Line of Fire

Background:

American actress of theatre, television and film Julie Ann Emery was already a popular present on stage before segueing into the small screen in early 2000s with guest spots in series like “ER,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “Providence” and “CSI:Miami” and a regular gig in the short-lived drama “First Monday.” The pretty performer, however, did not hit the big time until she was cast as Amelia Keys in the Steven Spielberg highly-rated miniseries “Taken” (2002) and landed the starring role of Jennifer Sampson in the Rod Lurie-created “Line of Fire” (2003-2004). Her other TV credits include guest starring in such shows as “Commander in Chief” (2005), “Ghost Whisperer” and “October Road” (both 2007), and playing supporting roles in television films like “Another Pretty Face” (2002) and “Snow Wonder” (2005). On the movie front, Emery is probably best known as Casey Sedgewick in the Will Smith vehicle “Hitch” (2005), and recently played Leslie in the horror “House” (2007).

Emery is the wife of Broadway actor Kevin Earley.

Crossville Girl

Childhood and Family:

Daughter of a dairy farmer and a computer analyst, Julie Ann Emery was born and raised in the small town of Crossville, Tennessee. She became interested in acting as a teenager and appeared in her first play at age 16. This experience led to her decision to study drama at Webster Conservatory in St. Louis, Missouri.

Julie now lives in Los Angeles. She is married to Kevin Earley, a Broadway actor.

The Rainbow Tribe

Career:

Julie Ann Emery got her first taste of acting at age 16 in a play produced by her school and subsequently caught by the acting bug. She went on to perform with the community theater at Crossville for two years before training professionally at St. Louis' Webster Conservatory. Since then, she has acted in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles with roles in such productions as “Twelfth Night,” “Hot L Baltimore,” “Caesar and Cleopatra,” “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Annie” and “ Boy Gets Girl.” She won rave reviews for her work at “Gypsy.”

Emery made the jump onto the small screen in 2001, when she guested in an episode of the long-running hit series “ER,” playing paramedic Nikki, opposite Eric Paladino, and her character reappeared in several more episodes during 2002/2003 season. She next joined the cast of the short-lived drama “First Monday” (2002), along side Joe Mantegna and James Garner, and later that same year she guested in series “The Drew Carey Show” and “Providence.”

Still in 2002, Emery landed the part of Amelia Keys in the Emmy award-winning Sci-Fi epic miniseries “Taken,” produced by Steven Spielberg. An exceptional chronicle of humankind's relationship with the mysterious extraterrestrials in its midst, the show has been named by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as “the best television miniseries since HBO's “Band of Brothers.” The same year, she also made her TV-movie bow in “Another Pretty Face” and had her first big screen role in a very bad thriller called “Reality Check.”

After guesting in “CSI: Miami” (2003), Emery found herself teaming up with creator Rod Lurie in the pilot “Capital City,” but it was not sold. Impressed by her performance, Lurie offered her a starring role in his new show called “Line of Fire” (2003-2004). A political drama that follows the stories of a young female F.B.I. agent and a gangster, the series was a success, despite its quick demise. Thanks to her sexy southern drawl and elusive beauty, Emery won over audience through her role as Jennifer Sampson.

Following the quick demise of “Line of Fire,” Emery returned to television as guest star in episodes of “The Inside” and “Alias” (both 2005) before undertaking a recurring role as Joan Greer on “Commander in Chief” (also 2005), starring Geena Davis and Harry J. Lennix. She also appeared with Poppy Montgomery, Camryn Manheim, Jennifer Esposito, Eric Szmanda, Mary Tyler Moore and Jason Priestley on the made-for-TV film “Snow Wonder” (2005) and supported Will Smith in the comedy film “Hitch” (2005), directed by Andy Tennant. Next up for Emery, she acted in “Gillery's Little Secret” (2006) with Annabeth Gish and Allison Smith, and had a supporting turn as Leslie in the based-on-novel horror “House” (2007). She had guest roles in such series as “Bones” (2006), “Ghost Whisperer,” “The Riches,” “Army Wives”and “October Road” (all 2007).

Recently, Emery has completed filming the TV-movie drama “Pictures of Hollis Woods” (2007), in which she appears as Izzy Regan. Among her costars in the movie are Sissy Spacek, Alfre Woodard and Jodelle Ferland. She also has a supporting part in the forthcoming comedy/family “The Rainbow Tribe” (2008), opposite David James Elliott, Grayson Russell and Ed Quinn.

Awards:
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