Early Life and Career Beginnings
Julienne Marie Hendricks, popularly known as Julienne Marie, was born on March 21, 1937, in Toledo, Ohio. Her parents were John Hendricks, a chemist, and Ethel Gyurko. Her mother, a stage mother, pushed her to perform from a young age. She changed her name to Julienne Marie, using her first and middle names as her stage name, after dropping her last name. She moved with her family to New York, where she received voice training at the Juilliard School. During her school years, she took piano lessons and participated in local pageants.
Summary
Born: 1937 (age 85 years), Toledo, OH
Spouse: James Earl Jones (m. 1968–1972), John Scanlon (m. ?–2001)
Education: The Juilliard School
Parents: Ethel Gyurko, John Hendricks
Broadway Career
Marie’s Broadway debut was in the original production of The King and I as Yul Brynner’s youngest child bride. Her portrayal of a young Indian maiden in Whoop-Up in 1959 earned her the first Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She turned down a lead role in Lucille Ball’s Wildcat to step into the original production of Gypsy as Louise in 1960, succeeding Sandra Church. Julienne performed as Louise opposite Merman in 585 shows, earning praise from Gypsy Rose Lee herself.
In 1963, she won a Theatre World award for her work in the off-Broadway revival of The Boys from Syracuse. In 1964, she received her second Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her work in Foxy, starring Bert Lahr. In 1965, she starred alongside Elizabeth Allen in Do I Hear a Waltz?, which played 220 performances. Her final Broadway appearance came in 1980 in the musical Charlie and Algernon, which played only 17 performances. Later in the late 1980s, she performed in a cabaret act.
Television Career
Aside from her successful career on Broadway, Marie also appeared on soap operas such as Our Private World in 1965 and Ryan’s Hope in 1978.
Personal Life
Marie was married three times during her lifetime. She married writer Gerald Kean in 1955, but they divorced in 1961. She then married James Earl Jones in 1968, but they divorced in 1972 because of their busy work schedules and differences regarding having children. Her third marriage was to advertising executive John Scanlon in 1974. The couple remained married until Scanlon’s death in 2001 from a heart attack. They were patrons for the Ireland-based organization Concern Worldwide. After Scanlon’s death, Marie retired from show business and relocated from Manhattan to a small village in France. She established a career as a psychotherapist later in life.