Early life and career

Julie Andrews was born in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, England, on October 1st, 1935 as Julia Elizabeth Wells. She is a former talented child star of British revues and was very successful on Broadway with productions such as The Boy Friend, My Fair Lady, and Camelot. Her theatrical training made her ideally suited to the filmmaking style of the Hollywood musicals in the 1940s and 1950s.

Breakthrough and cinema

In the 1950s, Julie Andrews appeared in several stage productions in the US and early made-for-television films. Her cinematic persona was established with her first appearance on the big screen as the magical title character in Disney’s Mary Poppins (one of the top grossing films of all times), for which she even won an Oscar. Julie Andrews was the only actress director Robert Wise considered seriously for the role of Maria von Trapp.

Andrews’s portrayals of Mary Poppins and Maria von Trapp not only made her one of the big Hollywood stars of the 60s. But after a while, Julie Andrews became tired of her squeaky-clean characters and sought different kinds of roles. In 1982, she won another Academy Award nomination for Victor/Victoria which marked her break-out of her singing governess image and had embarked on a new phase in her career. In 1996, Andrews appeared on Broadway in Victor/Victoria, once again on stage where she first began her show biz career.

Later Career

In 1997 Julie Andrews suffered from great strain to her singing voice and a subsequent failed attempt at restoring her famous soprano. In 2000, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. for her services to the performing arts. The last two decades have seen Julie Andrews work on many different projects, publish several books and star in movies both in acting and voice acting roles.