Who is Julia Duffy?
Julia Duffy is an American Primetime Emmy Award-nominated actress, perhaps best remembered as Stephanie Vanderkellen in the TV series “Newhart”, and as Candace Lishman in the TV series “Shameless” (2011-2013), in addition to many other popular roles that she’s secured so far in her career.
Where is Julia Duffy Today? What is She Doing?
Julia is now in her early 70s and still active as an actress. After appearing in the romantic comedy film “Christmas with the Campbells” in 2022, she is now working on the upcoming TV drama series “Mrs American Pie”, which will star Allison Janney, Kristen Wiig and Leslie Bibb.
Julia Duffy Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education
Julia Margaret Hinds was born on 27 June 1951 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, the youngest of four children born to Mary Duffy and Joseph Hinds. Her father died when she was just seven years old, following which Julia’s mother remarried, and worked as a real estate agent.
Julia became interested in acting at an early age, and started appearing in local stage productions at Minneapolis’s Old Log Theatre. After some time and appearances in critically acclaimed plays such as “The Girl in the Freudian Slip”, she moved to New York City, where she enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
She graduated in two years, and during this time worked as a waitress and hat-check girl to support herself.
Career Beginnings
Julia launched her career in the early ‘70s with roles in soap operas, including “Love of Life” in 1972, until in 1973 when she joined “The Doctors” as Penny Davis, subsequently appearing in more than 460 episodes through 1977. This helped her early career, and in 1980 she made her feature debut when she portrayed Mol in the award-winning sci-fi action-adventure film “Battle Beyond the Stars”, with George Peppard, Robert Vaughn,and Richard Thomas in the lead roles.
The following year, she was Julie Linden in the award-winning horror thriller-mystery film “Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker”, with Jimmy McNichol, Susan Tyrell and Bo Svenson starring, about a teenager and the relationship he has with his dominant aunt, who tries everything to keep him by her side.
Rise to Prominence
In 1983, Julia secured the role of her career as Stephanie Vanderkellen in the hit TV series “The Newhart”, which follows the misadventures of an author who becomes an innkeeper in rural Vermont. The series was created by Barry Kemp and Sheldon Bull, with Bob Newhart, Mary Frann and Tom Poston in the lead roles.
The series earned Julia critical acclaim, appearing in 163 episodes of the Primetime Emmy Award-winning series, missing just a few episodes while she was pregnant. She was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, and won three Q Awards in the category for Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series.
After “Newhart” ended in 1990, Julia continued her career in stunning fashion. She was Maggie Campbell in the TV comedy series “Baby Talk” (1991) and featured in the Primetime Emmy Award-winning comedy series “Designing Women”, which follows the story of four women and their entrepreneurial adventures as owners of the design firm in Atlanta, which starred Delta Burke, Dixie Carter and Annie Potts. She was Allison Sugarbaker, the unseen cousin of Burke and Dixie characters. The show experienced a resurgence in viewership, but she left the series after 23 episodes due to conflicting ideas in regard to her character with the producers and showrunners.
Next, Julia starred in the short-lived TV comedy series “The Mommies” from 1993 to 1995, then later in ’95 starred in the comedy film “Kidz in the Wood” . Before the decade ended, Julia appeared in the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated TV fantasy-comedy series “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”.
The 2000s
With the start of the new millennium, Julia’s career started slowing down. In the first half of the 2000s, she featured in a few series in minor roles, and as a guest star. Some of the titles include “Chicken Soup for the Soul” (2000), “Reba” (2001-2002), and in 2003 she featured in the romantic comedy film “Intolerable Cruelty”, with George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Billy Bob Thornton that follows the story of a beautiful gold digger and a Beverly Hills divorce lawyer, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.
Julia continued with minor roles in the second half of the decade, with roles in such TV series as “7th Heaven” (2006) and “Wizards of Waverly Place” (2008), among others.
Not much changed for her with the new decade. She co-starred in the romantic comedy film “Bed & Breakfast: Love is a Happy Accident”, which starred Dean Cain, Juliana Paes and Bill Engvall. From 2011 to 2013, she was Candace Lishman in the TV thriller crime series “Shameless”, and after a few other support roles, Julia was Bonnie in the comedy film “Grand-Daddy Day Care”, directed by Ron Oliver, starring Danny Trejo, Reno Wilson and Roxana Ortega.
Moreover, she appeared in the television movie “Christmas at the Plaza”, written and directed by Ron Oliver, and in 2021 she was Maxine Blackmore in the TV series “Black Monday”.
Stage Credits
In addition to her on-screen career, Julia has appeared in a few stage productions. She made her debut in 1978 as Susan Walker in the play “Once in a Lifetime” at Circle in the Square Theatre, New York, and years later, returned to the stage when she portrayed Birdie Hubbard in the play “The Little Foxes” in 2009, at the Pasadena Playhouse.
The following year, Julia starred in the play “Boom”, while in 2012, she was Aunt Lavinia in the eponymous play “The Heiress”, performed at Pasadena Playhouse. To speak further of her accomplishments in theater, she was Christina Drayton in the play “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” in 2014, performed at the Huntington Theatre, while in 2016, she was Miss Edwards in the play “Sex and Education” at the Laguna Playhouse.
Her latest on-stage appearance was in the play “Rancho Viejo”, in which she portrayed the character Patti at the off-Broadway Playwrights Horizons.
Net Worth
According to sources, Julia Duffy’s net worth has been estimated at $4 million as of late 2022, which she’s earned through her incredible career as an actress, during which she has appeared in more than 90 film and TV titles.
Personal Life, Dating, Married, Husband, Children
When it comes to her personal life, Julia has been married to actor Jerry Lacy since 1984; the couple met while working on the soap opera “Love of Life”. Two years after the wedding, she gave birth to their daughter, Kerry, and in 1989, the couple welcomed their second child, Daniel. Unfortunately, Daniel committed suicide in April 2019.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
Julia Duffy has blue eyes and blonde hair. She stands at a height of 5ft (1.52m) and weighs approximately 105lbs (47kgs), with vital statistics of 33-25-35, and bra size 38B.
