Julie Anna Danielson

**Julie Anna Kline** (née **Danielson**; born 13 November 1959) is a Hawaiian television host, actress, and former model. The eldest child of Hawaiian lawyer John Danielson and former Prime Minister of Hawaii Elizabeth Wu Danielson, Danielson was thrust into the spotlight at a young age. After beginning a modeling career in the late-1970s and early-80s, Danielson transitioned into television hosting and acting work by the mid-80s.

After appearing in supporting roles in the commercially successful romantic-comedies *Aloha* (1985) and *A Million Miles* (1988), Danielson began appearing in starring roles, appearing in the successful films *Up/Down* (1989), *Lost in Tokyo* (1991), and *Firebringer* (1994). She began hosting her own late-night talk show *Up Late with Julie Anna* on Hawaii Television (HTV) in 1999, which lasted until Danielson retired from the show in 2009. She returned to television hosting in 2016, becoming the host of *Starmaker* on HTV.

## Early life and education

Danielson was born on 13 November 1959 in Honolulu to parents John Danielson (born 1931) and Elizabeth Wu Danielson (née *Wu*; born 1932). She was named "Julie Anna" after her maternal grandmother Julie Zhu. At the time of her birth, her father worked as a criminal defense attorney while her mother was a prosecutor for the City and County of Honolulu. Through her father, she is of a Californian background with Irish and English ancestry, while her mother is Chinese-Hawaiian. The family was affluent, and Danielson grew up in the wealthy Kāhala neighborhood of Honolulu. Danielson is the eldest of four children; her younger siblings include Edwin "Eddie", born  (1961-02-19) 19 February 1961 (age 62), Helena, born  (1962-10-04) 4 October 1962 (age 61), and Jeffrey, born  (1963-12-24) 24 December 1963 (age 60).

Danielson began her education in 1966, attending Punahou School, an independent coeducational K–12 school and the alma mater of her mother. Danielson began high school in 1974, shortly before her mother's election as Prime Minister of Hawaii in 1975. Afterwards, the family moved to the Prime Minister's Mansion, where Danielson spent the majority of her teenage years growing up. She went on to graduate from Punahou School in 1978, where she was crowned prom queen. After graduating, Danielson began attending the University of Hawaii – Manoa, graduating with a degree in communications in 1982.

## Career

Danielson first began modeling in 1978, during her final year of high school. She was signed to Jaguar Model Management for its Honolulu and Los Angeles offices, and walked in shows in both Hawaii and California. During the final years of Danielson's mother's term as Prime Minister in 1979, Danielson inadvertently started a minor controversy when topless photos of herself emerged. Her mother released a statement saying that the matter was "being handled privately", and Danielson confirmed that the images were taken for "artistic purpose" and were not meant to be "pervertedly sexual or pornographic".

Danielson later left modeling in 1982 in order to begin pursuing an acting career. Her first role was as a guest actor in the Hawaii Television (HTV) sitcom *Marnie's World* (1977–83), which led to Danielson appearing in guest roles on numerous Hawaiian television programs. She received her first film role in the romantic-comedy *Aloha* (1985), later appearing in a number of romantic-comedies, including *A Hard Place* (1987), *Nothing Lasts For-Never* (1988), and *A Million Miles* (1988). Danielson began appearing in starring roles, appearing in the successful films *Up/Down* (1989), *Lost in Tokyo* (1991), and *Firebringer* (1994). Outside of acting, Danielson also began working as a television host. Her television hosting career began in 1986, when she became a guest host on Hawaii Blu, later leaving the station in 1988.

Danielson returned to television hosting following the announcement of her late-night talk show *Up Late with Julie Anna*, which began airing on HTV in 1999. The program saw Danielson interviewing a number of Hawaiian and international celebrities during media tours in Hawaii. Quickly becoming the most highly-rated talk-show on Hawaiian television, Danielson announced the end of the show in 2009, after airing ten seasons. Danielson was announced as the host of the HTV music-competition series *Starmaker* in 2016, and has hosted the series for all three seasons.

## Personal life

Danielson began dating Jason Dean, a lawyer and the son of politician Arthur Dean, in 1982. They later broke up in 1984, but reconciled in 1987 and became engaged the following year. They were married in a large ceremony in 1989 on the shores of Oahu. Danielson and Dean had two children together: Mary-Kate, born  (1992-08-27) 27 August 1992 (age 31), and Jacob, born  (1995-09-20) 20 September 1995 (age 28). They later divorced in 1999, with Dean citing stress stemming from the lengthy time spent apart due to Danielson's career in the entertainment industry; they shared joint custody of their children.

Danielson later began a relationship with Hawaiian actor Alexander Kline in 2004. They became engaged in 2006 and married the following year, in a small, informal ceremony. With their marriage, Danielson became a stepmother to Kline's two children from previous relationships. They reside together in the Kāhala neighborhood of Honolulu.

## Filmography

*Main article: Julie Anna Danielson filmography.*