Julie Walters facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dame Julie Walters DBE
Walters in 2014
Born	Julia Mary Walters (1950-02-22) 22 February 1950 (age 75) Edgbaston, Birmingham, England
Alma mater	Manchester School of Theatre
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1972–present
Spouse(s)	Grant Roffey ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	1

Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known as Julie Walters, is a famous English actress. She has won many awards, including four British Academy Television Awards and two British Academy Film Awards. She also has two International Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Olivier Award.

Julie Walters has been nominated for two Academy Awards (Oscars). One was for Best Actress and one for Best Supporting Actress. In 2014, she received the BAFTA Fellowship for her amazing work over the years. Queen Elizabeth II made her a Dame in 2017 for her contributions to drama.

Walters became well-known for her main role in the film Educating Rita (1983). She had first played this role on stage in London's West End theatre. She has been in many popular films, including seven of the eight Harry Potter movies (where she played Molly Weasley). Other films include Billy Elliot (2000), Calendar Girls (2003), Mamma Mia! (2008) and its sequel, Brave (2012), and Paddington (2014) and its sequels. On stage, she won an Olivier Award for her role in All My Sons in 2001.

On television, Julie Walters often worked with comedian Victoria Wood. Their shows included Wood and Walters (1981) and Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV (1985–1987). She has won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress four times. This is more than any other performer! She won for her roles in My Beautiful Son (2001), Murder (2002), The Canterbury Tales (2003), and Mo (2010). She is also the only actress to win the International Emmy Award for Best Actress twice.

Early Life and Training

Julia Mary Walters was born on February 22, 1950. This happened at St Chad's Hospital in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. Her mother, Mary Bridget, was an Irish postal worker. Her father, Thomas Walters, was an English builder.

Julie was the youngest of five children. She went to St Paul's School for Girls and later Holly Lodge Grammar School for Girls. She once said that going to a regular grammar school felt like "heaven." However, she was asked to leave because of her "high jinks" (being playful and mischievous).

Walters decided that school wasn't for her. Her mother suggested she try teaching or nursing. Her first job was in insurance when she was 15. At 18, she started training as a student nurse. She worked in different hospital wards for 18 months.

She then decided to leave nursing. She went to study acting at the Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre. In the mid-1970s, she worked with the Everyman Theatre Company in Liverpool. Many other famous actors and writers worked there too, like Bill Nighy and Jonathan Pryce.

Career Highlights

Starting Out (1970s-1980s)

Julie Walters first became known for working with comedian Victoria Wood. They met in 1971 when Victoria auditioned at the School of Theatre. They first worked together in a theatre show in 1978. Then they made a TV show called Wood and Walters in 1982.

They often performed together. In the BBC show Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV, Julie played one of her most famous characters: Mrs Overall. This was in a funny soap opera called Acorn Antiques.

Becoming Famous (1980s)

Julie Walters got her first serious acting role on TV in 1982. It was in a show called Boys from the Blackstuff. She became nationally famous when she starred with Michael Caine in Educating Rita (1983). She had already played this role on stage.

In the film, she played Susan "Rita" White. Rita was a hairdresser from Liverpool who wanted to improve herself. She signed up for an Open University course in English literature. For this role, Julie won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award. She was also nominated for an Oscar.

In 1988, she starred with Phil Collins in the film Buster. She played June, the main character's wife.

TV Shows and Films (1990s)

In 1991, Julie Walters had her own TV special called Julie Walters and Friends. Famous writers like Victoria Wood helped write it.

From 1998 to 2000, she played Petula Gordeno in Victoria Wood's BBC comedy show dinnerladies. She also appeared in TV adverts for Bisto gravy.

Harry Potter and More (2000s)

Julie Walters' star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars

In 2001, Julie Walters won an Laurence Olivier Award for her acting in All My Sons. She also got her second Oscar nomination for her role in Billy Elliot (2000). She played the ballet teacher in that film and won a BAFTA award.

