Julie Bovasso


Actor

About

Also Known As
Julia Anne Bovasso
Birth Place
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Born
August 01, 1930
Died
September 14, 1991
Cause of Death
Cancer

Biography

Esteemed, award-winning veteran of off-Broadway and avant-garde theater. In the 1950s, Bovasso established her own off-off-Broadway theater company, Tempo Playhouse, where she produced, directed, starred in and often wrote experimental works. In 1956 she won two Obie awards, one for her performance in Jean Genet's "The Maids" and one for the work of Tempo as a whole.Possibly Bovasso's mo...

Family & Companions

George Ortman
Husband
Artist. Married February 4, 1951, divorced 1958.
Leonard Wayland
Husband
Actor. August 12, 1959, divorced 1964.

Notes

"Actress (direcor, producer, playwright, hell-raiser) who in her early 20s introduced the USA to Messrs. Genet, Ionesco, Ghelderode & Co.--opening the door to America's own Theater of the Absurd of Edward Albee & Co."--Jerry Tallmer on Julie Bovasso ("New York Post," September 17, 1991)

Bovasso was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation Grant for Playwriting in 1969.

Biography

Esteemed, award-winning veteran of off-Broadway and avant-garde theater. In the 1950s, Bovasso established her own off-off-Broadway theater company, Tempo Playhouse, where she produced, directed, starred in and often wrote experimental works. In 1956 she won two Obie awards, one for her performance in Jean Genet's "The Maids" and one for the work of Tempo as a whole.

Possibly Bovasso's most significant contribution to American performance art was her introduction of the work of Genet, Ionesco and others to the New York theatre scene. Although she made occasional TV appearances (including a role in the 1950s soap opera, "From These Roots"), she did not make her film debut until Otto Preminger's "Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon" (1970). In her infrequent film roles, she specialized in ethnic matriarchs, especially Italian-American women, from John Travolta's mother in "Saturday Night Fever" (1977) and "Staying Alive" (1983) to Cher's aunt in "Moonstruck" (1987). Bovasso also served as dialogue coach for "Prizzi's Honor" (1985) and "Moonstruck."

Life Events

1943

At age 13, walked over the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan to "seek my fortune in the the Big Apple" and lying about her age made her stage debut in "The Bells" at the Davenport Free Theatre, NY

1950

Off-Broadway debut, "Naked" and "Earth Spirit" at the Provincetown Playhouse

1953

Stage producing and directing debut, "The Typewriter" at Tempo Playhouse, NY

1953

Founder, manager, producer and director, Tempo Playhouse, NY

1957

Broadway acting debut, "Monique"

1970

Film acting debut, "Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon"

1973

Directed inaugural production of the New York Shakespeare Festival at Lincoln Center, David Rabe's "In the Boom Boom Room" (she was replaced before the opening by Joseph Papp)

1978

TV movie debut, "The Last Tenant"

1985

Dialogue coach and technical advisor on "Prizzi's Honor"

1987

Dialogue coach, "Moonstruck"

Family

Bernard Michael Bovasso
Father
Truck driver. Deceased.
Angela Ursula Bovasso
Mother
Bernard Bovasso
Brother

Companions

George Ortman
Husband
Artist. Married February 4, 1951, divorced 1958.
Leonard Wayland
Husband
Actor. August 12, 1959, divorced 1964.

Bibliography

Notes

"Actress (direcor, producer, playwright, hell-raiser) who in her early 20s introduced the USA to Messrs. Genet, Ionesco, Ghelderode & Co.--opening the door to America's own Theater of the Absurd of Edward Albee & Co."--Jerry Tallmer on Julie Bovasso ("New York Post," September 17, 1991)

Bovasso was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation Grant for Playwriting in 1969.

She received a Guggenheim Fellowship in Drama (1971)

She also was awarded New York State Council on the Arts Public Service grants (1971 and 1973)

Drama instructor at the New School for Social Research (1965-71), Brooklyn College of the City University of NY (1968-69) and Sarah Lawrence College (1969-74)

Bovasso was former president of the New York Theatre Strategy, Inc.