Julie Olson Williams is a fictional character on the American television series Days of Our Lives, a soap opera broadcast on NBC. A member of the Horton family, the core family of the series, Julie has been played by Susan Seaforth Hayes off and on since 1968, making her one of the longest-tenured actors in American soap operas, and the only actor to appear in all seven decades of the series.
The character of Julie was introduced as a 16-year-old when the show premiered in 1965, with 19-year-old Charla Doherty being the first actress to play Julie. The role was unsuccessfully recast twice with Kathy Dunn in 1967, followed by Catherine Ferrar from 1967 until 1968. The role was then taken over by actress Susan Seaforth Hayes in 1968, who still portrays the character to this day. Julie is the last remaining character from the pilot, and Hayes the earliest-appearing actor to appear currently on the serial. Hayes is most recognizable in the role, having portrayed the character in the show all seven decades it has been on the air.
Doug Williams and Julie Olson were the first super couple in the history of the daytime industry. The January 12, 1976, cover of Time magazine featured Days of our Lives Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes, the first and only daytime actors to ever appear on its cover. The Hayeses themselves were a couple whose onscreen and real-life romance (they met on the series in 1970 and married in 1974) was widely covered by both the soap opera magazines and the mainstream press.
Julie was often the subject of notable press during the time on her serial. Widely read magazines would routinely publish forthcoming developments in her storylines. For her work as Julie, Susan Seaforth Hayes has been nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1975, 1976, 1978, and 1979 and for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2018 and 2020. No other actress has received as many nominations for their work on Days. She has also won two Soapy Awards for Best Actress and Favorite Romantic Female in 1977. She has been described as a legend, and television icon for the soap.
Creation and development Background Ted Corday and Irna Phillips created Julie in the 1960s as part of the story bible for Days of our Lives, a light-hearted soap opera focusing on the troubles of its core family, the Hortons. The Cordays and Bell combined the "hospital soap" idea with the tradition of centering a series on a family, by making the show about a family of doctors, including one who worked in a mental hospital.Gilbert, Annie, All My Afternoons, p. 110. The Julie character officially aired on November 8, 1965, when the show premiered on NBC in color. Julie was the sole character to represent the younger side of the series' main family compared to her adult co-stars. She was the first character to ever speak on the serial when it first broadcast in 1965, and was also the star of the two main scenes in the serial. Julie was also the first to mention the last name of the series when she gave a false name (Julie Horton) to a police officer when he arrested her for theft of a mink stole.
Casting
At the time, soap operas featured mostly older casts. To add a contemporary feel to the show, Corday and Philips focused on younger characters, while also mixing in older ones so as not to lose traditional soap opera viewers. Charla Doherty originated the role of Julie on November 8, 1965, when the show first premiered. Doherty had been in previous short roles on Wagon Train and Dr. Kildare. Charla was quite a bit younger than her co-stars when the show first aired in 1965. Frances Reid was in her fifties, as was MacDonald Carey. Maree Cheatham was in her early twenties, John Clarke and Patricia Huston were both in their thirties, with Doherty being in her late teens and early twenties during her first few years on the program.
In 1966, Doherty departed the serial to focus on other career options, last appearing on December 23 of that year. The role went through two unsuccessful recasts. The show replaced Doherty with actress Catherine Dunn from January 24 to June 20, 1967, who was in turn replaced by Catherine Ferrar that same year from July 13, 1967, until September 2, 1968. Both actresses proved to be unpopular in the role and were both fired. William J. Bell - the show's main writer at the time - decided to give the character a short break from the serial.
On December 11, 1968, the character reappeared onscreen. The role was now played by newcomer actress, Susan Seaforth Hayes (credited as "Susan Seaforth" because she had not yet met her husband Bill). Susan's previous soap roles included General Hospital and The Young Marrieds, but made a few appearances on Hallmark Hall of Fame, Bonanza, and Dragnet. In portraying Julie, the actress drew on the "self-centered" and "haughty" traits she recognized in herself while in college. In 1970, Bill Hayes joined the cast as Doug Williams. The Hayeses themselves were a couple whose onscreen and real-life romance (they met on the series in 1970) was widely covered by both the soap opera magazines and the mainstream press. Bill and Susan eventually fell in love and married, becoming the first soap couple to be together in real life (they married in 1974). With Frances Reid's passing in 2010, Susan Hayes is the only cast member to have aired on Days of our Lives in all seven decades that it has been on the air. Macdonald Carey often helped her in her early years on the show.
