Julie Dawn Cole (born 26 October 1957) is an English actress, singer and writer. She began her career as a child actress, appearing in such television programmes as Play School (1966) and The Railway Children (1968). She came to prominence as a teenager for her role as Veruca Salt in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Cole was born in London, the daughter of Margaret (née Wray) and George Cole, a former actor. She has three sisters: Suzanne, Janet and Lynn. Cole was educated at Northwood Hills Grammar School for Girls.
Cole began her acting career at the age of eight, appearing in the BBC Television series Play School (1966). She went on to appear in a number of other television programmes, including The Railway Children (1968), before making her film debut in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, in which she played the role of Veruca Salt.
Cole’s other film credits include The Omen (1976), Cross of Iron (1977), The Wicked Lady (1983) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988). She has also appeared in a number of stage productions, including The Sound of Music (1981), Oliver! (1984) and My Fair Lady (1987).
Cole has been married twice: firstly to actor Michael Hordern from 1974 to 1983, with whom she had two sons; and secondly to actor Robert Powell from 1986 to present, with whom she has a daughter.
Has 2 children with her ex-husband Nick Wilton, a daughter named Holly (b. 1990) and a son named Barnaby (b. 1994).
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Says that her song-and-dance routine in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) totally went against her nature as a person and she had to be coaxed into being "nasty."
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Visits the U.S. once a year to do Christmas shopping in New York City.
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To this day, she still has the "Everlasting Gobstopper" and "Golden Ticket" from her role in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), even though she and the other children in the cast were originally told to return them after the filming.
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Performed in a highly acclaimed comedy show in the 2004 Melbourne International Comedy Festival entitled "Willy Wonka Explained - The Veruca Salt Sessions"