Person of the Week: Julie Harris

Her distinctive voice, enormous talent and expressive eyes earned Julie Harris a permanent place in the pantheon of great Hollywood stars. Considered one of the finest actresses of her generation, Miss Harris has earned five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards, a Grammy, an Academy Award Nomination, and a National Medal of Arts among many other honors.

Born Julia Ann Harris in 1925, she had great success on the Broadway stage in the 1950’s. Her much lauded performance in Member of the Wedding was repeated for the silver screen in 1952. Her performance marked her film debut and also earned her an Academy Award nomination for “Best Actress.” Also in 1952, Harris created the role of Sally Bowles in I am a Camera—the play upon which the musical Cabaret is based.

In 1955, Harris played Abra in East of Eden. She became fast friends with her co-star James Dean. Her performance in the film as the young woman torn between two brothers is mesmerizing. Harris also starred with Jack Palance in Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) and with Paul Newman in Harper (1966). In 1967, she teamed with Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando (replacing Montgomery Clift who died before principle photography), and Brian Keith in the controversial film, Reflections in a Golden Eye. Throughout this period, she continued her stage work and was one of the brightest lights on Broadway.

Miss Harris is probably best known for her work in Robert Wise’s 1963 screen adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s novel, The Haunting of Hill House—shortened to just The Haunting for the screen. In The Haunting, Harris plays Eleanor Vance, a neurotic young woman who is more spirit than substance. Her performance radiates sadness and confusion as Eleanor falls deeper into the spell of Hill House. In a film devoid of gory ghouls and monsters, Harris creates a true sense of terror simply through her honest performance.

Throughout the following four decades, Harris continued her stellar work on the stage and also lent her talents to television. Now, after surviving cancer and a stroke, Miss Harris continues to work doing voice over work for documentaries and other programs. With her outstanding body of work and enormous talent, Julie Harris is our “Person of the Week.”

Here's Julie Harris in scenes from East of Eden with James Dean.