Quick Facts
British Celebrities Born In October
Also Known As: Dame Julie Andrews, Julia Elizabeth Wells
Age: 90 Years, 90 Year Old Females
Family:
Spouse/Ex-: Blake Edwards (m. 1969–2010), Tony Walton (m. 1959–1967)
father: Edward Charles Wells
mother: Barbara Ward Wells
siblings: Amy Edwards, Celia Wells, Christopher Stuart, Emma Walton Hamilton, Joanna Edwards
children: Amy Edwards, Emma Walton Hamilton, Joanna Edwards
Born Country: England
Actresses British Women
Height: 5'8" (173 cm), 5'8" Females
Childhood & Early Life
Julia Elizabeth Wells was born on 1 October 1935, in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, to Barbara Ward Wells. She was born from her mother’s affair with a family friend. Her mother later married Edward Charles Ted Wells.
Ted Wells and Barbara got divorced and she married singer Ted Andrews. The family struggled financially and lived in the slum. When her parents achieved success in their stage career, they relocated to a better place.
Her stepfather sponsored her education. She studied at ‘Cone-Ripman School,’ London. She was also taught by Madame Lilian Stiles-Allen, a concert soprano and voice instructor. She later continued her education at ‘Woodbrook School.’
Career
From 1945, she performed on stage with her parents for two years. On certain occasions, she performed solo or sang duet with her stepfather, while her mother played the piano.
Her stepfather introduced her to theatrical impresario Val Parnell in order to get her a big break. On October 22, 1947, she made her solo debut with the musical revue ‘Starlight Roof’ in which she sang ‘Je suis Titania’ at the London ‘Hippodrome.’
On November 1, 1948, she performed at the ‘London Palladium’ in the ‘Royal Command Variety Performance.’ She was the youngest solo performer to perform for King George VI’s family.
She performed in the musical interlude of the comedy show ‘Up the Pole.’ On October 8, 1949, she made her debut on television with a ‘BBC’ program titled ‘RadiOlympia Showtime.’
From 1950 to 1952, she was cast as a member of the ‘BBC’ radio comedy show, ‘Educating Archie.’ The show earned her recognition all over the United Kingdom.
On September 30, 1954, she made her Broadway debut with the London musical, ‘The Boy Friend.’ In the musical, she played ‘Polly Browne,’ a role which earned her acclaim as the stand-out performer.
In 1955, she signed to work in the TV film ‘High Tor.’ The following year, she played ‘Eliza Doolittle’ in the Broadway musical production of ‘My Fair Lady.’ Her performance earned her a ‘Tony Award’ nomination.
On March 31, 1957, she starred in the ‘CBS’ television musical ‘Cinderella,’ which was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein. She earned an ‘Emmy Award’ nomination for her performance.
In 1960, she was cast as ‘Queen Guinevere’ in the Broadway period musical ‘Camelot,’ which opened at the ‘Majestic Theatre,’ Manhattan. The show produced 873 performances.
From 1958 to 1962, she made appearances in a number of TV shows, including ‘The Broadway of Lerner & Loewe,’ ‘The Fabulous Fifties,’ and ‘The Ed Sullivan Show.’
In 1962, she co-starred with actor Carol Burnett on the Emmy Award-winning American TV musical comedy show, ‘Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall.’
In 1964, she delivered an Academy Award-winning performance in the musical film ‘Mary Poppins,’ which was directed by Robert Stevenson. Walt Disney chose her for the role after watching her in ‘Camelot.’
In 1964, she also starred in the American comedy-drama war film ‘The Americanization of Emily,’ which was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film was an adaptation of William Bradford Huie’s novel of the same name.
In 1965, she starred in the musical film ‘The Sound of Music’ which was directed by Robert Wise. The film was inspired by a Broadway musical of the same name.
She was a guest star on ‘The Andy Williams Show,’ and also hosted ‘The Julie Andrews Show.’ In 1966, she starred in the award-winning film ‘Hawaii.’ The same year, she was also seen in the Alfred Hitchcock film ‘Torn Curtain.’
In 1967, she earned a ‘Golden Globe’ nomination for her role as ‘Millie Dillmount’ in the American musical film ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie.’ The film was a box office hit.
From 1968 to 1972, her career went through a rough patch as she starred in flop films like ‘Star!’ and ‘Darling Lili.’ During that period, she was seen in the documentary film ‘Julie,’ and also appeared on TV in shows like ‘An Evening with Julie Andrews and Harry Belafonte’ and ‘Julie and Carol At Lincoln Center.’
In 1972–73, she starred in the award-winning ‘ABC’ TV variety show ‘The Julie Andrews Hour.’ The show ended after a season, but she continued her association with ‘ABC.’
In 1977, she guest-starred on ‘The Muppet Show.’ The following year, ‘Julie Andrews: One Step Into Spring’ was broadcast and received mixed reviews.
