Julie Haydon was born Donnalee Donaldson on June 10, 1910, in Oak Park, Illinois. She was a stage and screen actress who got her start in Hollywood in the 1930s, and later performed on Broadway. In 1944, Haydon originated the role of Laura in Tennesse Williams' play "The Glass Menagerie."
In 1955, Haydon married writer and critic George Jean Nathan, who died three years later. After his death, Haydon made guest appearences in university plays around the country. She was actress-in-residence at the College of St. Theresa in Winona, Minnesota from 1967-1977, and lived in La Crosse, Wisconsin from 1977 until the time of her death on December 24, 1994.
