Julie Halston (born December 7, 1954) is an American actress and comedian who appeared on television, film, and theatre. She received four Drama Desk Award nominations for her Broadway performances, and in 2020 was awarded the Isabelle Stevenson Award at the 74th Tony Awards. On television, Halston is best known for playing socialite Bitsy von Muffling in the HBO comedy series, Sex and The City, its film continuation, and the sequel series, And Just Like That....

Early life and education Julie Halston was born in Flushing, Queens. Her parents, Rudolph "Rudy" Abatelli and Julia Madeline "Dolly" (née Gardner) moved to Commack, Long Island, when Halston was four years old. After attending a Catholic high school, she graduated from Hofstra University, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre arts.

Career Halston first achieved recognition as an actress through her co-starring performances in the comedy plays of writer-performer, Charles Busch in the 1980s in New York City."'Vampire Lesbians of Sodom' Listing, 1984 and 1985" charlesbusch.com, accessed May 31, 2012 She was a founding member of his theatre company, Theatre-in-Limbo, which along with other writers and performers such as Charles Ludlam, Lypsinka, Ann Magnuson, and John Fleck, to name a few, were part of a cultural movement that helped revitalize the Off-Broadway theatre. Busch considered Halston his muse and wrote many roles for her in his plays including Vampire Lesbians of Sodom (1984), The Lady in Question (1989), Red Scare on Sunset (1991), You Should be so Lucky (1994), The Divine Sister (2011), and The Tribute Artist (2013).

She wrote a series of one-woman comedy shows that eventually led to a successful Off-Broadway production entitled Julie Halston's Lifetime of Comedy (1992). The show earned her an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Best Play and landed Halston a CBS network development deal. The pilot was called Those Two and co-starred Harvey Fierstein. It was written by Bob Randall, the co-producer of Kate and Allie. The show was not developed into a series and Halston returned to the stage and subsequently appeared in many Off-Broadway and Broadway shows including The Man Who Came to Dinner (2000), The Women (2001), Hairspray (2002), Gypsy (2003), Twentieth Century (2004), Anything Goes (2012-replacement), You Can't Take it with You (2014), On The Town (2015), Tootsie (2019) and Our Town (2024).

Halston received Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for Red Scare on Sunset (1991), White Chocolate (2004), The Divine Sister (2011), and You Can't Take it With You (2014). In addition she received the Richard Seff Award for her portrayal of Gay Wellington in You Can't Take it With You.

On September 26, 2021, the Tony Awards Administration Committee presented Halston with the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her advocacy in raising awareness and funding for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.

Her solo comedy performances at the Birdland Jazz Club are SRO engagements that have earned her four MAC Awards (Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs). In 2011, Halston received the designation "Legend of Off-Broadway" from the Off-Broadway Theatre Alliance and received an Excellence in Theatre Award from the Abington Theatre Company. In 2008, along with fellow writer Donna Daley, she co-authored the book Monologues for Show-Offs published by Heinemann Press. The book is used by casting agents, colleges, and performers for audition material. In May 2020, along with Jim Caruso, Halston launched a popular online talk show titled Virtual Halston and all 41 episodes are available on YouTube.

Halston has 45 film and TV credits to her name including the 2022 independent feature Simchas and Sorrows (Maude), Intermedium (Winona James), Dirty Rhetoric (Elizabeth) and Chosen Family (Dorothy), both currently in post-production. In addition, the 2021 independent feature The Sixth Reel (Helen), co-starring Charles Busch, has just received national distribution. Halston also starred in the award-winning 2016 short film Hotel Bleu (Jackie). Her television credits include HBO Max's Gossip Girl (Sharon), The Good Fight (Rita), HBO Max's Divorce (Sharon), Woody Allen's Crisis in Six Scenes (Roz), The TV web series The Mentors, for which she won a NYC Web Fest award for Special Guest Star (2016), Difficult People (Hazel), Law and Order, Special Victims Unit (Cassie Muir), The Electric Company (Mrs. Carruthers), Sex and the City and And Just Like That... (Bitsy von Muffling), The Class (Tina Carmello), and Law and Order (Mrs. Lapinsky). She has also appeared in the films A Very Serious Person, The Juror, Addams Family Values, Joe Gould's Secret, Drunks, Small Time Crooks, Celebrity, and I Think I Love My Wife.

