Jill Marie McMurray
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Jill Marie McMurray was raised in
Sacramento, California, USA. She was born to parents Francis McMurray,
a butcher from Stoneham, Massachusetts and Jean McMurray, a housewife
from Ketchikan, Alaska. Jill wanted to be an actress ever since she was
four years old and would sing and dance for the customers at Joe and
Thelma's Cafe; located next to her parents meat market. Jill spent her
teenage years studying dance and performing as a baton twirler in
parades and with the high school marching band. She moved with her
family to Seattle, Washington. There, Jill studied classical ballet
with Russian Ballet Master, Ivan Novikoff, who studied at the Imperial
Ballet School, immigrated to the United States and founded the Novikoff
School of Russian-American Ballet. She attended Western Washington
University in Bellingham, Washington. Jill continued on with a
corporate position working for US West Communications (now Qwest) in
Seattle, Washington. Eventually she moved back to California and
studied acting while earning a degree with a Theatre Arts Concentration
from Sierra College. Jill then worked in feature films and television
shows as an extra, before landing a role in a independent film. But she
wanted more creative influence and started writing her own scripts.
This led to writing and directing her short film, Finding Charlie
(2006) which made the rounds of the festival circuit and Rock Shop Girl
(2010). Her current project is a documentary, Hot Volunteer Heroes,
Breaking Down The Wall (2011).
