Biography and Resume
Deborah Jean Templin
A thirty year veteran of theatre, film and television, Deborah Jean has played important roles with many of America’s most prestigious regional companies. She is the recipient of Philadelphia’s Barrymore Award for Oustanding Perfomance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and the Los Angeles Arts Council’s Richard Burton Award in Acting. Credits include Dolly Levi in HELLO, DOLLY!, Miss Hannigan in ANNIE and her one woman show UNSINKABLE WOMEN, all at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre (celebrating its 200th year in 2009), the Lady from Lincoln in A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS at Trinity Rep in Providence, Rhode Island and Bertie in THE CLUB at Boston’s Charles Street Playhouse. At the Arena Stage in Washington D.C., she played Mary Stewart in the 50th anniversary production of the musical ANIMAL CRACKERS.
She was featured in the San Francisco engagement of Herb Gardner’s I’M NOT RAPPAPORT opposite Nehemiah Persoff and Ben Vereen. National tours include MAMMA MIA!, TITANIC: A NEW MUSICAL, ANNIE (as Grace Farrell opposite Harve Presnell), and PASSION OF DRACULA with Jose Greco. Her New York stage credits range from the New York premiere of WE’RE STILL HOT! and the Cameron Mackintosh production of TOMFOOLERY at the Village Gate to ETERNAL LOVE, a musical adaptation of the story of Abelard and Heloise. At the world-famous Edinburgh Festival, Ms. Templin starred as Auschwitz survivor, French chanteuse Fania Fenelon in the United Kingdom stage premiere of Arthur Miller’s PLAYING FOR TIME.
In a completely different vein one of her most challenging roles was Florence Foster Jenkins, the self-styled opera diva in SOUVENIR. Learning five arias and singing them with complete lack of rhythm, pitch and tone, Deborah Jean played Florence at Stageworks Hudson, the Charles Wood Theatre and Cape May Stage. She has also created and performed three cabarets to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS.
Ms. Templin trained at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre and holds a Masters of Fine Arts from California State University/Long Beach. She has served as a Resident Professional Theatre Associate and Visiting Professor at Cornell and Susquehanna Universities. She has also served as a member of the on-camera faculty at New York’s School for Film and Television. In addition, she is an experienced television and film actress. She was featured on MIDNIGHT CALLER, SUPERIOR COURT, ONE LIFE TO LIVE, ALL MY CHILDREN and the Mike Hammer television movie, MORE THAN A MURDER starring Stacey Keach. Ms. Templin has been in a number of commercials including national spots for Charmin, Old Spice and ABC Daytime and a New York State Lottery Commerical featuring the World Trade Center. Her film credits include Penny Marshall’s AWAKENINGS, SCENT OF A WOMAN and YOU’VE GOT MAIL. Her one woman play UNSINKABLE WOMEN: STORIES AND SONGS FROM THE TITANIC was first produced by John Adams and The JENA Company in 2003. Deborah Jean has been a proud member of Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists since 1977.
