Julia Whelan

Julia Whelan
Julia Whelan receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree at the 2008 Middlebury College Commencement.
Born	Julia May Whelan (1984-05-08) May 8, 1984 (age 32) Oregon, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1996 – present
Awards	Young Artist Award for Best Ensemble in a TV Series (drama or comedy) 2001 Once and Again

Julia May Whelan (born May 8, 1984) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Grace Manning on the TV drama series Once and Again (1999-2002), and her co-starring role in the 2002 Lifetime Television movie, The Secret Life of Zoey. A noted child actor, Whelan first appeared on screen at the age of eleven, and continued to take television roles until her matriculation into Middlebury College in 2004; Whelan graduated magna cum laude from Middlebury in 2008 after spending the 2006-7 academic year as a visiting student at Lincoln College, Oxford. Whelan returned to film acting in November 2008 with a role in the fantasy thriller Fading of the Cries.

Julia May Whelan was born in Oregon on May 8, 1984. Her father was a firefighter and her mother a teacher. Whelan first acted in community theater at the age of five, and yearly trips to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon deepened her interest in an acting career. At age ten she began acting lessons with actor/screenwriter Geof Prysirr. Prysirr developed a close professional and personal relationship with Whelan, eventually becoming her guardian. Prysirr began escorting Whelan on trips to Los Angeles, where she soon found professional success.

Whelan moved to L.A. with Prysirr and his wife, Days of Our Lives actress Derya Ruggles, where the three took up residence in a two bedroom apartment so that Whelan could advance her career. Whelan quickly began to win television roles, first appearing on screen in an April 8, 1996 episode of the drama series Nowhere Man.