Gayle Peck (September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000), known as
Julie London, was an American singer and actress. Best known for her smoky, sensual voice, she was at her singing career's peak in the 1950s. Her acting career lasted more than 35 years, ending with the role of nurse
Dixie McCall, RN, on the
television series Emergency! (1972–1979).
Early life
Born
Gayle Peck in
Santa Rosa, California, she was the daughter of Jack and Josephine Peck, who were a
vaudeville song-and-dance team. When she was 14, the family moved to
Los Angeles, California. Shortly after that, she began appearing in movies. She graduated from the
Hollywood Professional School,
Hollywood, California, in 1945.
Marriages
In July 1947 she married actor
Jack Webb (of
Dragnet fame). Her widely regarded beauty and poise (she was a
pinup girl prized by
GIs during
World War II) contrasted strongly with his pedestrian appearance and streetwise acting technique (much parodied by impersonators). This unlikely pairing arose from their mutual love for
jazz music. They had two daughters, Stacy and Lisa Webb. London and Webb divorced in November 1954. Daughter Stacy Webb was killed in a traffic accident in 1996.
In 1954, having become somewhat reclusive after her divorce from Webb, she met jazz
composer and musician
Bobby Troup at a club on
La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles. They married on December 31, 1959, and remained married until his death in February 1999. Together, they had one daughter, Kelly Troup and twin sons, Jody and Reese Troup. Kelly Troup died in March 2002.
Later life
She suffered a stroke in 1995, and was in poor health because of her long-term cigarette habit until her death on October 18, 2000, in
Encino, California, at age 74, survived by three of her five children.
London was interred next to Troup in
Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery, Los Angeles.
Her star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame is at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Career
Singing
London began singing in public in her teens before appearing in a film. She was discovered by
talent agent Sue Carol (wife of actor
Alan Ladd) while London was working as an elevator operator. Her early film career did not include any singing roles.
She recorded 32 albums in a career that began in 1955 with a live performance at the 881 Club in Los Angeles.
Billboard named her the most popular female vocalist for 1955, 1956, and 1957. She was the subject of a 1957
Life cover article in which she was quoted as saying, "It's only a thimbleful of a voice, and I have to use it close to the microphone. But it is a kind of oversmoked voice, and it automatically sounds intimate."
Julie London's debut recordings were for the
Bethlehem Records label. While shopping for a record deal, she recorded 4 tracks that would later be included on the compilation albums
Bethlehem's Girlfriends in 1955. Bobby Troup backed London on the dates, and London recorded the standards
Don't Worry About Me,
Motherless Child,
A Foggy Day, and
You're Blasé.
London's most famous single, "
Cry Me a River", was written by her
high-school classmate Arthur Hamilton and produced by Troup. The recording became a million-seller after its release in December 1955 and also sold on re-issue in April 1983 from the attention brought by a
Mari Wilson cover. London performed the song in the film
The Girl Can't Help It (1956), and her recording gained later attention in the films
Passion of Mind (2000) and
V for Vendetta (2006).
Other popular singles include "Hot Toddy," "Daddy" and "Desafinado." Recordings such as "Go Slow" epitomized her career style: her voice is slow, smoky, and sensual. Aside from her music, the notably suggestive portrait photos used on London's album covers made lasting impressions even on the tone deaf.
The song "
Yummy Yummy Yummy" was featured on the
HBO television series
Six Feet Under and appears on its
soundtrack album. Her rendition of "
The Good Life" was featured in a 2008
British Airways dancing aquatic television
advertisement for its new
Terminal 5 at
London Heathrow Airport,
London,
United Kingdom.
Her last recording was the classic "
My Funny Valentine" for the soundtrack of the Burt Reynolds film
Sharky's Machine (1981).
Film
Primarily remembered as a singer, London also made more than 20 films. One of her strongest performances came in
Man of the West (1958), starring
Gary Cooper and directed by
Anthony Mann, in which her character, the film's only woman, is abused and humiliated by an
outlaw gang.
Television
She performed on many television
variety series and also in dramatic roles, including guest appearances on
Rawhide (1960) and
The Big Valley (1968). Her ex-husband Webb was
executive producer for the series
Emergency!, and in 1972 he hired both his ex-wife and her husband Troup for key roles. London was a
nurse, while Troup played
emergency-room physician Dr. Joe Early. She and her co-stars
Kevin Tighe,
Randolph Mantooth, and
Robert Fuller also appeared in an episode of the Webb-produced series
Adam-12, reprising their roles. London and Troup appeared as
panelists on the
game show Tattletales for a week in the 1970s.
Albums
- Julie's Golden Greats (1963)
- By Myself (1965, produced exclusively for the Columbia Record Club)
- The Very Best Of Julie London (1975)
Charted Recordings
- "Desafinado" (Slightly Out Of Tune)" (U.S. # 110, 1962)
- "I'm Coming Back To You" (U.S. # 118, 1963)
- "Like To Get To Know You" (Easy Listening #15, 1969)
Filmography
- Diamond Horseshoe (1945) (bit part)
- On Stage Everybody (1945)
- A Night in Paradise (1946) (bit part)
- Return of the Frontiersman (1950)
- The Fighting Chance (1955)
- Voice in the Mirror (1958)
- Night of the Quarter Moon (1959)
- The Wonderful Country (1959)
- A Question of Adultery (1959)
Television Work
- What's My Line? Mystery guests on September 29, 1957 (Episode # 382) (Season 9 Episode 5), (three episodes) (1957-1961)
