | Mary Chestnut (voice) | miniseries; 9 episodes |
| 1993 | Vanished Without a Trace | Odessa Ray | TV movie |
| When Love Kills: The Seduction of John Hearn | Alice Hearn | TV movie | |
| 1994 | Scarlett | Eleanor Butler | miniseries |
| One Christmas | Sook | TV movie | |
| 1995 | Secrets | Caroline Phelan | TV movie |
| Lucifer's Child | Isak Dinesen | TV movie | |
| 1996 | Little Surprises | Ethel | TV short |
| The Christmas Tree | Sister Anthony | TV movie | |
| 1997 | Ellen Foster | Leonora Nelson | TV movie |
| 1998 | The Outer Limits | Hera | episode: "Lithia" |
| 1999 | Love Is Strange | Sylvia McClain | TV movie |
| Not for Ourselves Alone | Susan B. Anthony (voice) | TV documentary |
