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IMDbPro

Julie Dawn Cole

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Julie Dawn Cole
Julie Dawn Cole is an English actress from Guildford, Surrey. She is primarily remembered for playing the insatiably greedy and demanding character of Veruca Salt in the fantasy film "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (1971). This was her film debut, and the first adaptation of the novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (1964) by Roald Dahl. The character's nationality was never specified in the novel, But Cole's version of Veruca was depicted as a British girl.

Cole was educated in a boarding school. She was only 12-years-old in 1970, during the filming of "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory". Cole took central stage in the "I Want It Now" sequence of the film, where Veruca states her desires. The sequence was filmed on Cole's 13th birthday. Cole had recorded her vocals for the song earlier, and focused on the character's dancing moves during the filming of the sequence.

Shortly after her film debut, Cole was cast in the recurring role of Arabella in the first two seasons of the sitcom "..And Mother Makes Three" (1971-1973). Her character in this series was depicted as snobbish adolescent girl. Early in her career, Cole was typecast in playing "bad girls" in various television productions. Her characters included a number of juvenile delinquents, such as burglars and prisoners. She played against type when cast as Alice (from Alice In Wonderland) in Christmas commercials for the retail chain Woolworths.

Cole was given a more substantial role when cast as student nurse Jo Longhurst in the first 3 seasons of the medical drama "Angels" (1975-1983). Jo was depicted as a genuinely compassionate character, who had to question the cynical decisions of various authority figures. This was Cole's first major role in a television series.

Cole also played a complex character in the second (and last season) of the period drama "Poldark" (1975-1977). She portrayed Rowella Chynoweth, younger sister of the season's romantic lead Morwenna (played Jane Wymark). Rowella was the mistress of the Reverend Osborne Whitworth (played by Christopher Biggins), who was also Morwenna's husband and her own brother-in-law. Rowella was able to manipulate Osborne into arranging her marriage to a man she herself chose, and to provide her entire dowry.

Cole portrayed the supporting character of Lucy Deane is a 1979 television adaptation of the novel "The Mill on the Floss" (1860) by George Eliot. In the novel, Lucy is both a cousin and a friend to the protagonist Maggie Tulliver. Maggie's efforts to rescue Lucy from a river flood result in Maggie's death at the end of the novel.

Cole was a familiar face in television over the following decades, though she was often limited to playing one-shot characters. She was eventually cast in the regular role of Judy Hollingsworth in the short-lived sitcom "Married for Life" (1996). The series was a British remake of the American sitcom "Married... with Children", while the character of Judy was a British version of Marcy Rhoades from the original series. The British sitcom only lasted for 7 episodes.

By the end of the 1990s, Cole had earned qualifications as a fitness instructor and psychotherapist. She pursued these new careers in the 2000s, while regularly appearing in television roles. In 2004, Cole was a guest-star in a theatrical show called "Willy Wonka Explained (The Search for Veruca Salt)" which was part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. In 2016, Cole published her memoir. It was titled "I Want It Now!", named after Veruca Salt's famous song.

In 2019, Cole's keepsake props from the "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" were sold at auction for upwards of 15,000 pounds sterling. By 2022, Cole was 65-years-old. She has had no known television roles for several years, but she still has fans who fondly recall her debut role. Several actresses have followed her footsteps in playing Veruca Salt, with the character remaining popular for decades.
BornOctober 26, 1957
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BornOctober 26, 1957
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Photos12

Gene Wilder, Paris Themmen, Jack Albertson, Michael Bollner, Julie Dawn Cole, Roy Kinnear, Denise Nickerson, Peter Ostrum, Ursula Reit, and Leonard Stone in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Julie Dawn Cole and Malcolm Dixon in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Julie Dawn Cole in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" Julie Dawn Cole 1971 Paramount
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" 1971 Paramount
Paris Themmen, Michael Bollner, Julie Dawn Cole, Denise Nickerson, and Peter Ostrum
Paris Themmen, Michael Bollner, Julie Dawn Cole, Denise Nickerson, and Peter Ostrum
Paris Themmen, Julie Dawn Cole, Rusty Goffe, Denise Nickerson, and Mel Stuart at an event for Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Paris Themmen, Michael Bollner, Julie Dawn Cole, and Denise Nickerson
Paris Themmen, Michael Bollner, Julie Dawn Cole, Denise Nickerson, and Peter Ostrum
Julie Dawn Cole and Peter Ostrum in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Known for

