Julia Whelan
Encyclopedia
Julia May Whelan is an American
television actress. She is best known for her role as Grace Manning on the TV drama series Once and Again
(1999
-2002
), and her co-starring role in the 2002 Lifetime Television
movie, The Secret Life of Zoey
. A noted child actor
, Whelan first appeared on screen at the age of eleven, and continued to take television roles until her matriculation into Middlebury College
in 2004; Whelan graduated magna cum laude from Middlebury in 2008 after spending the 2006-7 academic year as a visiting student at Lincoln College, Oxford
.
Whelan returned to film
acting in November 2008 with a role in the fantasy
thriller Fading of the Cries.
on May 8, 1984. Her father was a firefighter and her mother a teacher. Whelan first acted in community theater at the age of five, and yearly trips to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
in Ashland, Oregon
deepened her interest in an acting career. At age ten she began acting lessons with actor/screenwriter Geof Prysirr. Prysirr developed a close professional and personal relationship with Whelan, eventually becoming her guardian. Prysirr began escorting Whelan on trips to Los Angeles
, where she soon found professional success.
Whelan moved to L.A. with Prysirr and his wife, Days of our Lives
actress Derya Ruggles, where the three took up residence in a two bedroom apartment so that Whelan could advance her career. Whelan quickly began to win television roles, first appearing on screen in an April 8, 1996 episode of the drama series Nowhere Man
.
Fifteen and Pregnant
as the younger sister of Kirsten Dunst
, who portrayed the movie's pregnant protagonist. In 1999 Whelan landed the role for which she is currently best known, playing insecure teenager Grace Manning on the family drama Once and Again
. The show cast Sela Ward
and Billy Campbell
as single parents trying to nurture a romance and eventually build a blended family together.
Once and Again was noted for the quality of its cast, particularly that of its younger cast members, who were noted for the sensitivity of their performances; the show featured them, giving them plot lines and screen time commensurate to the adult leads. Whelan, Meredith Deane
, Shane West
, and Evan Rachel Wood
played the children of Ward and Campbell, respectively; Mischa Barton
joined the show in its final season as Evan Rachel Wood's girlfriend. This lesbian storyline was dovetailed with an equally controversial plot involving Whelan's character in a doomed romance with her high school drama teacher "Mr. Dmitri", played by Eric Stoltz
. Whelan, Deane, and Wood were recognized for their performances in April 2001, winning that year's Young Artist Award
for Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Drama or Comedy); Whelan had been nominated on her own in March 2000 for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Supporting Young Actress.
After Once and Again wrapped up its three year run in 2002, Whelan moved on to other projects. She co-starred in the 2002 Lifetime Television
movie, The Secret Life of Zoey
, as a model student struggling with a prescription drug addiction
. Notable cast included co-star Mia Farrow
portraying her mother, and Andrew McCarthy
as her rehab
counselor. The movie was promoted alongside Lifetime TV rebroadcasts of Once and Again. Whelan continued to take television roles through 2004, when she enrolled in Middlebury College
.
Whelan spent the 2006-7 academic year as a visiting student at Lincoln College
, Oxford
. She returned to Middlebury for her senior year, graduating magna cum laude on May 25, 2008. Whelan earned highest departmental honors in English, and received the Henry B. Prickett English Prize for outstanding work in the English department.
, Hallee Hirsh
, Mackenzie Rosman
and Thomas Ian Nicholas
in the fantasy
thriller Fading of the Cries. The heavily special-effects-laden Brian Metcalf
feature is due to be released in 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television actress. She is best known for her role as Grace Manning on the TV drama series Once and Again
Once and Again
Once and Again is an American television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999 to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father...
(1999
1999 in television
The year 1999 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1999.For the American TV schedule, see: 1999-00 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:...
-2002
2002 in television
The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
), and her co-starring role in the 2002 Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
movie, The Secret Life of Zoey
The Secret Life of Zoey
The Secret Life of Zoey is a 2002 Lifetime TV drama starring Mia Farrow, Julia Whelan, and Cliff De Young. The movie follows the struggles of divorced parents, played by Farrow and De Young, as they attempt to save their seemingly perfect daughter from a secret addiction to prescription...
. A noted child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
, Whelan first appeared on screen at the age of eleven, and continued to take television roles until her matriculation into Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
in 2004; Whelan graduated magna cum laude from Middlebury in 2008 after spending the 2006-7 academic year as a visiting student at Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
.
Whelan returned to film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
acting in November 2008 with a role in the fantasy
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
thriller Fading of the Cries.
Early life
Julia May Whelan was born in OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
on May 8, 1984. Her father was a firefighter and her mother a teacher. Whelan first acted in community theater at the age of five, and yearly trips to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is a regional repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States. The festival annually produces eleven plays on three stages during a season that lasts from February to October...
in Ashland, Oregon
Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...
deepened her interest in an acting career. At age ten she began acting lessons with actor/screenwriter Geof Prysirr. Prysirr developed a close professional and personal relationship with Whelan, eventually becoming her guardian. Prysirr began escorting Whelan on trips to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where she soon found professional success.
