British-born actress Jill Haworth died 3 January 2011 of natural causes at her home in New York City. Born Valerie Jill Haworth in Sussex, England, on 15 August 1945, she’ll be best remembered for originating the role of Sally Bowles in Broadway’s Cabaret (1966-69, Liza Minnelli played the role in the 1972 movie).
She got her acting start at the age of 14, when director Otto Preminger discovered her and signed her to appear in Exodus (1960), along with Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, and Sal Mineo. She appeared in two more less-known Preminger films and three in France before she won the part of Sally in what would be her only Broadway appearance. The New York Times notes she was “just 21 on opening night and with scant stage experience, she had never before sung a note professionally.” She was panned in reviews. In an interview Tuesday, Harold Prince, who directed the musical, said the reviewers didn’t understand the role. “Sally Bowles was not supposed to be a professional singer. She wasn’t supposed to be so slick that you forgot she was an English girl somewhat off the rails in the Weimar era. When Jill came in and auditioned, she nailed it right away, walked that line. That’s what we wanted, and that’s what she delivered.”
Remembering Haworth, Joel Grey (who starred as the MC in Cabaret) said “she was ‘let’s have a good time,’ She had a wild abandon about herself and her life. I understood why Hal chose her. She was so Sally Bowles.”
Her genre roles include: Gandahar (1988), The Mutations (1974), Home for the Holidays (1972), Horror on Snape Island (1972), Horror House (1969), It! (1967), and The Outer Limits (1963).