Ann Jillian

For Jillian's eponymous television series, seeAnn Jillian (TV series).

Ann Jillian
Jillian at the 1988Emmy Awards
Born	Ann Jura Nauseda (1950-01-29)January 29, 1950 Cambridge, Massachusetts,U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actress, singer
Years active	1960–2000
Known for	Babes in Toyland It's a Living Mae West Gypsy The Ann Jillian Story
Spouse	Andrew L. Murcia ​ (m.1978)​
Children	1

Ann Jillian(bornAnn Jura Nauseda;January 29, 1950)is a retired American actress and singer whose career began as achild actressin 1960. She is best known for her role as the sultry Cassie Cranston on the 1980s sitcomIt's a Living.

Early life and career

Jillian and Mickey Rooney inSugar Babies,1979

Jillian was born inCambridge, Massachusetts,in 1950 toLithuanianimmigrant parents Juozas and Margarita Nausėda (later George and Margaret Nauseda)and speaksLithuanianfluently. Jillian was raised as a devoutRoman Catholic.

She began her career as a child actress in 1960 when she played Little Bo Peep in theDisneyfilmBabes in Toyland.Jillian appeared as Dainty June in theRosalind Russell-Natalie Woodmovie version ofGypsy(1962). She had several television appearances in the 1960s and 1970s, becoming a regular on the 1960ssitcomHazel(1965-66 season) and appearing in the 1963Twilight Zoneepisode "Mute"(where she was given screen credit as" Ann Jilliann ") as the mute telepath Ilse Nielson. In 1983, Jillian was honored by theYoung Artist Foundationwith itsFormer Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award,recognizing her achievements within the entertainment industry as a child actress.

Jillian moved on tovoice roles,forScooby-Doo, Where Are You!andSealab 2020in the early 1970s, but — told she was too old to play youthful roles of the day and too young to play a leading lady — there was no more work for her in Hollywood. She took a department store job and studied psychology, but heeded the advice of casting director Hoyt Bowers andWalt Disney,who had told her, "Whatever you do, keep working at your craft".

Jillian married Andy Murcia, a Chicago police sergeant, on March 27, 1978,and shortly thereafter Murcia retired to manage his wife's career.

In the late 1970s, she toured in musical comedies, includingSammy Cahn'sWords and Music.After appearing withMickey Rooneyin the playGoodnight Ladiesin Chicago, the producers cast Jillian to appear in the original company ofSugar BabiesonBroadwaywith Rooney andAnn Millerin 1979.She also starred inI Love My Wifeat theDrury Lane Theatrein Chicago.

1980s fame

Jillian appeared in more than 25 films, mostly for television. Though she had nearly two decades' worth of film and television credits already, she first came to national prominence in the 1980s' seriesIt's a Living,a sitcom that elevated Jillian tosex symbolstatus in 1980. She was the last to be signed onto this series and received last place billing. The sitcom aired for two seasons onABCbefore being cancelled due to low ratings and was sold into syndication for the burgeoningcable televisionmarket. (The show became a surprise success in syndication.) Toward the end of her time on the series for the ABC run, she portrayedMae Westin a1982 made-for-television film.Jillian was nominated for a lead actress Emmy and Golden Globe for her performance.

In 1983, she appeared in theJohn HughesmovieMr. MomwithMichael KeatonandTeri Garr.The same year, she appeared in the miniseriesMalibu,starringKim Novak,Eva Marie SaintandJames Coburn.That fall she starred in her own sitcom,Jennifer Slept Here,a variation onThe Ghost & Mrs. Muir,with Jillian as the apparition in question.Jennifer Slept Hereended in 1984, enabling her to take a role in the miniseriesEllis Island.Dunaway and Vereen were nominated for Golden Globe Awards, and Jillian and Burton were nominated for Emmy Awards.

Ann Jillian in Philadelphia, 1984

Bob Hopeselected her to appear in six of his television specials, including two, entertaining U.S. troops stationed in Beirut (1984) and Saudi Arabia (1991). She displayed her athletic abilities on threeBattle of the Network Starsspecials and aCircus of the Starsspecial, and appeared in the charity extravaganzaNight of 100 Stars.She guest starred in television specials forDon Rickles(1986) andDavid Copperfield(1987) and was on the dais atThe Dean Martin Celebrity RoastforMr. T(1984). In 1985, she playedThe Red QueentoCarol Channing'sWhite Queenin an all-star television musical adaptation ofLewis Carroll'sAlice in Wonderland.The same year, the producers ofIt's a Livingmade the relatively unheard-of decision to resume production of the series, by then three years off the air, forfirst-run syndication,and Jillian was contractually obligated to return to the series. She later starred on the namesake seriesAnn Jillian,which aired 13 episodes on NBC during the 1989–90 season. In 1994, she played the mother of an unborn child with a heart defect inHeart of a Child.