Whelan moved to L.A. with Prysirr and his wife, Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
actress Derya Ruggles, where the three took up residence in a two bedroom apartment so that Whelan could advance her career. Whelan quickly began to win television roles, first appearing on screen in an April 8, 1996 episode of the drama series Nowhere Man
Nowhere Man (TV series)
Nowhere Man is an American television series that aired from 1995 to 1996 starring Bruce Greenwood. Created by Lawrence Hertzog, the series aired Monday nights on UPN. Despite critical acclaim, including TV Guides label of "The season's coolest hit," the show was cancelled after only one...
.
Early acting career
Whelan was first introduced to a broader audience in the 1998 TV movieTelevision movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
Fifteen and Pregnant
Fifteen and Pregnant
Fifteen and Pregnant is a 1998 made-for-television drama starring Kirsten Dunst, Park Overall and David Andrews. Based on a true story, Dunst portrays a 15-year-old pregnant girl, who has to deal with giving birth before driving a car.-Plot:...
as the younger sister of Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, singer and model. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories...
, who portrayed the movie's pregnant protagonist. In 1999 Whelan landed the role for which she is currently best known, playing insecure teenager Grace Manning on the family drama Once and Again
Once and Again
Once and Again is an American television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999 to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father...
. The show cast Sela Ward
Sela Ward
Sela Ann Ward is an American movie and television actress, perhaps best known for her television roles as Teddy Reed on the American TV series Sisters and as Lily Manning on Once and Again...
and Billy Campbell
Billy Campbell
William Oliver "Billy" Campbell is an American film and television actor. In television, he is best known for his roles as Rick Sammler on Once and Again, as Det. Joey Indelli on Crime Story, as Jordan Collier on The 4400, and as Dr. Jon Fielding on the Tales of the City Miniseries...
as single parents trying to nurture a romance and eventually build a blended family together.
Once and Again was noted for the quality of its cast, particularly that of its younger cast members, who were noted for the sensitivity of their performances; the show featured them, giving them plot lines and screen time commensurate to the adult leads. Whelan, Meredith Deane
Meredith Deane
Meredith Deane is an American child actress most known for her role as Zoe Manning in the TV show Once and Again. She recently starred in the Law & Order episode "Profiteer" as Ashlee....
, Shane West
Shane West
Shane West is an American actor, musician and songwriter. West is best known for portraying Eli Sammler in Once and Again, Landon Carter with Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember, Darby Crash in What We Do Is Secret, and Dr...
, and Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
played the children of Ward and Campbell, respectively; Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
joined the show in its final season as Evan Rachel Wood's girlfriend. This lesbian storyline was dovetailed with an equally controversial plot involving Whelan's character in a doomed romance with her high school drama teacher "Mr. Dmitri", played by Eric Stoltz
Eric Stoltz
Eric Hamilton Stoltz is an American actor, director and producer. He is widely known for playing the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film Mask, which earned him the nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture...
. Whelan, Deane, and Wood were recognized for their performances in April 2001, winning that year's Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
for Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Drama or Comedy); Whelan had been nominated on her own in March 2000 for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Supporting Young Actress.
After Once and Again wrapped up its three year run in 2002, Whelan moved on to other projects. She co-starred in the 2002 Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
movie, The Secret Life of Zoey
The Secret Life of Zoey
The Secret Life of Zoey is a 2002 Lifetime TV drama starring Mia Farrow, Julia Whelan, and Cliff De Young. The movie follows the struggles of divorced parents, played by Farrow and De Young, as they attempt to save their seemingly perfect daughter from a secret addiction to prescription...
, as a model student struggling with a prescription drug addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
. Notable cast included co-star Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow is an American actress, singer, humanitarian, and fashion model.Farrow first gained wide acclaim for her role as Allison Mackenzie in the soap opera Peyton Place, and for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra...
portraying her mother, and Andrew McCarthy
Andrew McCarthy
Andrew Thomas McCarthy is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the 1980s films St. Elmo's Fire, Mannequin, Weekend at Bernie's, Pretty in Pink, and Less Than Zero, and more recently for his role in the television shows Lipstick Jungle, White Collar and Royal Pains.-Career:McCarthy...
as her rehab
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
counselor. The movie was promoted alongside Lifetime TV rebroadcasts of Once and Again. Whelan continued to take television roles through 2004, when she enrolled in Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
.
Whelan spent the 2006-7 academic year as a visiting student at Lincoln College
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. She returned to Middlebury for her senior year, graduating magna cum laude on May 25, 2008. Whelan earned highest departmental honors in English, and received the Henry B. Prickett English Prize for outstanding work in the English department.
Subsequent career
Whelan returned to film acting in November 2008, playing alongside Brad DourifBrad Dourif
Bradford Claude "Brad" Dourif is an American film and television actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and has since appeared in a number of memorable roles, including the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise, Younger Brother in...
