Jill O'Hara (born August 23, 1947) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 1969 for creating the role of Fran Kubelik in '' Promises, Promises'', a role made famous by

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...

in the movie the musical is based on, ''

The Apartment ''The Apartment'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond. It stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray, with Ray Walston and Edie ...

'' (1960).

Early life

Her father, John B. O'Hara, was a salesman, and her mother, Edith O'Hara (née Hopkins), was a journalist and drama teacher, who founded the storied

13th Street Repertory Theatre The Thirteenth Street Repertory Theatre (13th St Rep) is an off-off Broadway theater in New York City founded in 1972 by Edith O'Hara. It is home to the longest running play in Off-Off Broadway history, Israel Horovitz's '' Line'' which began its ...

in New York City. Edith ran it until her death in 2020. Her sister is actress

Jenny O'Hara Jenny O'Hara (born February 24, 1942) is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for Dixie in ''My Sister Sam'' (1986–1988), Janet Heffernan in ''The King of Queens'' (2001–2007), and Nita in ''Big Love'' (2006– ...

, and her singer/guitarist brother Jack O'Hara, grew up amid their mother's pursuit of a theatrical career. Edith O'Hara directed a children's theater in Warren, where the two daughters occasionally acted. Jill studied at the

HB Studio The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency prog ...

in Greenwich Village.Stephen Holde
"Very Private Jill O'Hara Once Again Goes Public"
nytimes.com, October 19, 1990; accessed November 17, 2014.

Career

O'Hara created the role of Sheila in the original Off-broadway production of ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...

'' in 1967. In 1971 she performed

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

's play ''

The Master Builder ''The Master Builder'' () is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's more significant and revealing works. Performance The play was published by Gyldendal AS in C ...

''. She was a member of the original Broadway cast of ''

George M! ''George M!'' is a Broadway musical based on the life of George M. Cohan, the biggest Broadway star of his day who was known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway." The book for the musical was written by Michael Stewart, John Pascal, and Franci ...

'' in 1968.Profile
broadwayworld.com; accessed November 17, 2014. In addition to her appearances on original cast albums, O'Hara has released albums of her own songs and recordings and has performed her own cabaret shows.Profile
allmusic.com; accessed November 17, 2014."Tony nominee Jill O'Hara performs from her CD at Barnes & Noble"
May 26, 2009, broadwayworld.com; accessed November 17, 2014.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohara, Jill 1947 births American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses Living people Actresses from Pennsylvania Singers from Pennsylvania People from Warren, Pennsylvania 21st-century American women