Julie Christie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Julie Christie
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Christie in 1997
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| Born |
Julie Frances Christie
14 April 1940 Chabua, Assam, British India
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| Nationality | British |
| Education | Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1957–2017 |
| Spouse(s) |
Duncan Campbell
(m. 2005; died 2025) |
Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1940) is a famous British actress. She has won many of the biggest awards in acting, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe.
Christie became a star in the 1960s. Six of her movies are on the British Film Institute's list of the top 100 British films of the 20th century. In 1997, she received the BAFTA Fellowship, a special award for her amazing career in film.
Her first major role was in the movie Billy Liar (1963). She became famous around the world for her roles in Darling (1965) and Doctor Zhivago (1965). For Darling, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Doctor Zhivago was a huge hit and is one of the most successful movies ever made.
She also received Academy Award nominations for her work in McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Afterglow (1997), and Away from Her (2007). Some of her other well-known films include Fahrenheit 451 (1966), Don't Look Now (1973), Hamlet (1996), and Finding Neverland (2004).
Contents
Early Life
Julie Christie was born on 14 April 1940, in Chabua, Assam, which was part of British India at the time. Her father, Frank, managed a tea plantation where she grew up, and her mother, Rosemary, was a painter from Wales. She has a younger brother named Clive.
When Julie was a child, her parents separated. She was sent to a convent school in England. After leaving that school, she attended Wycombe Court School for girls. There, she acted in a school play, performing in George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan. She later studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London to become an actress.
Acting Career
Becoming a Star in the 1960s
Christie started her acting career on stage in 1957 and soon began appearing on British television. Her first role that got a lot of attention was in the BBC science-fiction show A for Andromeda (1961).
Her big break in movies came with Billy Liar (1963). The director, John Schlesinger, cast her after another actress dropped out. This led to her role as a model in Darling (1965), which made her an international star. For this role, she won both an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress.
In the same year, she starred as Lara Antipova in the epic romance film Doctor Zhivago. The movie was incredibly popular and remains one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Because of her success, Life magazine called 1965 "The Year of Julie Christie."
She became an icon of the "Swinging Sixties," a time of new fashion and culture in London. Time magazine wrote in 1967 that her style had more impact on fashion than the ten best-dressed women combined. Her other films from this decade include Fahrenheit 451 (1966) and Far from the Madding Crowd (1967).
Success in the 1970s
In the 1970s, Christie continued to star in important films. She appeared in the romantic drama The Go-Between (1971), which won a major award at the Cannes Film Festival. That same year, she earned her second Oscar nomination for playing a business owner in the western McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971).
She also starred with Donald Sutherland in the famous thriller Don't Look Now (1973). This film is now considered one of the greatest British films ever made. During this time, she also worked with actor and director Warren Beatty on the popular comedies Shampoo (1975) and Heaven Can Wait (1978).
Even at the peak of her fame, Christie was selective about her roles and turned down parts in several big movies. In 1977, she moved back to the United Kingdom and lived on a farm in Wales.
Later Career: 1980s to Today
In the 1980s, Christie chose to act in smaller, independent films like The Return of the Soldier (1982) and Heat and Dust (1983).
After some time away from movies, she returned in the 1990s. She played Queen Aislinn in the fantasy film Dragonheart (1996) and Gertrude in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996). In 1997, she received her third Oscar nomination for the film Afterglow. That same year, she was given the BAFTA Fellowship, the highest honor from the British Academy, for her contributions to cinema.
In the 21st century, Christie appeared in several major films. She had a small role as Madam Rosmerta in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). She also played the mother of Brad Pitt's character in Troy (2004) and Kate Winslet's character in Finding Neverland (2004).
One of her most celebrated later roles was in Away from Her (2006). She played a woman with Alzheimer's disease. Her performance was highly praised, and she won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and her fourth Oscar nomination.
Her more recent roles include the grandmother in Red Riding Hood (2011) and a part in the thriller The Company You Keep (2012).
Personal Life
In the 1960s, Julie Christie was in a relationship with actor Warren Beatty. They worked together on three films.
Christie married journalist Duncan Campbell in 2005. They had lived together since 1979. Campbell passed away in 2025.
She is active in supporting causes she believes in, including animal rights, protecting the environment, and the anti-nuclear movement. She is a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and a supporter of other charities. Christie is also a vegetarian.
Selected Filmography
- Billy Liar (1963)
- Darling (1965)
- Doctor Zhivago (1965)
- Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
- Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)
- Petulia (1968)
- The Go-Between (1971)
- McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
- Don't Look Now (1973)
- Shampoo (1975)
- Heaven Can Wait (1978)
- Heat and Dust (1983)
- Dragonheart (1996)
- Hamlet (1996)
- Afterglow (1997)
- Troy (2004)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
- Finding Neverland (2004)
- Away from Her (2006)
- Red Riding Hood (2011)
- The Company You Keep (2012)
See also
In Spanish: Julie Christie para niños