, Hallee Hirsh
Hallee Hirsh
Hallee Leah Hirsh is an American actress known for her roles as Daley in the children's series Flight 29 Down and as the second actress to portray Rachel Greene on ER...
, Mackenzie Rosman
Mackenzie Rosman
Mackenzie Lyn Rosman is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her television role as Ruthie Camden on The WB/The CW's longest-running show 7th Heaven.- Personal life :Rosman was born in Charleston, South Carolina....
and Thomas Ian Nicholas
Thomas Ian Nicholas
Thomas Ian Nicholas is an American film actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and writer. Nicholas is best known for playing Henry Rowengartner in Rookie of the Year and Kevin Myers in the American Pie film series....
in the fantasy
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
thriller Fading of the Cries. The heavily special-effects-laden Brian Metcalf
Brian Metcalf
-Biography:He attended the Joe Kubert School of Art located in Dover, New Jersey, working as a traditional artist, creative director, photographer, visual effects artist and supervisor working on numerous projects and features and worked for studios such as Sony Pictures Entertainment and was the...
feature is due to be released in 2010.
Filmography
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1996 1996 in television The year 1996 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1996.For the American TV schedule, see: 1996-97 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:... |
Nowhere Man Nowhere Man (TV series) Nowhere Man is an American television series that aired from 1995 to 1996 starring Bruce Greenwood. Created by Lawrence Hertzog, the series aired Monday nights on UPN. Despite critical acclaim, including TV Guides label of "The season's coolest hit," the show was cancelled after only one... |
Young Laura | Episode: Through a Lens Darkly |
| Christmas Every Day Christmas Every Day Christmas Every Day is a 1996 American television movie, directed by Larry Peerce, starring Erik von Detten, and originally broadcast on The Family Channel during their first 25 Days of Christmas programming block... |
Cousin Jacey Jackson | TV-Movie Television movie A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to... |
|
| 1998 1998 in television The year 1998 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1998.For the American TV schedule, see: 1998–99 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:... |
Fifteen and Pregnant Fifteen and Pregnant Fifteen and Pregnant is a 1998 made-for-television drama starring Kirsten Dunst, Park Overall and David Andrews. Based on a true story, Dunst portrays a 15-year-old pregnant girl, who has to deal with giving birth before driving a car.-Plot:... |
Rachel Spangler | TV-Movie Television movie A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to... |
| Promised Land | Mazie Andrus | Episode: On My Honor | |
| ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television... |
Laura | Episode: The Miracle Worker | |
| 1999 1999 in television The year 1999 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1999.For the American TV schedule, see: 1999-00 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:... –2002 2002 in television The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:... |
Once and Again Once and Again Once and Again is an American television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999 to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father... |
Grace Manning | 59 Episodes |
| 2002 2002 in television The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:... |
The Secret Life of Zoey The Secret Life of Zoey The Secret Life of Zoey is a 2002 Lifetime TV drama starring Mia Farrow, Julia Whelan, and Cliff De Young. The movie follows the struggles of divorced parents, played by Farrow and De Young, as they attempt to save their seemingly perfect daughter from a secret addiction to prescription... |
Zoey Carter | Lifetime Lifetime Television Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks... TV-Movie Television movie A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to... |
| 2004 2004 in television The year 2004 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2004.For the American TV schedule, see: 2004–05 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:... |
Dr. Vegas Dr. Vegas Dr. Vegas is a television drama starring Rob Lowe and Joe Pantoliano that ran on CBS in 2004. It aired in Ireland on TG4, and on Challenge in the UK as part of its "Player" gambling strand. In Slovakia, Markíza began airing the show on February 20, 2008.... |
Claire | Episode: Advantage Play |
| Clubhouse | Maggie Archer | Episode: Spectator Interference | |
| 2010 | Fading of the Cries Fading of the Cries Fading of the Cries is an American fantasy film written and directed by Brian Metcalf, produced by Brian Metcalf, Karoline Kautz and Thomas Ian Nicholas.-Plot:The story tells of a young man who defends his town from evil forces, aided by a magic sword... |
Emily | post-production |
External links
- Prominent unofficial Julia Whelan website -- multimedia, links, biography
- Description of character "Grace Manning" at www.oandafans.com
- Photos of Whelan as "Grace Manning"
- TV Guide profile of Julia Whelan, linked at www.angelfire.com/tv/onceagain
- http://www.cinemotions.net/data/films/0216/81/2/photo-La-Vie-secrete-de-Zoe-The-Secret-Life-of-Zoey-2002-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.celebrityseek.net/julia-whelan/2470/summary.html&usg=__pSDF7ZJ8y73kNlYjHr2jnTT_LSU=&h=297&w=283&sz=13&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=DWF-WWGL5uX1VM:&tbnh=116&tbnw=111&prev=/images%3Fq%3DJulia%2Bwhelan%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rlz%3D1T4ADBF_en-GBGB229GB229%26sa%3DXJulia Whelan Photos and Videos]
- Online description of Fading of the Cries
