Julia Barr
Julia Barr (born Julia Rose Buchheit on February 8, 1949 in Fort Wayne, Indiana) is an American actress. Barr is most famous for her role on the soap opera "All My Children", playing the character of Brooke English. She played the role from 1976 to 1981 and from 1982 to December 20, 2006 and Barr made a special appearance as Brooke on January 5, 2010 as part of the series' 40th anniversary, and returned on February 23, 2010 for a three-month stint until April 23, 2010. Growing up as an only child in Fort Wayne, Barr made  her acting debut at the age of 13 in a production of "Peter Pan". This helped her decide to pursue acting as a career, and by the time she graduated from college at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, she had performed in 25 professional productions. She spent two years at the Studio Arena Theater in Buffalo, New York. Career. Barr broke into soap operas with a short stint as bad girl Reenie Szabo on "Ryan's Hope". She was invited to join the cast of "All My Children" as Brooke English, succeeding Elissa Leeds in the role. Her portrayal  of Brooke garnered Barr eight Daytime Emmy Award nominations (1980, 1981, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 2001), winning the award in 1990 and again in 1998 for 'Outstanding Supporting Actress'. Barr became close friends with noted actress Ruth Warrick, who portrayed her aunt Phoebe on the show until her death in 2005. Barr took a 15-month break from the show beginning in 1981, during which time she toured with Katharine Hepburn and Dorothy Loudon in the national touring company of West Side Waltz. She returned to the show in 1982. Despite fan outcry, Barr's airtime on AMC  diminished in the early 2000s with her character Brooke only being used to further other characters story lines. In late 2006, executives at ABC did not renew Barr's contract, and offered her recurring status (without a guarantee of appearances). Barr declined. Fans of the show, and particularly Barr, were upset. Barr's contract officially expired in December 2006 and her last regular episode aired on December 20. The character was not given an exit and simply stopped appearing, which further fueled fan outrage. In 2007 Barr teamed up with All My Children co-star Jill Larson to produce and  write a web series titled The Vindicated, which about three women, who are at a point in their lives in which they are without their male counterparts for different reasons. The project was written in 2007 and filmed in 2008. A final product is still in the works. Barr returned to AMC for the soap's 40th Anniversary on January 4 and 5, 2010. Barr again returned to AMC in February 2010 for a brief stint coinciding with the retirement of David Canary (Adam Chandler) on April 23, 2010. Barr's final return to "All My Children" as Brooke English  was in September 2011 in the final episodes of the show's ABC run. It was announced in February 2013 that she would appear as Brooke on the show's online revival. On April 29, 2013, it was confirmed that the show had been revived, with Barr playing the role of Brooke English. "All My Children" ended again in November 2013. Personal life. Barr's first marriage, to Richard Barr, ended in divorce. She met her second husband, Richard Hirschlag, in a musical comedy class. Barr married Hirschlag on Valentine's Day 1982 in a Manhattan brownstone. Together they have  a daughter named Allison who is also an actress; she briefly appeared as Lizzie Spaulding on "Guiding Light". The couple lives in Englewood in suburban New Jersey. In her spare time, Barr is also an advocate of animal rights. She believes in spaying and neutering, and is a spokesperson for the Fund for Animals. She even recorded a Christmas album in 2002, titled From Our House...To Yours, to raise money for The Fund For Animals. Barr is a spokesperson for First Step, a job readiness program, as part of the Coalition for the Homeless in New York City. Julia