Julie London was an actress & sultry singer who starred in a number of movies in the 1940s & '50s before beginning a popular singing career, but is probably best remembered for her role as Nurse Dixie McCall on "Emergency!" (1972) in the '70s. Known for her wonderful sex appeal throughout her career, even well up into her late 40s, she had a career most people can only dream of. Julie started out by playing small parts in the early 1940s and quickly became a leading actress and G.I. pin-up girl. In 1947, she married actor Jack Webb prior to his fame in "Dragnet" (1951), and went into semi-retirement, doing few films and even taking a break between 1951 - 1955. After she and Jack divorced in the mid-'50s, she became a jazz/pop singer, managed and groomed by jazz musician/actor Bobby Troup who became her second husband in 1959 and later, partner on the small screen. Ironically, when former hubby Jack Webb became the producer of "Emergency!" (1972), he hired not only Julie but her then-husband, Bobby, and they starred together in her most recognizable role. Many people also remember Julie and Bobby's appearances together in the '70s on the TV game show featuring Hollywood married couples, "Tattletales" (1974) with host Bert Convy . She was most popular as a singer was in the late '50s, when she set aside her full-time film career to concentrate on her singing career. Over 40 albums were released, and her vocal style was endeared by many core fans. Her last recording was an excellent cover of the classic tune "My Funny Valentine" on the soundtrack to the Burt Reynolds neo-noir detective flick Sharky's Machine (1981). After suffering a stroke in 1995, her health began to deteriorate. In 1999, husband Bobby died, and her own passing followed later in October 2000. She left a legacy of a satisfying screen career and a lot of wonderful music that will live forever. Julie had two daughters with Jack Webb and a daughter and twin sons with Bobby Troup .
Hired for ex-husband Jack Webb 's "Emergency!" (1972) with new husband Bobby Troup . They played a staff doctor (Troup) and a nurse (London) in a hospital emergency room.Children with Jack Webb : daughters Stacy and Lisa. Children with Bobby Troup : daughter Kelly Troup and twin sons Jody and Reese. Daughter Stacy Webb died in an auto accident in 1996.Recorded 32 albums during her career.Moved to Los Angeles at 14 with her vaudeville song-and-dance team parents.Known in some circles as "The Liberty Girl" for helping establish Liberty Records as a successful label, her many hit albums on that label include "Julie Is Her Name", "Calendar Girl" with some borderline erotic (for the time) cover photography by Gene Lester, "About the Blues", "Your Number, Please", "Send For Me", "Love Letters", "The End of the World", "In Person at the Americana", "The Wonderful World of Julie London" and the provocatively titled "Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast".Her four most-sought-after and successful albums are "About the Blues (1957), "Feeling Good" (1965), "Easy Does It" (1968), and "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy" (1969).Is portrayed by Julie Simone in Bettie Page: Dark Angel (2004)She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.Stepmother of Ronne Troup and Cynnie Troup .Graduated from Hollywood Professional School in Hollywood, California in 1945.Attended the same high school as Peggy Ryan and Tommy Rall .Was a spokesperson for Marlboro Cigarettes from the late 1950s to the early 1960s.Best remembered by the public (as an actress) for her starring role as head nurse Dixie "Dix" McCall on "Emergency!" (1972).Met singer/songwriter and actor Bobby Troup , just weeks after her divorce from Jack Webb . She was 8 years Troup's junior.Met her first husband, Jack Webb , at a jazz club, when she was only 16 years old.At 17, she tried out for a band, but went back to working as an elevator operator where one of her passengers was talent agent, Sue Carol, who was the wife of Alan Ladd .Billboard Magazine named her the most popular female vocalist for 1955, 1956, and 1957.Her favorite singers were: Barbra Streisand and Roberta Flack .Was the first choice to have a female lead as Head Nurse Dixie McCall in "Emergency!" (1972), when the lounges she performed were closed during the Nixon administration.As a teenager of the 1940s, she was described as the young Bette Davis that London was provocative, very different, while as a young adult of the 1950s, she was described as the magnificently assembled blonde child.Her popular song, Cry Me a River, was written by her old classmate, Arthur Hamilton, but was produced by Bobby Troup . The same song was later covered by Joe Cocker and Aerosmith .She and Bobby Troup had both been good friends with Robert Fuller , for many years, before he co-starred with them on "Emergency!" (1972).Daughter Kelly Troup, died on March 11, 2002, just 