Julia Nickson was born on the beautiful island city of Singapore, where she spent her early years before moving to the vales of Wiltshire, England, and later to the red rock canyons of the Zambezi river in Africa.
After her father's death when she was six, Julia returned to Singapore, where she watched the city transition from an unsophisticated British colony to a prosperous independent nation.
She attended the Singapore American School, where she excelled in both studies and athletics, competing in field hockey and track, and also pursued equestrian activities such as dressage, show-jumping, cross-country, and polo.
At 15, Julia gained her license as an amateur jockey and went on to win numerous three-day shows and lower division polo tournaments, including a first-place trophy from Sir Run Run Shaw at the age of 14.
After graduating early from school, Julia left a modeling career in Singapore to attend the University of Hawaii, where she initially intended to study Hotel Management but ended up pursuing a career in acting instead.
She made her stage debut in a production of Shakespeare's "Winter's Tale" and went on to study voice, dance, and acting, landing small roles in community theater and on the TV show "Magnum PI."
In 1984, Julia was cast in the film "Rambo: First Blood, Part II," which became the second-largest grossing film of 1985 and remains the most widely viewed action film on US television to this day.
Julia then moved to Los Angeles, where she became known for portraying glamorous women in numerous TV and film productions throughout the 1980s and '90s.
She starred in the TV shows "Harry's Hong Kong" and "Around the World in 80 Days," and appeared in films such as "Noble House" and "China Cry," which earned her critical acclaim and recognition as one of the top Asian American actors in the US.
Julia has also appeared in numerous other TV shows and films, including "K-2," "Sidekicks," "Babylon 5," "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Nash Bridges," "One West Waikiki," and "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
Over the years, Julia has been a guest on various talk shows, including "The Late Show with David Letterman," "Live with Regis and Kelly," and "Good Morning America," and has supported independent filmmakers by premiering her own films at the Sundance Film Festival.
In recent years, Julia has focused on her daughter's career, China Soul, who has graduated from the University of London and is a singer-songwriter with an album available on Amazon UK.
