Jill O'Hara

Jill O'Hara (born August 23, 1947) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 1969 for creating the role of Fran Kubelik in Promises, Promises, a role made famous by Shirley Maclaine in the movie the musical is based on, The Apartment (1960).

Early life

Her father, John B. O'Hara, was a salesman, and her mother, Edith (née Hopkins), was a journalist and drama teacher, who founded and continues to run the storied 13th Street Repertory Company in New York City. Her sister is actress Jenny O'Hara, and her singer/guitarist brother Jack O'Hara, grew up amid their mother's pursuit of a theatrical career. Edith O'Hara directed a children's theater in Warren, where the two daughters occasionally acted. Jill studied at the HB Studio in Greenwich Village.

Career

O'Hara created the role of Sheila in the original Off-broadway production of Hair in 1967. In 1971 she performed off-Broadway in Henrik Ibsen's play, The Master Builder. She was a member of the original Broadway cast of George M! in 1968.

O'Hara has released albums of her own songs and recordings and has performed her own cabaret shows.