Question: who played julie on gimme a break
Answer: Nellie Ruth `` Nell '' Harper ( Nell Carter ) agrees to look after the Kanisky household as a special favor to her dying friend Margaret Huffman Kanisky ( played in flashback by Sharon Spelman ) , who was the wife of police chief Carl Kanisky ( Dolph Sweet ) , serving as a parental figure to the Chief 's three teenage daughters , Katie ( Kari Michaelsen ) , Julie ( Lauri Hendler ) , and Samantha ( Lara Jill Miller ) .