June Angela Profanato (born August 18, 1959) is an American
actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...
,
singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
, and
dancer
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...
. Her best-known role is that of Julie, the mainstay member of the Short Circus band that was featured in the
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
children's television series ''
The Electric Company
''The Electric Company'' is an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as Sesame Workshop). It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. The ...
'' during its entire six-year run.
Early years
Working since age 5, she considered her American-Asian self, half culturally inhibited and reserved, and the other half brazenly bold with a New York state of mind as an East Coaster. In the attempt to straighten out her pigeon-toed feet, she was first-assigned to ballet lessons by her supportive parents. Plowing a trail beyond her early beginnings of ballet, jazz and tap, she always knew what she wanted to do. However, her parents had rules. There was no room to be a show biz brat or she would be out. She also had to do well with her school work. She adhered to household parameters and graduated from SUNY Empire State College at the age of 18.
There were no Asian-American role models specific to her being initially inspired to map out a plan. She, as a young child was the live version of the Jan Doll in a commercial of the
emco
EMCO or Emco may refer to:
* Emco, a manufacturing company and maker of Unimat
The Unimat was a series of combination machines sold for light hobbyist engineering, such as model engineering. They were distinctive as the same major components cou ...
Asian toy, who would raise her hand to wave hi. She didn’t think so much at that age about representing Asian girls as she entered the field. She focused on what was in front of her. With determination to endure in the industry by simply doing what she loved, she pushed herself forward at the beginning of her career. However, it was her heart, dedication and the hard work which she had applied to her show business craft that had her juggling a very busy and full life before becoming an adult.
''The Short Circus''
As Julie, Angela grew up on ''The Electric Company''. She was awarded an Emmy of Honor for her work on the series.
[June Angela - the official homepage](_blank)
/ref> Angela sang on the Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
-winning 1971 soundtrack album of ''The Electric Company'' as well. Angela said she named her Short Circus character Julie after her idol at the time, Julie Andrews
Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...
.
Career highlights
When ''The Electric Company'' began wrapping production, Angela became a regular on the first Asian American TV comedy series ''Mr. T and Tina
''Mr. T and Tina'' is an American sitcom and a spin-off of ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' starring Pat Morita and Susan Blanchard that aired for five episodes on ABC from September 25 to October 30, 1976. It is one of the first television shows to fe ...
'' (ABC) where she and her brother played Pat Morita
Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his roles as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on ''Happy Days'', Mr. Miyagi in ''The Karate Kid'' film series, Captain Sam Pak on the sitco ...
's children. Numerous works in theater and television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
followed. Most notably she was nominated for Broadway's Tony
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
and Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
as Best Leading Actress in a Musical for '' Shogun: The Musical''. In 2017, she starred opposite Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover (; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. He also had leading roles in his films include ...
as his wife in the two-character play ''Yohen'' at East West Players in Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and currently recurs as Madame Xing, Jessica’s psychic on the ABC TV series ''Fresh Off the Boat
The phrase fresh off the boat ''(FOB)'', off the boat ''(OTB)'', are sometimes-derogatory terms used to describe immigrants who have arrived from a foreign nation and have yet to assimilate into the host nation's culture, language, and behavior ...
''.
She co-starred as Tuptim with Yul Brynner
Yuliy Borisovich Briner (russian: link=no, Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the ...
in the Broadway & London Palladium Revival of ''The King and I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...
'' and starred in many world premieres including ''Sayonara'' and Off-Broadway's ''Cambodia Agonistes'' at Pan Asian Repertory Theatre. For Velina Hasu Houston's ''Tea'', she won a Theater Guild Award for Best Lead Actress. Additionally, on television, she starred alongside Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nomin ...
and Pat Morita, once again, in a TV drama, '' Blind Alleys'' written by David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang (born August 11, 1957) is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays '' FOB'', '' Golden Child'', and '' Yell ...
and Frederic Kimball.
She then went to Kyoto to film the TV movie ''American Geisha'' (CBS), which was based on the autobiographical book by Liza Dalby.
Other TV roles include recurring on ''Mad TV
''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentiet ...
'', starring in ''Nightingale'', '' ER'', '' Step By Step'', ''Hannah Montana
''Hannah Montana'' is an American teen sitcom created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll and Barry O'Brien that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between March2006 and January2011. The series centers on Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), a ...
'' and '' Dexter''. She was also featured on the Emmy Award-winning special ''Free to be You and Me'', which starred numerous luminaries. Her voice work includes the Emmy Award-winning series ''The Big Blue Marble
''Big Blue Marble'' is a half-hour children's television program that was aired from 1974 to 1983 in syndication including on PBS television stations.
Overview
Distinctive content included stories about children around the world and a pen-pal ...
'' Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
's ''The Wild Thornberrys
''The Wild Thornberrys'' is an American animated series, animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, Steve Pepoon, David Silverman (animator), David Silverman, and Stephen Sustarsic for Nickelodeon. The series portrays a ...
'', ''Danny Phantom
''Danny Phantom'' is an American animated superhero action adventure television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. The series follows Danny Fenton, a teenage boy who, after an accident with an unpredictable portal between the human ...
'' and Walt Disney Studios' English dub of the acclaimed Hayao Miyazaki animated film ''Kiki's Delivery Service
is a 1989 Japanese Anime, animated fantasy film written, produced, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, adapted from the Kiki's Delivery Service (novel), 1985 novel by Eiko Kadono. It was animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Yamato Transpor ...
'' for which she did voices and is also co-writer of "Soaring", the main title song.
Angela holds the distinction of making the youngest solo soprano debut at age 10 as Flora in Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...
's ''The Turn of the Screw'' with the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center. Later, Angela's solo album, released on Original Cast Records, features a full orchestra on songs from shows she has done, which includes a medley from ''The Electric Company'' and several jazz numbers.
Angela was interviewed for the 2006 DVD release of ''The Best of The Electric Company''. She was one of several ''Electric Company'' alumni (along with Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...
and Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Noted for her work across different areas of the entertainment industry, she has appeared in numerous film, television, and thea ...
and Children's Television Workshop
Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—including its first and best-know ...
founder Joan Ganz Cooney
Joan Ganz Cooney (born Joan Ganz; November 30, 1929) is an American television writer and producer. She is one of the founders of Sesame Workshop (formerly ''Children's Television Workshop'' or CTW), the organization famous for the creation of ...
) who shared their memories of working on the show.
Angela was levitated atop the World Trade Center
World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association.
World Trade Center may refer to:
Buildings
* List of World Trade Centers
* World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
by Doug Henning in the "highest levitation in the world". In June 1976, the photo was featured on the cover of ''The Electric Company Magazine.''
She has recorded over 40 audiobook titles using different character voices primarily for children on Audible
Audible may refer to:
* Audible (service), an online audiobook store
* Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks
* ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player
* Audible finish or rush ...
.
References
[https://mixedasianmedia.com/june-angelas-maverick-performance-legacy-links-to-an-inspiring-historic-trail ^Kumagai, Stephanie (March 18, 2022) "June Angela's Maverick Performance Legacy Links to an Inspiring Historic Trail in Vital Representation"]
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angela, June
1959 births
Living people
American child actresses
American musical theatre actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
American child singers
American voice actresses
American tap dancers
American women singers
American singers of Asian descent
American actresses of Japanese descent
Singers from New York City
21st-century American actresses