Personal life In 1992, Halston married anchor man and entertainment reporter Ralph Howard. Howard worked for WINS and The Howard Stern Show at Sirius XM until his retirement in 2013.Smith Brady, Lois. "Vows. Julie Halston, Ralph Howard" New York Times, August 16, 1992 Howard died on August 7, 2018, from complications of pulmonary fibrosis."Julie Halston Reflection and Revelations, Julie Says" juliehalstononline.com, 2011https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Ralph-Howard-Veteran-Radio-Newscaster-And-Husband-Of-Julie-Halston-Dies-At-77-20180808 "Ralph Howard, Veteran Radio Newscaster And Husband Of Julie Halston, Dies At 77"] broadwayworld.com, August 8, 2018

Filmography

Film +YearTitleRoleNotes1993Addams Family ValuesMrs. Glicker1995DrunksCarolMighty AphroditeGuestUncredited1996The JurorInez1997David SearchingJulie1998CelebrityPatient with Jowls2000Joe Gould's SecretSadie GordonSmall Time CrooksConcert Party Guest2005The Lady in Question Is Charles BuschHerself2006A Very Serious PersonGlenda2007I Think I Love My WifeConvenience Store Cashier2008Sex and the CityBitsy von MufflingUncredited2014Are You Joking?GloriaTop FiveCell Phone Lady2021The Sixth ReelHelen2022Simchas and SorrowsMaudeDirty RhetoricElizabeth2023IntermediumWinona James2024Chosen FamilyDorothy

Television YearTitleRoleNotes1991, 1998Law & OrderMs. Lapinsky / Jane2 episodes1992DougVoice13 episodes1993Dottie Gets SpankedDottie FrankTelevision film1994My So-Called LifeMrs. SzowskiEpisode: "Guns and Gossip"2000The Man Who Came to DinnerMrs. McCutcheonTelevision film2001Spy GrooveDandelion SplendorfaceEpisode: "Malibooboo"2002Law & Order: Criminal IntentGallery OwnerEpisode: "Crazy"Stage on Screen: The WomenVarious rolesTelevision film2002, 2003Sex and the CityBitsy Von Muffling2 episodes2006–2007The ClassTina Carmello8 episodes2008–2009The Battery's DownBunny Steinberg4 episodes2009The Electric CompanyMs. CarruthersEpisode: "Out to Launch"2011Jack in a BoxDawnEpisode: "The Surprise"2015Law & Order: Special Victims UnitCassie MuirEpisode: "Perverted Justice"Difficult PeopleHazelEpisode: "Premium Membership"2016Crisis in Six ScenesRoz3 episodesThe MentorsMentorEpisode: "Julie Halston & Austin Durant"2018After ForeverMoira MichaelsEpisode: "Rumors"2019DivorceSharonEpisode: "Miami"2020Almost FamilyJoyce TuneEpisode: "Generational AF"2021The Good FightRitaEpisode: "And the Détente Had an End..."2021–2025And Just Like That...Bitsy Von Muffling5 episodes2021–2023Gossip GirlSharon Kleinberg3 episodes

Stage + Year Title Role Notes 1985 Times Square Angel Mrs. Tooley/Stella Provincetown Playhouse 1989 The Lady in Question Kitty Orpheum Theatre, Off-Broadway 1990 Money Talks Claudia Stein Promenade Theatre, Off-Broadway 1991 Rare Scare on Sunset Pat Pilford Lucille Lortel Theatre, Off-Broadway 1992 Lifetime of Comedy Herself Bleecker Street Theatre, Off-Broadway 1994 You Should Be So Lucky Lenore Primary Stages, Off-Broadway 1997 The Boys from Syracuse Berry Courtesan New York City Center, Off-Broadway 2000 The Man Who Came to Dinner Mrs. McCutcheon American Airlines Theatre, Broadway 2000 Saved or Destroyed Lucille Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Off-Broadway 2001 The Women First Saleswoman/Lucy American Airlines Theatre, Broadway 2003 Gypsy Electra/Miss Cratchitt Sam S. Shubert Theatre, Broadway 2004 Twentieth Century Ida Webb American Airlines Theatre, Broadway 2004 White Chocolate Vivian Beale Somerset Century Center for the Performing Arts, Off-Broadway 2005 Hairspray Denizen of Baltimore (Replacement)/Prudy Pingleton (Replacement) Neil Simon Theatre, Broadway 2009 Chasing Manet Iris/Rita/Charlotte 59E59 Theaters, Off-Broadway 2010 The Divine Sister Sister Acacius SoHo Playhouse, Off-Broadway 2011 Olive and the Bitter Herbs Wendy 59E59 Theaters, Off-Broadway 2012 Anything Goes Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt (Replacement) Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Broadway 2014 The Tribute Artist Rita 59E59 Theaters, Off-Broadway 2014 You Can't Take It with You Gay Wellington Longacre Theatre, Broadway 2015 A Confederacy of Dunces Miss Trixie Huntington Theatre Company 2015 Ever After Queen Marie of France Paper Mill Playhouse 2015 On the Town Maude P. Dilly (Replacement) Lyric Theatre, Broadway 2016 The Babylon Line Midge Braverman Lincoln Center Theater, Off-Broadway 2017 Murder on the Orient Express Helen Hubbard McCarter Theatre Center 2019 Tootsie Rita Marshall Marquis Theatre, Broadway 2021 Fairycakes Titania Greenwich House Theater, Off-Broadway 2023 Babbitt Mrs. Frink/Mrs. Bumbleworth/Opal Mudge/Miss McGoun/Storyteller 6 La Jolla Playhouse 2024 Breaking the Story Gummy Second Stage Theater, Off-Broadway 2024 Our Town Mrs. Soames Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway

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