Julie Bovasso was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actress of stage, screen and television. She was born in Brooklyn, New York to an Italian-American family.

Career

Bovasso appeared in many films, including Saturday Night Fever

Saturday Night Fever

Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...

and
Moonstruck

Moonstruck

Moonstruck is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed by Norman Jewison. It stars Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Vincent Gardenia, and Olympia Dukakis....

, in which she played Italian-American matrons. She also appeared in a supporting role in Sidney Lumet

Sidney Lumet

Sidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...

's film The Verdict

The Verdict

The Verdict is a 1982 courtroom drama film which tells the story of a down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer who pushes a medical malpractice case in order to improve his own situation, but discovers along the way that he is doing the right thing. Since the lawsuit involves a woman in a persistent...

.

However, off-Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...

 she wrote and appeared in avant-garde material, such as Jean Genet

Jean Genet

Jean Genet was a prominent and controversial French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. Early in his life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but later took to writing...

's The Maids

The Maids

The Maids is a play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It was first performed at the Théâtre de l'Athénée in Paris in a production that opened on 17 April 1947, which Louis Jouvet directed...

, for which she won the very first Best Actress Obie (Off-Broadway) Award in the mid-1950s, which was presented to her by Shelley Winters

Shelley Winters

Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...

.

A sought-after acting coach, Bovasso was known as an exacting instructor and her private New York workshops regularly included prominent performers. She also was known as a writer, with her writing credits including Gloria and Esperanza.

In her earlier acting days, she played Rose Corelli Fraser in the short-lived soap opera, From These Roots

From These Roots

From These Roots is an American soap opera which ran from June 30, 1958 to December 29, 1961. It was created and written by Frank Provo and John Pickard . The show was seen on NBC, and was the first successful soap opera vehicle for Ann Flood who later became well known for, and spend the better...

. She was subsequently fired from that show, due to a disagreement with producers.

External links