Julie Andrews facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Julie Andrews
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Andrews in 2013
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Julia Elizabeth Wells
1 October 1935 Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England
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| Years active | 1945–present |
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Works
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Full list |
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| Children | 3, including Emma Walton Hamilton |
| Awards | Full list |
Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is a famous English actress, singer, and author. She has won many awards during her long career, which has lasted over 80 years. These awards include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards.
Julie Andrews was one of the most popular movie stars in the 1960s. She has received special honors like the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001. In 2007, she got the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 2022, she received the AFI Life Achievement Award. In 2000, Queen Elizabeth II made her a Dame, which is a special title in Britain.
She started as a child actress and singer. She performed in London's West End theatre in 1948. Her first big role on Broadway theatre was in The Boy Friend (1954). She became very famous for her roles in Broadway musicals. She played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1956). She also played Queen Guinevere in Camelot (1960).
Julie Andrews made her first movie in 1964. She played the main character in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins. For this role, she won an Academy Award for Best Actress. The next year, she starred in The Sound of Music (1965). She played Maria von Trapp and won a Golden Globe Award.
She has starred in many other films. These include The Princess Diaries (2001) and its sequel (2004). She also voiced characters in the Shrek movies and the Despicable Me movies. Julie Andrews has also written many children's books with her daughter. She has also written two books about her own life.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Julia Elizabeth Wells was born on 1 October 1935. This was in Walton-on-Thames, England. Her mother was Barbara Ward Wells. Her father was Edward Charles "Ted" Wells, a teacher. Julie learned about her biological father later in her life.
During World War II, her parents divorced. Her mother married Ted Andrews. Her father married Winifred Maud Birkhead. Julie lived with her mother and stepfather, who helped her with her artistic training. The family was very poor during the war. Julie called this time "a very black period in my life."
As her mother and stepfather's stage careers got better, they moved to nicer places. Julie's stepfather paid for her lessons. She first went to the Cone-Ripman School in London. Then she studied with a famous voice teacher, Madame Lilian Stiles-Allen. Julie said Stiles-Allen had a huge influence on her. Stiles-Allen thought Julie had a rare gift for music. Julie described her own voice as "very pure, white, thin." She said it had a "four-octave range."
Career Highlights
Early Performances (1945–1953)
Julie Andrews started performing with her parents in 1945. She would sing solos or duets with her stepfather. Her mother played the piano. She often stood on a beer crate to reach the microphone.
Her big break came when her stepfather introduced her to Val Parnell. He managed many famous theaters in London. At age 12, Julie made her professional solo debut. This was at the London Hippodrome in 1947. She sang a difficult song from an opera. She performed there for a year.
In 1948, at 13, Julie became the youngest solo performer. She sang for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. This was at the London Palladium. She performed with famous stars like Danny Kaye.
Julie also worked in radio and television. She was on the BBC show Educating Archie from 1950 to 1952. She also appeared in London's West End theatre. She played Princess Badroulbadour in Aladdin. In 1952, she voiced Princess Zeila in an animated movie called The Singing Princess. This was her first movie role.
Broadway Stardom (1954–1962)
On the day before her 19th birthday in 1954, Julie made her Broadway debut. She played Polly Browne in the musical The Boy Friend. She was nervous about moving to New York. But her father encouraged her. The show was a big hit, and critics praised Julie.
After The Boy Friend, Julie auditioned for My Fair Lady. She got the part of Eliza Doolittle. The director, Moss Hart, worked closely with her. Julie said this was the best acting lesson she ever had. My Fair Lady opened in 1956 and was a huge success. Julie learned to adjust her accent for the American audience.
The famous composer Richard Rodgers was very impressed with Julie. He wrote the television musical Cinderella especially for her. It was broadcast live in 1957. About 107 million people watched it. Julie was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role. In 1957, she released her first solo music album.
