Jill Marie McMurray

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).