Julie Dawn Cole is an English actress born in Guildford, Surrey, who is most notably recognized for her portrayal of the demanding and insatiable character Veruca Salt in the 1971 fantasy film "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory". This marked her film debut, and the first adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".
Cole was educated in a boarding school and was only 12 years old during the filming of "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory". She took center stage in the iconic "I Want It Now" sequence, where Veruca expresses her desires. The sequence was filmed on her 13th birthday, with Cole having previously recorded her vocals for the song and focusing on the character's dancing moves during filming.
Following her film debut, Cole was cast in the recurring role of Arabella in the sitcom "..And Mother Makes Three" from 1971 to 1973. Her character was depicted as a snobbish adolescent girl. Early in her career, Cole was typecast in playing "bad girls" in various television productions, including juvenile delinquents such as burglars and prisoners. She later played against type when cast as Alice in Christmas commercials for Woolworths.
Cole was given a more substantial role as student nurse Jo Longhurst in the medical drama "Angels" from 1975 to 1983. Jo was depicted as a genuinely compassionate character who questioned the cynical decisions of authority figures. This was Cole's first major role in a television series.
In the period drama "Poldark" from 1975 to 1977, Cole portrayed Rowella Chynoweth, the younger sister of the romantic lead Morwenna. Rowella was the mistress of Reverend Osborne Whitworth, who was also Morwenna's husband and her own brother-in-law. She was able to manipulate Osborne into arranging her marriage to a man of her choice and providing her entire dowry.
Cole also played the supporting character Lucy Deane in a 1979 television adaptation of George Eliot's novel "The Mill on the Floss". In the novel, Lucy is both a cousin and friend to the protagonist Maggie Tulliver. Maggie's efforts to rescue Lucy from a river flood result in Maggie's death at the end of the novel.
Over the following decades, Cole remained a familiar face in television, often limited to playing one-shot characters. She was eventually cast in the regular role of Judy Hollingsworth in the short-lived sitcom "Married for Life" in 1996. The series was a British remake of the American sitcom "Married... with Children", with Judy being a British version of Marcy Rhoades from the original series. The British sitcom only lasted for seven episodes.
By the end of the 1990s, Cole had earned qualifications as a fitness instructor and psychotherapist. She pursued these new careers in the 2000s, while regularly appearing in television roles. In 2004, Cole was a guest-star in the theatrical show "Willy Wonka Explained (The Search for Veruca Salt)" as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. In 2016, Cole published her memoir, titled "I Want It Now!", named after Veruca Salt's famous song.
In 2019, Cole's keepsake props from the "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" were sold at auction for over £15,000. By 2022, Cole was 65 years old, and she has had no known television roles for several years. However, she still has fans who fondly recall her debut role, and several actresses have followed her footsteps in playing Veruca Salt, with the character remaining popular for decades.
