Julie Ridge swam the English Channel in 1982, became the first person to swim two
consecutive non-stop laps around Manhattan island in ’83 (earning her a guest
appearance on the David Letterman Show); completed the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon in
’84; and swam into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1985 by swimming one 28.5
mile lap around Manhattan each day for five consecutive days. That year, she was
inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. In 1990 she bicycled
across America with her father Frank Ridge. Julie performed on Broadway in Oh!
Calcutta! and is a published author. She earned her Masters degree in social work from
Columbia University in 1994 and has been a foster and adoptive parent to special
needs children. Currently, Julie works as a licensed psychiatric social worker; designs
and facilitates learning seminars for continuing education contact hours for mental
health care professionals in New York; and is a member of the SAG-AFTRA Performers
with Disabilities Committee. In 2013, Julie established the Frank Ridge Memorial
Foundation Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to living well with mental health
conditions through awareness and understanding, in loving memory of her father. In
2018, her one-woman show BIPOLAR & THE ENGLISH CHANNEL premiered Off
Broadway at the Studio Theater on 42nd Street. She presented BIPOLAR & THE
ENGLISH CHANNEL Off Broadway in the 2021 and 2022 United Solo Theater Festival.
Zac Norrington’s short documentary film BREATHE, featuring the intersection of Ridge’s
double swim around Manhattan Island and her life with bipolar disorder, debuted at the
NYCDOC Film Festival in 2022. Julie is proud mom to Jason Peterson-Ridge. She lives
well with bipolar disorder in New York City.