In 1980, she headlined the CBS-TV special ‘Because We Care,’ along with other prominent stars, in order to raise funds for the ‘Cambodian Famine’ victims. Later that year, she was seen in the film ‘Little Miss Marker.’
In 1981, she appeared in her first on-screen nude scene while playing ‘Sally Miles’ in Blake Edwards’ comedy film ‘S.O.B.’ The following year, she played a dual role in the film ‘Victor/Victoria.’
In 1983, she played ‘Marianna’ in the comedy film ‘The Man Who Loved Women.’ She earned ‘Golden Globe’ nominations for her subsequent films, ‘That’s Life!’ and ‘Duet for One.’
In 1987, she was seen in ‘Julie Andrews: The Sound Of Christmas,’ an ‘ABC’ Christmas special show. Following this, she was also seen on TV shows, such as ‘Julie & Carol: Together Again’ and ‘Julie Andrews in Concert.’
In 1991, she starred in the TV film ‘Our Sons,’ a film about AIDS victims. The film was inspired by the documentary film ‘Too Little, Too Late.’ The following year, she starred in the TV sitcom ‘Julie,’ and also hosted ‘Christmas In Washington.’
In 1993, she was seen in the TV show ‘Sound of Orchestra.’ The same year, she played ‘Amy’ in the revue ‘Putting It Together,’ which premiered at the ‘Manhattan Theatre Club.’
In the 1990s, she recorded two solo albums and starred in the stage production of ‘Victor/Victoria.’ She also starred in the ‘CBS’ network TV film ‘One Special Night.’
In 2001, she starred in the live TV show ‘On Golden Pond.’ The show was an adaptation of Ernest Thompson’s play of the same name. The same year, she also starred in ‘The Princess Diaries.’
In 2003, she appeared in the film ‘Eloise at the Plaza.’ Subsequently, she starred in films, such as ‘Eloise at Christmastime’ and ‘The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.’
From 2004 to 2010, she played voice roles in films, such as ‘Shrek 2,’ ‘Shrek the Third,’ ‘Enchanted,’ ‘Shrek Forever After,’ and ‘Despicable Me.’ She was also seen in ‘Broadway: The American Musical.’
In 2017, she voiced ‘Marlena’ in the animated comedy movie ‘Despicable Me 3.’ The following year, she voiced ‘Karathen’ in the superhero film ‘Aquaman.’ Along with her daughter Emma, she co-created a preschool TV series titled ‘Julie’s Greenroom,’ which premiered on ‘Netflix’ in 2017.
She has authored many children’s books. Some of her books include ‘The Very Fairy Princess: Here Comes the Flower Girl,’ ‘Dragon: Hound of Honor,’ ‘Dumpy and the Firefighters,’ and ‘Dumpy to the Rescue!’
Major Works
She starred in the film ‘Mary Poppins,’ which was one of the biggest ‘Walt Disney’ hits. The film went on to become the most successful ‘Disney’ film at the ‘Oscars.’ It received 13 ‘Academy Award’ nominations, out of which it won five.
‘The Sound of Music’ is one of the biggest ‘Twentieth Century Fox’ hits in history. In 2001, the ‘National Film Registry’ (NFR) acknowledged the film as ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.’
Awards & Achievements
In 1965, she received the ‘Academy Award’ for ‘Best Actress in a Leading Role’ for her performance in ‘Mary Poppins.’
In 1965, she received the ‘Golden Globe’ for ‘Best Motion Picture Actress – Musical/Comedy’ for her role in ‘Mary Poppins.’
In 1966, she received the ‘Golden Globe’ for ‘Best Motion Picture Actress – Musical/Comedy’ for her performance in ‘The Sound of Music.’
In 1983, she received the ‘Golden Globe’ for ‘Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical’ for her performance in ‘Victor/Victoria.’
She received the ‘Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award’ in 2011.
Personal Life & Legacy
On May 10, 1959, she married a set designer named Tony Walton with whom she had a child. Andrews and Walton got divorced in 1967.
On November 12, 1969, she married Blake Edwards. They adopted two children, namely Amy and Joanna. Blake Edwards died in 2010.
Around 1997, she developed problems in her throat and could no longer continue in Broadway. She underwent surgery for the same.
In 2008, she published her autobiography titled ‘Home: A Memoir of My Early Years.’ The book made it to ‘The New York Times’ Bestseller List.
Facts About Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews is not only a talented actress and singer, but she is also a successful author.
She has written numerous children’s books, including the popular “The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles.”
Julie Andrews is a skilled whistler and can perform intricate tunes with perfect pitch just by whistling.
In addition to her impressive vocal range, Julie Andrews is also fluent in multiple languages, including French and German.
Julie Andrews has a passion for knitting and often brings her knitting projects with her on set.
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