Julie also appeared on many TV shows. These included The Ed Sullivan Show and The Jack Benny Program. In 1962, she starred in a TV special with Carol Burnett. It was called Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall. In 1960, she played Queen Guinevere in Camelot. She starred with Richard Burton.
When they made the movie version of My Fair Lady, Julie was not chosen for the role of Eliza. The studio wanted a more famous movie star, Audrey Hepburn. Julie understood the decision but wished she could have recorded her performance.
Film Star (1963–1967)
In 1963, Julie started working on Disney's Mary Poppins. Walt Disney had seen her in Camelot and offered her the role. Julie first said no because she was pregnant. But Disney said, "We'll wait for you." The author of the Mary Poppins books, P. L. Travers, told Julie she was "much too pretty." But she also said Julie had "the nose for it."
Mary Poppins became a huge success. It was the biggest movie in Disney history at the time. Critics loved Julie's performance. The film won five Academy Awards. Julie won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also won a Golden Globe Award. She and her co-stars won a Grammy Award for the film's album.
Julie also starred in The Americanization of Emily (1964). She wanted to avoid being typecast as only playing nannies. She later said this was her favorite film. Then, she starred in The Sound of Music (1965). This was the highest-grossing film of that year. Julie said she thought the musical was "rather saccharine" at first. But she loved filming in Salzburg, Austria.
Critics praised Julie's performance as Maria von Trapp. She won her second Golden Globe Award. She was also nominated for another Academy Award. Julie later said that playing these first three film roles was enough to make her happy for a lifetime.
After The Sound of Music, Julie appeared on The Andy Williams Show. She also had her own TV special, The Julie Andrews Show, which won an Emmy Award. In 1966, she starred in Hawaii and Torn Curtain, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Julie said Hitchcock taught her a lot about filmmaking.
In 1967, Julie played the main character in Thoroughly Modern Millie. She found working on the film a "pleasant distraction" because her stepfather had recently passed away. The movie was a success. Critics called Julie "deliciously spirited and dry."
Later Career (1968–Present)
Julie's next films were Star! (1968) and Darling Lili (1970). Darling Lili was directed by her second husband, Blake Edwards. While these films were not as successful, Julie was still praised for her performances. She was nominated for Golden Globe Awards for both.
Julie continued to work in television. In 1971, she and Carol Burnett had another TV special. From 1972 to 1973, Julie had her own TV show, The Julie Andrews Hour. It won seven Emmy Awards but only lasted one season. She also guest-starred on The Muppet Show in 1977. In the 1970s, she made two successful films: The Tamarind Seed (1974) and 10 (1979).
In 1981, she starred in Blake Edwards' film S.O.B.. In 1982, she played a dual role in Victor/Victoria. This film reunited her with James Garner. Her performance earned her another Golden Globe Award. She was also nominated for her third Academy Award. She starred in That's Life! and Duet for One (both 1986), earning more Golden Globe nominations.
In 1991, Julie was named a Disney Legend. In 1995, she returned to Broadway in the stage musical version of Victor/Victoria. This was her first Broadway show in 35 years. She was the only person from the show nominated for a Tony Award. She declined the nomination because she felt the whole production should have been recognized.
Children's Entertainment and Recent Roles (2000–Present)
In 1997, Julie had surgery on her throat. This surgery caused permanent damage to her singing voice. She could no longer sing with the same purity. She later sued the doctors. Despite this, Julie stayed very busy.
In 2000, Queen Elizabeth II made her a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 2001, Julie received Kennedy Center Honors. That same year, she starred as Queen Clarisse Marie Renaldi in The Princess Diaries. She played the role again in the 2004 sequel. In the sequel, she sang on film for the first time since her surgery. The song was written to fit her recovering voice.
Julie also appeared in two TV movies based on the Eloise books. She played the nanny in Eloise at the Plaza (2003) and Eloise at Christmastime (2003). She was nominated for an Emmy Award for these roles. In 2003, she directed a revival of The Boy Friend, the musical where she made her Broadway debut.
