Background
In 1887, she was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to parents Albert H. Sackett (also a Broadway actor) and Jeanette Elvira Sanderson Julia used her mother"s maiden name as her stage name. She was first managed within the family circle as a child and teenaged actor, with assistance from her Broadway-experienced father and her mother.
Career
She appeared in the Forepaugh Circus (based in Philadelphia) as a child. She then moved to Broadway, where she appeared in Jerome Kern musicals. She was a hit in England, but returned to the United States.
At the age of 18 she was in a show called "Brewster"s Millions".
She then played in the chorus of "Winsome Winnie" and as understudy to actress Mission Paula Edwardes. She was also considered for a part in a show called "The Motor Girl", considered appropriate because of her interest and ownership of the early automobile.
1906 continued to prove busy as she went into the part of Mistress Pineapple in "The Chinese Honeymoon".
After this she was retained to play Mataya in "Wang" with De Wolf Hopper.
Then she played a part in Fantana. She then had a cast part in "The Tourists" but resigned from the company in December 1906. She played in "The Dairymaids" opening in Atlantic City in August 1907, then at the Criterion Theatre New York and on tour in the 1907 season before going across to the United Kingdom, having been engaged by Charles Frohman.
After Crumit"s death, Sanderson retired from the stage, and returned to live in Springfield at the estate, Dunrovin.
She died in Springfield January 27, 1975, aged 87. The Julia Sanderson Theater was named after her in Springfield and is on the United States. National Register of Historic Places.