Julie London

Biography

Julie London was born Julie Peck on September 26, 1926 in Santa Rosa, California. She was an actress and sultry singer who starred in a number of movies in the 1940s and 1950s before beginning a popular singing career, but is probably best remembered for her role as Nurse Dixie McCall on Emergency! (1972) in the 1970s. Known for her wonderful sex appeal throughout her career, even well up into her late 40s, she had a career most people can only dream of. Julie started out by playing small roles in the early 1940s and quickly became a leading actress and G.I. pin-up girl. In 1947, she married actor Jack Webb prior to his fame on Dragnet (1951), and went into semi-retirement, doing few films and even taking a break between 1951 and 1955. After she and Jack divorced in the mid-1950s, she became a jazz/pop singer, managed and groomed by jazz musician/actor Bobby Troup who became her second husband in 1959 and later, partner on the small screen. When former husband Jack Webb became the producer of Emergency! (1972), he hired not only Julie but her then-husband, Bobby, and they starred together in her most recognizable role. Many people also remember Julie and Bobby's appearances together in the 1970s on the television game show featuring Hollywood married couples, Tattletales (1974) with host Bert Convy. She was most popular as a singer in the late 1950s, when she set aside her full-time film career to concentrate on her singing career. Over 40 albums were released, and her vocal style was endeared by many core fans. Her last recording was an excellent cover of the classic tune "My Funny Valentine" on the soundtrack to the Burt Reynolds neo-noir detective film Sharky's Machine (1981). After suffering a stroke in 1995, her health began to deteriorate. In 1999, husband Bobby died, and her own passing followed later on October 18, 2000. She left a legacy of a satisfying screen career and a great deal of wonderful music that will live forever. Julie had two daughters with Jack Webb and a daughter and twin sons with Bobby Troup.