From 2005 to 2006, Julie was the official ambassador for Disneyland's 50th-anniversary celebration. She narrated a new fireworks show. She also voiced Queen Lillian in Shrek 2 (2004) and its sequels. In 2007, she narrated the Disney movie Enchanted.
In 2007, Julie received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild. In 2008, she published Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, her first autobiography. In 2009, she received the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement.
In 2010, Julie had a supporting role in the film Tooth Fairy. She also reprised her role as Queen Lillian in Shrek Forever After. She voiced Marlena Gru in Despicable Me (2010). In 2011, she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She also won a Grammy with her daughter Emma for a children's spoken-word album.
In 2013, Julie went on her first tour of Australia and New Zealand. She gave speaking engagements instead of singing. She did a similar tour in England in 2014. In 2015, Julie made a surprise appearance at the Oscars. Lady Gaga sang a medley from The Sound of Music to honor her.
In 2016, Julie created the preschool TV series Julie's Greenroom with her daughter. It premiered on Netflix in 2017. She also voiced Karathen in Aquaman (2018). She chose not to have a cameo in Mary Poppins Returns to let the new star, Emily Blunt, shine.
Since 2020, Julie has voiced Lady Whistledown in the Netflix series Bridgerton. In 2022, she narrated the film The King's Daughter. In June 2022, Julie was honored with the American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award. She also reprised her role as Gru's mother in Minions: The Rise of Gru. In 2023, she appeared in TV specials honoring her friends Carol Burnett and Dick Van Dyke.
Personal Life
Julie Andrews married set designer Tony Walton in 1959. They first met in 1948. Their daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, was born in 1962. They divorced in 1968.
In 1969, Julie married director Blake Edwards. She became a stepmother to his two children. In the 1970s, Julie and Blake adopted two daughters from Vietnam. They were married for 41 years. Blake Edwards passed away in 2010 at age 88. Julie was by his side.
Julie Andrews is a grandmother to nine grandchildren. She is also a great-grandmother to three great-grandchildren. She lives in Sag Harbor, New York. Her daughter Emma helped start the Bay Street Theater there.
Vocal Style
When Julie was young, her voice was called "pure and clear." It was a classically trained soprano voice. Doctors said she had "an almost adult larynx" as a child. Her voice teacher wanted her to sing opera. But Julie felt her voice was "too big a stretch" for opera. She thought her voice was "extremely high and thin" and lacked the power for opera. She preferred musical theater.
As Julie got older, her voice naturally deepened. She lost some of her very high notes. Her middle voice became warmer. She always liked singing "bright and sunny" music. She avoided sad songs because she worried about losing her voice if she got too emotional. This was another reason she avoided opera.
Loss of Singing Voice
In 1997, Julie had to stop performing in the Victor/Victoria stage show. She had a problem with her voice. She had surgery on her throat. The surgery was supposed to remove non-cancerous nodules. However, she later said it was a different kind of muscular strain. After the surgery, her voice was permanently damaged. She lost the purity of her singing voice. Her speaking voice also became raspy.
In 1999, she sued the doctors who performed the surgery. She said they told her she would get her voice back in six weeks. But it never fully returned. The lawsuit was settled in 2000. Since then, doctors have tried to help her voice. They improved her speaking voice, but they could not bring back her singing voice.
Awards and Honors
Julie Andrews has won many awards throughout her career. These include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, six Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, and two Emmy Awards. She was nominated for three Tony Awards, but she never won one.
In June 2022, Julie received the AFI Life Achievement Award. This special award honored her long career. In 2002, a BBC poll of "100 Greatest Britons" ranked Julie Andrews at number 59.
Images for kids
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Julie Andrews in 2001, the year she starred as Queen Clarisse Marie Renaldi in The Princess Diaries
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Julie Andrews with Italian tenor Sergio Franchi in 1973
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Julie Andrews on tour in Sydney, Australia in 2013
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See also
In Spanish: Julie Andrews para niños