Julie Walters played Molly Weasley, the kind mother of the Weasley family, in the Harry Potter film series. She was in seven out of the eight movies. In 2003, the BBC said her portrayal of Molly was the "second-best screen mother."

In 2003, Walters starred in Calendar Girls with Helen Mirren. She played Annie Clark, a widow who wanted to do good after her husband died. In 2006, she was voted fourth in ITV's poll of the "50 Greatest Stars."

In 2006, she was in the film Driving Lessons with Rupert Grint (who played her son Ron in Harry Potter). She also had a big role in the BBC's The Ruby in the Smoke.

In 2006, Julie Walters published her first novel, Maggie's Tree. In June 2008, she appeared in the film version of Mamma Mia!, playing Rosie Mulligan. This was her second big musical role. The same year, she released her autobiography, That's Another Story.

In 2009, she received a star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars in her hometown. She said she was "very honoured and happy" to be included.

Recent Work (2010s-Present)

Julie Walters at the premiere of Paddington in 2014

In 2010, Walters played the politician Mo Mowlam in the TV drama Mo. Critics highly praised her performance.

In 2012, she voiced the Witch in Pixar's animated film Brave. She also appeared in a play called The Last of the Haussmans at the Royal National Theatre.

Julie Walters designed this "Primrose" themed Paddington Bear statue.

In 2014, Walters played Mrs Bird, the Browns' housekeeper, in the popular film Paddington. She returned for the sequel, Paddington 2 (2017). For the release of Paddington, Julie designed a "Primrose"-themed Paddington Bear statue. It was one of 50 placed around London to raise money for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

In 2015, she was in the romantic film Brooklyn, which was nominated for an Oscar. Her role in this film earned her another BAFTA nomination.

In 2018, Walters played Ellen, the housekeeper, in Mary Poppins Returns. In 2020, she starred with Colin Firth in The Secret Garden. She also narrated the ITV documentary For the Love of Britain.

In 2021, she voiced Granny in the animated short film The Abominable Snow Baby. In 2022, she narrated the BBC documentary The Queen: 70 Glorious Years. In March 2023, she had to stop filming a new drama called Truelove due to health reasons.

Personal Life

Julie Walters met her husband, Grant Roffey, in 1985. He was a patrol man for the AA. They met by chance in a pub. They had their only child, a daughter named Maisie Mae Roffey, in 1988. The couple got married in New York City in 1997. They live on an organic farm run by Grant near Plaistow, West Sussex.

Julie Walters is a big fan of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. She grew up in Smethwick, where the club is based.

Health

Julie Walters was diagnosed with cancer in 2018. After having surgery and chemotherapy, she got better. Because of this, some of her scenes in The Secret Garden had to be cut. She also missed the premiere of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

She didn't tell the public about her illness until February 2020. She said she would take a break from acting, especially from big film roles. However, she later said she would make exceptions for roles she really loved, like Mamma Mia 3!. In March 2023, she withdrew from a new Channel 4 drama due to health issues.

Selected Films and TV Shows

Films

Television Shows

Awards and Recognition

Julie Walters has received many awards for her acting. She has won eight BAFTAs in total. Six of these were for specific roles, and two were special honorary awards for her lifetime achievements.

Some of her key awards include:

• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for Educating Rita (1984).
• BAFTA Award for Best Actress for Educating Rita (1984).
• BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress for Billy Elliot (2001).
• Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for All My Sons (2001).
• British Academy Television Award for Best Actress four times (2002, 2003, 2004, 2010).
• International Emmy Award for Best Actress twice (2009, 2011).

In 1999, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In 2008, she became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). And in 2017, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) by the Queen.

Images for kids

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  Walters in 2014

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  Walters' star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars

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  Walters at the premiere of Paddington in 2014

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  Walters' Paddington Bear designed "Primrose" themed statue

See also

In Spanish: Julie Walters para niños