Gene Wilder, Paris Themmen, Jack Albertson, Julie Dawn Cole, Günter Meisner, Denise Nickerson, and Peter Ostrum in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
7.8
  • Veruca Salt
  • 1971
Poldark (1975)
Poldark
8.3
TV Series
  • Rowella Chynoweth
  • Rowella Solway
And Mother Makes Three (1971)
And Mother Makes Three
7.2
TV Series
  • Arabella
Pippa Guard and Anton Lesser in The Mill on the Floss (1978)
The Mill on the Floss
6.6
TV Mini Series
  • Lucy Deane

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Casualty (1986)
    Casualty
    • Annie
    • Audrey Leavers
    • Jenny ...
    • TV Series
    • 1987–2013
  • Guy Henry in Holby City (1999)
    Holby City
    • Pam Feeny
    • TV Series
    • 2012–2013
  • Angel Cake
    • Judith
    • TV Movie
    • 2006
  • Emmerdale Farm (1972)
    Emmerdale Farm
    • Pip Coulter
    • Barbara Hope
    • TV Series
    • 1978–2006
  • The Second Quest
    • Mrs. Biggs
    • TV Movie
    • 2004
  • Anna Chancellor and Hugh Laurie in Fortysomething (2003)
    Fortysomething
    • Stella
    • TV Series
    • 2003
  • Down to Earth (2000)
    Down to Earth
    • Jean
    • TV Series
    • 2003
  • Les voyages extraordinaires de Jules Verne
    • (English version, voice)
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2001
  • Angela Lonsdale, Eva Alexander, and Tom Frederic in Doctors (2000)
    Doctors
    • Stella Jordan
    • TV Series
    • 2001
  • Noah's Ark (1997)
    Noah's Ark
    • Pam Fisher
    • TV Series
    • 1998
  • Animal Ark (1997)
    Animal Ark
    • Sylvia Greenaway
    • TV Series
    • 1998
  • Married for Life (1996)
    Married for Life
    • Judy Hollingsworth
    • TV Series
    • 1996
  • How to Be a Little Sod (1995)
    How to Be a Little Sod
    • Mother's Friend
    • TV Series
    • 1996
  • The Politician's Wife (1995)
    The Politician's Wife
    • Angie
    • TV Mini Series
    • 1995
  • The Upper Hand (1990)
    The Upper Hand
    • Lyn
    • TV Series
    • 1992

Soundtrack

  • Gene Wilder, Paris Themmen, Jack Albertson, Julie Dawn Cole, Günter Meisner, Denise Nickerson, and Peter Ostrum in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
    Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
    • performer: "I Want It Now!" (uncredited)
    • 1971

Videos1

Pure Imagination
Video 1:18
Pure Imagination

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Julie Dawn
  • Born
    • October 26, 1957
    • Guildford, Surrey, England, UK
  • Spouse
    • Nick WiltonAugust 30, 1991 - December 20, 2002 (divorced, 2 children)
  • Children
      Holly
  • Other works
    She is a fully qualified fitness instructor.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 1 Article

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Calls her daughter Holly Wilton "Veruca" (after her character from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)) when she behaves bratty.
  • Quotes
    [on her two children] Whenever Holly (her daughter) said or did anything brattish, I'd just go, 'Is there a problem, Veruca? Can I help you?'. That always snapped her out of it. But I didn't call Barnaby (her son) anything because there was no need; he never gave me any such trouble.
  • Trademarks
      Shoulder length wavy ash blonde hair and dark blue eyes
  • Salary
    • Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
      (1971)
      £600

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