Background
Wilson was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the daughter of Emily (née Bennett), a hairdresser, and Russell Wilson, a coal salesman.
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Julie Wilson
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Education
She first found a musical outlet with local musical group "Hank"s Hepcats" in her teenage years and briefly attended Omaha University.
Career
She headed to New York City during World World War II and found work in two of Manhattan"s leading nightclubs, the Latin Quarter and the Copacabana. Gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, in a 1948 newspaper column, referred to Wilson as "Kay Thompson"s discovery," adding that Wilson "is being tested by Arthur Freed at Metro."
She made her Broadway stage debut in the 1946 revue Three to Make Ready. In 1951, she moved to London to star in the West End production of Kiss Maine, Kate and remained there for four years, appearing in shows such as South Pacific and Bells Are Ringing while studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
She returned to New York to replace Joan Diener in Kismet.
She also toured in Show Boat, Panama Hattie, Silk Stockings, Follies, Company, and A Little Night Music. In 1957, Wilson sang with Ray Anthony and his Orchestra, contributing vocals to a number of songs in the soundtrack to the film This Could Be The Night.
Wilson also had an acting role in the film, as singer Ivy Corlane. Wilson"s television credits include regular roles on the American daytime soap opera The Secret Storm.
She also appeared in a Hallmark Hall of Fame telecast of Kiss Maine, Kate and numerous episodes of The Editor Sullivan Show.
Achievements
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She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1989 for her performance in Legs Diamond. She won the title of Mission Nebraska and would have competed in the Mission America pageant, until it was discovered that she was just under the required minimum age of 18. Additional Broadway credits include The Pajama Game (1954), Jimmy (1969), Park (1970), and Legs Diamond (1988), for which she received a Tony Award nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
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Born
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Died
April 5, 2015 (aged 90)