By Julie Harris

"Soon after World War II, I was at Yale Drama School as a first year student. I managed to get the part of the oldest daughter in Goetz's IT'S A GIFT - on Broadway, no less! I was fired on the fifth day of rehearsal but then re-hired and the show did go on - but closed after six weeks! Nevertheless, I was so pleased to be earning $250 a week that I felt rich by the time the final curtain came down. I received my Equity card when I was cast in this play, and as they say, the rest is history."

Julie Harris is one of the most versatile stars on the American stage, having played everything from contemporary drama to classic tragedy to musical comedy during the course of her distinguished career.

she starred with James Dean in the classic "East of Eden," since that movie is a classic, too! An accomplished actor of stage, television and movies, she starred with James Dean in the classic "East of Eden," she became a household name with her portrayal of Lilimae Clements in "Knots Landing," and received five Tony Awards for her stage work, the most ever won by a performer.

Following her Broadway debut in IT'S A GIFT, Miss Harris appeared with the Old Vic Company during their memorable 1946 visit to New York in HENRY IV, PART II and OEDIPUS, and in a revival of THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD with Burgess Meredith. The next year she understudied Bambi Linn as Alice in ALICE IN WONDERLAND and appeared with Michael Redgrave as one of the weird sisters in Macbeth. With her appearance in SUNDOWN BEACH and THE YOUNG AND THE FAIR, Miss Harris established herself as one of Broadway's most promising young players, but is was as the lonely twelve-year-old, Frankie Adams, in THE MEMBER OF THE WEDDING that she first gained national attention, winning both the New York Drama Critics' Circle and Dondaldson Awards. A dazzling succession of colorful roles followed - each different and each memorable - the bohemian Sally Bowles, in I AM A CAMERA (for which she won her first Tony Award), the title role of MADEMOISELLE COLUMBE and Joan of Arc in THE LARK. Her performance in the latter won her five top acting awards, including a Tony, and prompted Smith College to bestow upon her an honorary Masters of Arts degree. She also received honorary doctorates from Ithaca College and Wayne State University. In her next Broadway plays, Miss Harris displayed an even wider range - THE COUNTRY WIFE, THE WARM PENNINSULA, LITTLE MOON OF ALBAN, A SHOT IN THE DARK, MARATHON '33, READY WHEN YOU ARE, C.B. and the musical SKYSCRAPER. SHe has, in addition, won laurels as Juliet at the Stratford, Ontario Shakespeare Festival and as Ophelia in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of HAMLET.

In 1976 Miss Harris scored a smash hit on Broadway in THE BELLE OF AMHERST with her portrayal of Emily Dickenson, America's most famous poet. The play, written by William Luce and directed by Charles Nelson Reilly, set box office records at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. as well as in Philadelphia and Boston. In June, 1977, at the Masters Theater in Dobbs Ferry, Miss Harris performed THE BELLE OF AMHERST for the benefit of Clear View.

Miss Harris appeared with Rex Harrison on Broadway in IN PRAISE OF LOVE. She starred in THE AU PAIR MAN at Lincoln Center and THE LAST OF MRS. LINCOLN on Broadway for which she won her fourth Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award. Prior to these performances, she appeared in AND MISS REARDON DRINKS A LITTLE and FORTY CARATS (which won her a third Tony).

Miss Harris has duplicated her Broadway triumphs in the films "The Member of the Wedding" and "I Am a Camera" and has since give distinguished performances in "East of Eden," "The Truth About Women," "Requiem for a Heavyweight," "Harper," "The People Next Door," "Reflections in a Golden Eye" and "The Hiding Place." Miss Harris has also been hailed for her glowing portrayals in many important dramas offered on television including: "The Lark," "Johnny Belinda," "Ethan Frome," "Little Moon of Alban," "A Doll's House," "The Power and the Glor," "Victoria Regina," "Pygmalion," and "Gorillas in the Mist."

Last year Actors' Equity President Patrick Quinn and Executive Director Alan Eisenberg petitioned the American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards Committee to recognize Julie Harris's accomplishments. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to her at the Tony Awards ceremony in June 2002.

Miss Harris, a native of Grosse Point, Michigan, trained for the stage at the Perry-Mansfield Theatre Workshop in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.