Quiz

She decided to end her portrayal of Brooke Martin on All My Children after having playing the role for around 30 years.

Husband, Richard Hirschlag, is an oral surgeon.

Julia got her theatrical start with the Fort Wayne Community Theatre in Indiana while still in high-school. After going to New York, she worked at a telephone answering service until getting her first soap role on Ryan's Hope in 1976. Later that year, she began playing Brooke on AMC.

Mother of Allison Hirschlag.

For her role as Brooke on AMC, she won two Daytime Emmy Awards (1990, 1998) out of eight nominations, and she won one Soap Opera Digest Award (1991) out of four nominations. At both awards shows, she never lost when nominated for Supporting Actress (winning: 2 Emmys, 1 SOD) and she never won when nominated for Lead Actress (losing: 6 Emmys, 3 SOD's).

February 18-June 15, 1976: Barr's tenure as Serena 'Reenie' Szabo on "Ryan's Hope," where Michael Fairman played her father, and Justin Deas played her first love-interest. Although Barr signed a two-year contract, she was released after four months.

Ranks third in having the most Daytime Emmy nominations for acting on AMC. The Top 5 are: Susan Lucci (21 noms), David Canary (16 noms), Julia Barr (8 noms); James Mitchell and Michael E. Knight (7 noms); and Debbi Morgan (5 noms). All but Mitchell won at least once.

September 2002: Release of her debut music album, "From Our House ... To Yours," which contains 11 holiday tracks and features collaborations with her husband, Dr. Richard Hirschlag, and daughter, Allison Hirschlag. All proceeds went directly to The Fund for Animals, which Barr was the spokesperson of from 2001-2005.

Moved to Buffalo, New York, after graduating college and worked at the box office of the Studio Arena Theatre (renamed The Shea's 710 Theatre in 2012). She not only earned her Equity card but was also signed by an agent after being introduced to him by his current client, Lynne Thigpen, her new friend and her future AMC costar.

Like her daughter, she is an only-child.

Started doing plays and musicals when she was 13, and had been in over 25 productions by the time she completed her theatre degree from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

June 1976: Actress Elissa Leeds fired after originating and playing Brooke English on "All My Children" for three months. Barr auditioned opposite current AMC cast member, Daren Kelly, and was shortly offered and accepted the role.

When the package tour of "There's a Girl in My Soup" starring Van Johnson came to Studio Arena Theatre, she was cast in the one role (Paola) yet to be filled. For both jobs (box office during the day, performing in the play at night), Barr was paid Equity rate. It ran from March 02nd-24th, 1974.

June 1981-September 1982: Took a break from AMC to perform with Katharine Hepburn and Dorothy Loudon in the national touring company of "West Side Waltz," resulting in Brooke being played by Harriet Hall through March 1982.

After a 25-year absence from the stage, she was recruited by AMC costar Walt Willey to appear in "Arsenic and Old Lace" (as Abby), a play he was producing and starring in (as Mortimer) at Ottawa High School in Ottawa, Illinois, alongside Kim 'Howard' Johnson (as Jonathan) and Mary Fennessey Morgan (as Martha). The company rehearsed for 12 days, with performances running July 23-25, 2010.