Actress Julie Harris Dead at 87 – Starred in EAST OF EDEN and THE HAUNTING

She’s the first of the four leads of THE HAUNTING (1963) to pass away. Her Eleanor Lance in that film set the precedent for a certain type of delicate, frightened horror heroine. She was Oscar-nominated for MEMBER OF THE WEDDING in 1952 and played some intensely romantic scenes opposite James Dean in EAST OF EDEN in 1955. She starred with Paul Newman in HARPER in 1966 and did a ton of TV work, but it was her stage work for which Julie Harris is best known. The actress won five Tony Awards out of ten nominations, more than any other performer. At a White House ceremony in 2005, President George W. Bush remarked, “It’s hard to imagine the American stage without the face, the voice, and the limitless talent of Julie Harris. She has found happiness in her life’s work, and we thank her for sharing that happiness with the whole world.” Julie Harris died today of heart failure at age 87.

From The Washington Post

Julie Harris, 87, one of the great stage actresses of the last half-century who amassed five Tony awards and was renowned for her film work, died Aug. 24 at her home in West Chatham, Mass. The cause was reported by the Associated Press as congestive heart failure. In a career of durability, longevity and versatility, time and her own gifts transformed her from troubled tomboy to appealing ingenue to scheming older woman. Presidential wife Mary Todd Lincoln, poet Emily Dickinson and Shakespeare’s Ophelia were all portrayed by Julie Harris…..

Read the rest HERE

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/tony-winning-actress-julie-harris-dies-at-87/2013/08/24/b998bbc8-0d23-11e3-8974-f97ab3b3c677_story.html