Julie Wilson dies at 90; musical theater actress and cabaret star
Julie Wilson, a musical theater actress and cabaret star who earned a Tony Award nomination and was cheered for her ability to harness the songs of Stephen Sondheim and Cole Porter, has died. She was 90.
Wilson died Sunday in New York after having suffered two strokes over the last several days, said her friend Christopher Denny.
Wilson’s most famous stage role was the 1988 Peter Allen musical “Legs Diamond,” for which she earned a Tony Award nomination. Her other Broadway credits include “Park” in 1970 and “The Girl in the Freudian Slip” in 1967. She was also a replacement in the role of Babe Williams in the original run of “The Pajama Game.”
But it was as a singer — known for her interpretations of such songwriters as Sondheim, Kurt Weill, Jerome Kern and Porter — that made the biggest impressions, from recordings like “Julie Wilson Sings the Cy Coleman Songbook” to her live sets at the Oak Room in the Algonquin Hotel.
Wilson was born Oct 21, 1924, in Omaha and recorded several albums, including “My Old Flame,” “Live From the Russian Tea Room” and “Julie Wilson at the St. Regis.”
She is survived by her son, Holt McCallany, an actor, writer and producer.
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