<P> Julie Dawn Cole (born 26 October 1957) is an English actress who has been active for more than 40 years . She began as a child performer in what remains her best - remembered film, 1971's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, playing the spoiled Veruca Salt . She has two children . </P> <P> A native of Guildford, Surrey, Cole was twelve when she was cast in the supporting role during the project's pre-production phase in the first half of 1970 (she celebrated her 13th birthday eight weeks into the film's 111⁄2 - week filming schedule in Southern Germany's sprawling production complex, Bavaria Film Studios, on the day she performed her song "I Want It Now"). The film debuted in New York on 30 June 1971 and in London the following week, with Julie chosen to present a bouquet of flowers to Princess Margaret at the Royal Premiere . She and Willy Wonka's other pre-adolescent "leading lady," American Denise Nickerson (Violet Beauregarde), both had crushes on Peter Ostrum (Charlie Bucket), also an American, and alternated days spending time with him while there were breaks in filming . </P> <P> Cole played trainee nurse Jo Longhurst in the first season of the British drama Angels, in the mid-1970s . (She was also first runner - up for the title role in the movie Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which went to her Angels co-star Fiona Fullerton). </P> <P> In the mid 1970s Cole appeared on episodes of the Dutch - produced detective show Van Der Valk starring Barry Foster . In the second season of Poldark, in 1977, she played 15 - year - old Rowella Chynoweth, seducing her sister's portly husband . Other credits include the Children's Film Foundation movie Paganini Strikes Again (1973), the comedy film That Lucky Touch (1975) starring Roger Moore, a 1982 episode of Tales of the Unexpected ("The Skeleton Key"), and the 1984 TV film of Camille, starring Greta Scacchi and Colin Firth . She featured as' Robot 35' in the CBBC comedy Galloping Galaxies! . </P>

Who played veruca salt in charlie and the chocolate factory