1 1/2 years after the death of her mother.Future journalist and television personality, Joan Lunden once said in an interview she was her favorite television heroine, back in college.Before she was a successful singer and actress, she worked as a department store elevator operator, where she got paid $19 a week.After the deaths of Bobby Troup 's and London herself, their Encino home has been sold for close to its last asking price of $1.9 million. The Colonial-style home was designed for London in 1959 by the late architect Paul Williams, who incorporated four 19th century marble fireplaces into the design. London had purchased the fireplaces in France.When "Emergency!" (1972) was canceled, at the end of the seventh season, she retired from both acting and singing.Enjoyed cooking, spending time with family, singing, partying, knitting, dining, listening to music, reading, working on crossword puzzles, swimming, playing games, sports, golfing and gambling.Good friends with Robert Fuller and Randolph Mantooth during and after "Emergency!" (1972).When London was getting a divorce from Jack Webb , she agreed, then went to court. Judge Whyte granted the divorce, and approved the property settlement agreement, under which Webb had paid his wife $150,000 in cash, gave her $150,000 in securities of his production company, $21,000 a year for herself and for the couple's two children, Stacy and Lisa. Webb also agreed to take out a $150,000 insurance policy to guarantee alimony payments in case of his death. In addition, she got a new Cadillac, jewelry and furnishings. [26 November 1953].Before she was a successful actress, she was once a model.Died on what would've been Bobby Troup 's 82nd birthday.She was a life-long heavy smoker, since aged 16. Despite of this addiction, she had suffered a stroke in 1995, and had been in failing health for five years, which eventually took over her life.Died on the same day as Gwen Verdon .Began singing at age 3, and was later raised in San Bernadino, California, where her parents sang on local radio.Starred in her first movie when she was 18.Always enjoyed listening to Barbra Streisand 's and Roberta Flack 's music, who happened to be her favorite singers.The song "Yummy Yummy Yummy" was featured on the HBO television series "Six Feet Under" (2001).At the time London was 18, she began singing with the Matty Malnech Orchestra.Began her contract singing career with Liberty Records in 1955.Before she married Bobby Troup , he helped her sign to Liberty Records. Coincidentally, Troup would also sign up with the record label himself, after her.Cremated and shares a niche in a columbarium with husband and "Emergency!" (1972) co-star, Bobby Troup , at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) in Los Angeles, California.Future "Emergency!" (1972) co-star, Randolph Mantooth , said London was his childhood music heroine.Was raised near the same city as Beverly Garland .Her ex-husband, ex-boss and best friend, Jack Webb , died on December 23, 1982.She was best/good friends with: Ann Doran , Jack Webb , Rosemary Clooney , Steve Allen , Ray Anthony and Gary Cooper .Shared the same birthday as Kent McCord , who guest-starred with her on both of Jack Webb 's series: "Adam-12" (1968) and "Emergency!" (1972).Her idol when she was very young was Billie Holiday .Was forced to give up band singing when her true age was discovered.Her parents, Jack and Josephine Peck, ran the photography business in Santa Rosa, California, until it went bankrupt in 1941, when Gayle Peck's family moved to Los Angeles.At one time, her mother used to work at a pharmacy.Would often sing at parties for familiar stars.Her agent legally changed Gayle Peck's name to Julie London, when she was only 17.Did not write songs of her own.Was also a good friend of the late Barbara Stanwyck and Harry Morgan (who was also best friends with her ex-husband until Webb's death in 1982).She also suffered from cardiac arrest at the time of her death.Her ultimate revenge song, 'Cry Me A River', was about the revenge of her ex-husband Jack Webb . Ultimately, Webb later used that song for Pete Kelly's Blues (1955).Unlike fellow singers, Frank Sinatra , Peggy Lee and Mel Tormé , who had big jazz bands, London was a fan of small, nightclub jazz music bands.She and Robert Fuller had been best friends from 1960.Was a libertarian.Enjoyed writing occasional poetry.While attending high school, she fell in love with drama.Was the first choice for the female lead role of Dixie McCall on "Emergency!" (1972), primarily because of her longtime association with her ex-husband, Jack Webb .A mezzo-soprano.A decade after her passing, her twin son, Jody Troup, had died on June 10, 2010.Most of her children had followed in her mother's footsteps, which was music.Was an avid gambler.A sports buff.Survived by 2 step-daughters, 2 step-grandchildren, 2 of 5 children and 2 grandchildren.