Personal life

Family and later work

Jillian gave birth to her only child, a son, Andrew Joseph Murcia, in 1992. She continued to act, with ten TV movie roles throughout the 1990s, although her television and film credits became sporadic since the late 1990s, as she decided to devote herself to raising her son and to promoting breast cancer issues.

On September 12, 2015, Jillian was inducted into the National Lithuanian American Hall of Fame.

Cancer

Before resuming production onIt's a Livingin 1985, Jillian (then 35) made headlines when she was diagnosed withbreast cancer,and she became a vocal advocate for cancer research and prevention. LeavingIt's a Livingafter the 1985–86 season, she focused on beating her cancer, with treatment including a doublemastectomy.Her battle with cancer was chronicled in the top-rated made-for-TV film,The Ann Jillian Story(1988),in which Jillian portrayed herself. The film required two years to be produced, due to conflicts in tone, the degree of medical information included, and the relatively limited, realistic reaction portrayed by Jillian and her stage husband, before and after her surgery.Jillian received her thirdEmmy Awardnomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special, and won a 1989Golden Globe Awardfor Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV.

Filmography

Film and television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1960	Leave It to Beaver	Little Girl	Episode: "Wally, the Businessman"
1960	Shirley Temple's Storybook	Little Girl	Episode: "Madeline"
1961	Babes in Toyland	Bo Peep
1962	Insight	Maria Goretti	Episode: "The Killer"
1962	Wagon Train	Sandra Carlson	Episode: "The Hobie Redman Story"
1962	Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color	Portia "Rocky" Sylvester	Episode: "Sammy, the Way-Out Seal"
1962	Gypsy	Dainty June / June Havoc
1963	Twilight Zone	Ilse Nielsen	Episode: "Mute"
1963–1966	Hazel	Laurie / Millie	12 episodes
1964	My Three Sons	Debbie Rogers	Episode: "The Ballad of Lissa Stratmeyer"
1971	The Partridge Family	Second Girl	Episode: "Days of Acne and Roses"
1972	The New Scooby-Doo Movies	Unknown	Voice; 3 episodes
1972	Sealab 2020	Gail Adams	Voice; 13 episodes
1974	Kojak	Joanna	Episode: "Die Before They Wake"
1980	The Love Boat	Rena Ward	2 episodes
1980–1986	It's a Living	Cassie Cranston	49 episodes
1986	Killer in the Mirror	Samantha DeLorca / Karen Edwards
1981	Fantasy Island	Delphine McNab	Episode: "Delphine/The Unkillable"
1982	Mae West	Mae West	Television movie Nominated –Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
1983	Girls of the White Orchid	Marilyn	Television movie; alternative titleDeath Ride to Osaka
1983	Mr. Mom	Joan
1983	Fantasy	singing duet w/ Clint Holmes "Friends In Love"	NBC game show - Daytime Emmy Award for co-host Leslie Uggams 1983 - Peter Marshall co-host
1983–1984	Jennifer Slept Here	Jennifer Farrell	13 episodes
1984	Ellis Island	Nellie Byfield	Television movie Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
1985	Alice in Wonderland	Red Queen	Television movie
1987	Perry Mason: The Case of the Murdered Madam	Suzanne Domenico	Television movie
1988	The Ann Jillian Story	Herself	Television movie Won –Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
1989	Little White Lies	Detective Liz Donaldson	Television movie
1989–1990	Ann Jillian	Ann McNeil	13 episodes
1993	Labor of Love: The Arlette Schweitzer Story	Arlette Schweitzer	Television movie
1996	Our Son, the Matchmaker	Julie Longwell	Television movie
1997	I'll Be Home for Christmas	Sarah	Television movie
1999	Touched by an Angel	Liz	Episode: "The Whole Truth and Nothing But..."
2000	Walker, Texas Ranger	Senator Angela Rhodes	Episode: "Winds of Change"

See also

• List of people from Massachusetts

External links

• Official website
• Ann JillianatIMDb
• Ann Jillianat theInternet Broadway Database
• Ann Jillianat theTCM Movie Database
• Ann JillianatAllMovie