Jill O'Hara | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Parents |
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Jill O'Hara is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Tony Award 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 in the movie the musical is based on, The Apartment (1960).
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 13th Street Repertory Theatre in New York City. [1] [2] Edith ran it until her death in 2020. Her sister is actress Jenny O'Hara, 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 in Greenwich Village. [3]
O'Hara created the role of Sheila in the original Off-broadway production of Hair in 1967. In 1971 she performed off-Broadway in Henrik Ibsen's play The Master Builder . She was a member of the original Broadway cast of George M! in 1968. [4]
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. [5] [6]