Dame Julie Andrews or Julie Andrews as she is popularly known is mainly remembered for her roles in the movies The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. Her four octave voice and acting ability enthralled audiences across the world.
Jullie Andrews was born as Julia Elizabeth Wells on October 1,1935 as Julia Elizabeth Wells in Walten-on-Thames, SuJulie Andrewsrrey, England. She later legally adopted her step father’s last name.
She started singing at the tender age of 10 with her pianist mother and singer step father as part of their music- hall act. Her solo professional singing debut was in 1947. She sang an operatic aria in a revue called Starlight Roof staged at the London Hippodrome.
The Broadway debut of Julie Andrews was in 1954 in The Boy Friend. In 1956, she played the Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle in the hit Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe musical My Fair Lady.
Her portrayal of this role was hailed by audiences worldwide and the production became one of the biggest hits in Broadway history, as well as a huge success in Britain., She starred opposite Rex Harrison and the role earned her a Tony Award nomination for best actress in a musical. However, Julie Andrews lost the movie role of Eliza Doliitle to Audrey Hepburn.
In 1960 Julie Andrews scored another hit with her portrayal of Queen Guinevere in Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot. This role was especially created and developed for her.
After seeing Julie Andrews in Camelot Walt Disney went backstage and offered Andrews the title role of the magical proper English nanny in his Mary Poppins (1964). The movie went on to be one of Disney’s biggest hits and Andrews won both a Grammy and an Academy Award for her performance.
The Sound of Music (1965), one of the top-grossing films of all time, earned Andrews another Academy Award nomination. She played the combined roles of a governess and aspiring nun, Maria, in this movie. Julie Andrews is perhaps best remembered for her roles in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. In the former she played opposite the legendary Christopher Plummer. Her co -star in Mary Poppins was the popular Dick Van Dyke. These two movies have become timeless hits. Songs such as The Sound of Music, Climb every mountain, Edelweiss and My favourite Things from The Sound of Music and Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious, A spoonful of sugar and Feed the birds from Mary Poppins are all time favourite among the young and old. The Americanisation of Emily (1964) and the Torn Curtan are two of Julie Andrew’s non musical movies but she will always live in people’s memories as a musical star.
In 1970 she married Blake Edwards, a producer, director and writer. While continuing her acting career Julie Andrews wrote two children’s books Mandy (1971) and The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles (1974). She wrote these under the name Juli.e Edwards.
Later, Julie Andrews proved that she was a versatile actress who was good at both comedy and drama versatile actress. She got an Academy Award nomination for her role as an female-impersonator in Edwards’s Victor/Victoria. The family comedies, The Princess Diaries (2001) and its sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) are among the later films of Julie Andrews.
Julie Andrews was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
Compilation : Nira Diaz
Sources: Britaanica, Wikipedia, Internet