Archetypes Over the years Julie developed into different character archetypes. Soap operas once featured only one-dimensional characters who were either good or bad. By the 1970s, characters were written with more depth, fitting into archetypes consisting of the young-and-vulnerable romantic heroine, the old-fashioned villain, the rival, the suffering antagonist, Mr. Right, the former playboy, the meddlesome and villainous mother/grandmother, the benevolent mother/grandmother, and the career woman. Julie was established as the rival to Susan Martin's young-and-vulnerable romantic heroine. As the rival, Julie was written as a younger leading heroine, often portraying her vulnerable sides. Julie was generally positioned as the main protagonist being part of the prestigious Horton family.
By the late 1970s, a different set of character types was established, including the chic suburbanite, the subtle single, the traditional family person, the successful professional, and the elegant socialite. Julie was in the elegant socialite category which comprised "flashy", achievement-oriented characters that often loved their families and friends. Like others in this category, Julie was written as "flamboyant", "frivolous and carefree". Overall, Julie is the embodiment of "young hero",Siegel, p. 3. a soap opera archetype that "transformed and defined" the soap opera genre. Irna Phillips, Nixon, and William J. Bell created the archetype in the 1960s and it became one of their defining legacies. The archetype is an assertive Cinderella who goes after material things.
Lineage and personality
Julie is a headstrong teenager when Days of our Lives premiered in 1965. She is part of the soaps core family, the Hortons, around which the soap was originally structured. At the beginning of the serial in 1965, Julie was a 16 year old schoolgirl. The fictional history of her younger years has been told via behind-the-scenes books such as Days of our Lives: The True Story of one Family's Dream, and the second tie-in novel by Ken Corday, which explains that Julie was born and raised in Salem with the rest of her family before the show premiered.
Whereas most of the other female characters in Days of our Lives were portrayed in a somewhat more glamorous working class way, Julie Olson was the exception to the rule, being the sole character to represent the emotional side of the Horton family. As the serial progresses, Julie grew and matured much like the other characters. After the death of her mother Addie Horton in 1974, Julie matured into a young heroine, often helping to raise her baby sister, Hope Williams. Julie married Doug in the seventies and the two have remained relatively intact ever since. They are known as daytime's first supercouple. In more recent years, Julie has become a pillar of the community, representing the Horton family and their values. She is respected by many and is often seen giving advice or helping others. Julie also has a protective side and will do anything to protect and defend her family.
Storylines
Julie was born on March 31, 1949, to Addie Horton and Ben Olson. As Days of our Lives begins in 1965, Julie is a rebellious teenager part of the series's Horton family. In the first episode, Julie steals an expensive mink from a department store and is caught by a security guard and arrested. Julie moves in with her grandparents, Tom and Alice Horton, when her parents move to Europe. She plans on eloping with David Martin, but backs out after talking to Tom about it. Later, Julie pursues David while he is married to her best friend Susan, and maintains hope that he will leave Susan one day and marry her. However, that dream is shattered in 1967 when Susan, who blames David for the death of their son, kills David. During Susan's court trial, Julie is exposed as being pregnant with David's child. Julie eventually gives birth to a son whom she names David Jr and, following Tom's advice, she gives the child up for adoption. The baby is adopted by Scott and Janet Banning. After Janet dies of a brain tumor, Julie marries Scott and they raise David together.
In 1970, Julie meets Doug Williams who, at the time, is being paid by Susan Martin to have an affair with Julie. Incidentally, Julie falls in love with Doug and vice versa. In the summer of 1972, the time came for Doug and Julie to elope. Her divorce petition was just about ready, and he had the arrangements for their Italian honeymoon all set. But at the last minute, Doug and Julie had a fight that would change their lives drastically. Julie insisted on bringing David along on the honeymoon. Doug was opposed to this idea; he also did not agree with Julie's plans to take David away from Scott, who loved the boy as his own son. During their fight, Julie walked out on Doug. Later that night, Addie stopped by and asked Doug to marry her. On the rebound, and always up for an adventure, Doug agreed. At midnight, Doug and Addie left for Portofino using the tickets that he had meant to use with Julie- a decision which crushed Julie.