Julie Alexander (9 May 1938 – 31 January 2003) was a British model and actress of the late 1950s and early 1960s known for playing glamorous roles including Rosalie Dawn in ''

The Pure Hell of St Trinian's ''The Pure Hell of St Trinian's'' is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Cecil Parker, George Cole, Joyce Grenfell and Eric Barker. It was written by Launder, Sidney Gilliat and Val Valentine, and set in the fict ...

''.

Biography

Early years

Born in

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

in London as Julia Yvonne Alexander, on leaving school Alexander worked in an insurance office and then for an optician to pay for drama lessons.

Career

At 5 feet 4 inches tall, Alexander was originally a model and

pin-up girl A pin-up model is a model whose mass-produced pictures and photographs have wide appeal within the popular culture of a society. Pin-up models are usually glamour, actresses, or fashion models whose pictures are intended for informal and aesth ...

appearing in ''Charm'' and ''Lush'' and on the covers of '' Blighty'' and ''Carnival'' magazines in 1956, the Turkish magazine ''Hayat'' in 1957, '' Tit-Bits'' in 1958 and 1959 and '' The Weekly News'' in 1959 and in a number of TV commercials before moving into acting. Her television appearances included ''The Mythmakers'' (1958), '' ITV Play of the Week'' (1958), Mary in ''Tell It to the Marines'' (1959), '' Play Your Hunch'' as herself (1961), '' The Strange World of Gurney Slade'' (1960), Dahlia MacNamara in ''

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

'' (1962) and Lady Rosalie in three episodes of ''

Richard the Lionheart Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

'' (1962). During her brief acting career she appeared in the films '' Hello London'' (1958), '' Operation Bullshine'' (1959), '' Dentist in the Chair'' (1960), ''

'' (1960), ''

The Terror of the Tongs ''The Terror of the Tongs'' is a 1961 British adventure film directed by Anthony Bushell and starring Geoffrey Toone, Christopher Lee and Yvonne Monlaur. Plot In 1910, Mr. Ming is an agent of a group which secretly fights against tongs, China ...

'' (1961) and ''

A Matter of WHO ''A Matter of WHO'' is a 1961 British comedy thriller film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Terry-Thomas, Julie Alexander, Sonja Ziemann, Alex Nicol, Richard Briers, Honor Blackman and Carol White. A World Health Organization employee tries ...

'' (1961).

Late years and death

She retired from acting in 1962 and married the theatrical chartered accountant Robert Breckman in 1979. Alexander was diagnosed with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

in 1993 at the age of 55 and was admitted to the Meadbank Nursing Centre in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...

in London in 1997. She died there aged 64 in January 2003.England & Wales, Death Index, 1916–2006 about Julia Yvonne Breckman on Ancestry.co.uk She was cremated in a non-religious ceremony at Putney Vale Cemetery.

Legacy

After Alexander's diagnosis the Julie and Robert Breckman Centre at the PDSA PetAid hospital in Romford was set up and funded by the couple as a

living will An advance healthcare directive, also known as living will, personal directive, advance directive, medical directive or advance decision, is a document in which a person specifies what actions should be taken for their health if they are no longe ...

; it opened in 1999. Robert Breckman also funds The Breckman Student Nurse Bursary for the same organisation as a tribute to his late wife. The Romford centre has a display of memorabilia from Alexander's modelling and acting career as well as a collection of specially commissioned artwork. In addition, in 2000 Julie and Robert Breckman donated the most important examples from their collection of prints by

Francesco Bartolozzi __NOTOC__ Francesco Bartolozzi (21 September 1727 – 7 March 1815) was an Italian engraver, whose most productive period was spent in London. He is noted for popularizing the "crayon" method of engraving. Early life Bartolozzi was born in Flo ...

as well as their collection of Staffordshire ceramics, to the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

. At the same time the Julie and Robert Breckman Staffordshire and Print Fund was established at the V&A for the purpose of adding to the Museum's print collection. Their donation complemented the Bartolozzi prints in the original Julie and Robert Breckman gift, as that had also included an example of a print in its original frame, Bartolozzi's 'Apotheosis of a Beautiful Female' of 1797. The Julie and Robert Breckman Prints and Drawings Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum opened in 2005.

References

External links

Obituary
in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' 11 February 2003
1962 photo of Alexander on ephotozine.com'Living with dementia'
Alzheimer's Society Magazine – February 2010
Alexander
on the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Julie 1938 births 2003 deaths English television actresses English film actresses Actors from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Actresses from London English female models Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in England Burials at Putney Vale Cemetery Models from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham People from Fulham