Rare Photos Of Julie Harris Are Exposing A Side The Public Hasn't Seen

As a five-time Tony winner and star of the big and small screens, Julie Harris was no stranger to international audiences. Yet, at the same time, few people really knew this acting legend. Between shining during her rookie days on Broadway, forming an unusual relationship with James Dean, and being honored as a national treasure, this stage and screen chameleon forged her place as a Hollywood marvel. 

Midwest Animals

Looking back on her success, Julie explained, "A lot of it, as it is in any job in life, is being in the right place at the right time." Julie Ann Harris was born on December 2, 1925, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. She was the daughter of Elsie Harris, a nurse, and William Pickett Harris, an investment banker and animal enthusiast. 

Sandwiched between Brothers

Julie had an older brother William, and a younger brother Richard. She was always stuck between the boys, but Julie already had plans to get out of their house and Michigan altogether. When she was a teenager, Julie trained at the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp in Colorado with someone named Charlotte Perry, a mentor and educator who saw great talent in Julie. 

Hitting the Road

At Charlotte’s suggestion, Julie applied to attend the Yale School of Drama. To her luck and surprise, Julie was quickly accepted, and off to New Haven she went! Yale taught Julie much of the technical skills she had lacked, but like many other successful peers, the young actress soon outgrew the institution and began looking outward.

Lee Strasberg

Around the same time, Polish-American actor and director Lee Strasberg was developing an acting method he would teach at the Actor’s Studio. Julie would be one of his first students. Many female peers struggled to learn Lee’s technique of method acting, but Julie knew it like the back of her hand with little effort. Soon she would be stage-ready.