Ann Jillian facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ann Jillian
Jillian at the 1988 Emmy Awards
Born	Ann Jura Nauseda (1950-01-29) January 29, 1950 (age 75) Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1960–2000
Known for	Babes in Toyland It's a Living Mae West Gypsy The Ann Jillian Story
Spouse(s)	Andrew L. Murcia ​ (m. 1978)​
Children	1

Ann Jillian, born Ann Jura Nauseda on January 29, 1950, is a talented American actress and singer. She started her career as a child actress in 1960. Many people know her best for playing Cassie Cranston, a waitress, on the 1980s TV show It's a Living.

Ann Jillian's Early Life and Career Beginnings

Jillian and Mickey Rooney performing in Sugar Babies, 1979

Ann Jillian was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1950. Her parents, Juozas and Margarita Nausėda, were immigrants from Lithuania. Ann can speak Lithuanian very well. She was raised in the Roman Catholic faith.

Ann began acting when she was just a child. In 1960, she played Little Bo Peep in the Disney movie Babes in Toyland. She also appeared as Dainty June in the 1962 movie Gypsy. During the 1960s and 1970s, Ann was in several TV shows. She was a regular on the sitcom Hazel in 1965-66. She also appeared in a 1963 episode of Twilight Zone called "Mute". In this episode, she played a mute girl named Ilse Nielson.

In 1983, the Young Artist Foundation gave Ann Jillian a special award. It was called the "Lifetime Achievement" Award for former child stars. This award recognized her great work in entertainment as a young actress.

After her early acting roles, Ann also did some voice work. She lent her voice to shows like Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and Sealab 2020 in the early 1970s. At one point, she was told she was too old for young roles but too young for leading lady parts. Because of this, she found less work in Hollywood. She took a job at a department store and studied psychology. However, she remembered advice from casting director Hoyt Bowers and Walt Disney. They had told her to always keep working on her acting skills.

Ann Jillian married Andy Murcia, a police sergeant from Chicago, on March 27, 1978. Soon after, Andy retired to help manage Ann's acting career.

In the late 1970s, Ann toured in musical comedies. She performed in Words and Music by Sammy Cahn. After working with Mickey Rooney in a play called Goodnight Ladies, she was cast in the Broadway show Sugar Babies in 1979. She starred alongside Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller. She also performed in I Love My Wife at the Drury Lane Theatre in Chicago.

Rising to Fame in the 1980s

Ann Jillian appeared in more than 25 films, mostly made for television. Even though she had been acting for almost two decades, she became widely known in the 1980s. This happened with the TV series It's a Living, which started in 1980. The show aired for two seasons on ABC. It was then sold to be shown again in syndication, where it became very popular. While on the show, Ann also played the famous actress Mae West in a 1982 TV movie. Ann was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe award for her performance as Mae West.

In 1983, Ann was in the movie Mr. Mom with Michael Keaton and Teri Garr. That same year, she appeared in the miniseries Malibu. Later that fall, she starred in her own sitcom called Jennifer Slept Here. In this show, Ann played a ghost. Jennifer Slept Here ended in 1984. This allowed her to take a role in the miniseries Ellis Island. Ann Jillian was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work in Ellis Island.

Ann Jillian in Philadelphia, 1984

The famous entertainer Bob Hope chose Ann to appear in six of his TV specials. These included two shows where she entertained U.S. troops. One was in Beirut in 1984, and another was in Saudi Arabia in 1991. Ann also showed her athletic skills on three Battle of the Network Stars specials. She was also in a Circus of the Stars special. She guest-starred in TV specials for Don Rickles (1986) and David Copperfield (1987).

In 1985, Ann played The Red Queen in an all-star TV musical version of Alice in Wonderland. That same year, the show It's a Living started production again for syndication. Ann was required by her contract to return to the series. In 1986, she played identical twins in The Killer In The Mirror. She later starred in her own TV series called Ann Jillian, which aired in 1989–90. In 1994, she played a mother whose unborn child had a heart problem in Heart of a Child.

Ann Jillian's Personal Life and Advocacy

Family and Later Work

Ann Jillian had her only child, a son named Andrew Joseph Murcia, in 1992. She continued to act in ten TV movies throughout the 1990s. However, her acting roles became less frequent after the late 1990s. She decided to focus on raising her son. She also dedicated her time to raising awareness about breast cancer issues.

On September 12, 2015, Ann Jillian was honored. She was inducted into the National Lithuanian American Hall of Fame.

Her Battle with Cancer

Before It's a Living started production again in 1985, Ann Jillian, then 35, received important news. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. After this, she became a strong supporter for cancer research and prevention. She left It's a Living after the 1985–86 season to focus on her health. Her treatment included a double mastectomy.

Ann's fight against cancer was shown in a highly-rated TV movie called The Ann Jillian Story (1988). In this film, Ann Jillian played herself. The movie took two years to make. Ann received her third Emmy Award nomination for her role in the film. She also won a 1989 Golden Globe Award for her performance.

Film and Television Roles

Ann Jillian has appeared in many films and television shows throughout her career. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Ann Jillian para niños