The surprisingly shy Julie London rose to fame as the bombshell singer, actress and sex symbol during the 1950s and beyond. Her given name was Julie Peck when she was born in Santa Rosa, California in 1926 to parents who were a song and dance team. She had an early exposure to the entertainment industry, but it took a chance encounter with actor Alan Ladd's wife, Sue Carol, to launch her career. She started her acting career with Nabonga in 1944, and she honed her singing skills as well by being a part of the Matty Malnech Orchestra.

Her career came to an abrupt stop in 1947 when she married Dragnet star Jack Webb. She stayed at home after they married to raise their two daughters, but after they divorced in 1953, London went back to entertainment. She met her second husband, songwriter and musician Bobby Troupe, soon after, who she would remained married to until his death in 1999. She started singing as well as appearing in movies like The Great Man, Voice in the Mirror, The George Raft Story and The Third Voice. During this time, she was also releasing albums and songs for films. Many of her albums were hits for both their music and the sexy cover shots of London.

She continued her acting and singing career into the 1960s and 1970s. In 1972, she took the role of nurse Dixie McCall on the television show Emergency!, where she stayed until the last part of the decade. After the series ended, London gladly departed from the public eye. She and Troupe had three children together, one daughter and two sons. In 1995, London suffered a stroke that left her in failing health. The complications eventually led to her death in 2000 at the age of 74.