Julie Andrews is one of the most beloved and versatile performers of our time. She has enchanted audiences with her voice, charm, and talent for over seven decades. Whether she is playing a magical nanny, a singing nun, or a cross-dressing cabaret star, she always delivers a memorable and captivating performance. In this blog post, we will explore her life and career, from her humble beginnings as a child singer to her recent projects as an author and voice actor.
Early Life and Career
Julie Andrews was born Julia Elizabeth Wells on October 1, 1935, in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England. Her mother, Barbara, and stepfather, Ted Andrews, were both vaudeville performers, and they discovered her extraordinary four-octave singing voice when she was 10 years old. She made her professional debut in 1947, singing an operatic aria in a revue called Starlight Roof at the London Hippodrome. She soon became known as “Britain’s youngest prima donna” and performed on radio, television, and stage.
In 1954, she made her Broadway debut in The Boy Friend, a spoof of 1920s musicals. She received rave reviews and caught the attention of the composers Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, who cast her as Eliza Doolittle in their musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, My Fair Lady. The show was a huge hit and ran for over six years, making Andrews a star on both sides of the Atlantic. She also starred in another Lerner and Loewe musical, Camelot, as Queen Guinevere, opposite Richard Burton as King Arthur.
Hollywood Success
In 1963, Andrews was offered the role of Mary Poppins, the magical nanny who brings joy and adventure to a family in London, in Walt Disney’s film adaptation of the children’s books by P.L. Travers. She accepted the role, despite being pregnant with her first child, Emma, whom she had with her first husband, Tony Walton, a set and costume designer. The film was a huge success and won five Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Andrews.
The following year, she starred in another musical film, The Sound of Music, based on the true story of the von Trapp family, who escaped from Nazi-occupied Austria with the help of their governess, Maria, played by Andrews. The film was a blockbuster and became the highest-grossing film of all time at that point. It also won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Robert Wise.
Andrews continued to work with some of the best directors and actors in Hollywood, such as Alfred Hitchcock, Paul Newman, James Garner, and Rock Hudson. She also diversified her roles, playing a cynical war widow in The Americanization of Emily, a missionary in Hawaii, a spy in Torn Curtain, and a flapper in Thoroughly Modern Millie. She also starred in a biopic of the actress and singer Gertrude Lawrence, called Star!, which was a flop at the box office but earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
Career Challenges and Comeback
In 1969, Andrews married her second husband, Blake Edwards, a director and writer, who cast her in some of his films, such as Darling Lili, The Tamarind Seed, and 10. However, none of these films matched the success of her earlier musicals, and Andrews faced a career slump in the 1970s. She also suffered a personal tragedy when her stepdaughter, Jennifer, died of a drug overdose in 1974.
In 1982, Andrews made a comeback with the film Victor/Victoria, directed by Edwards and based on a 1933 German film. She played a struggling singer who pretends to be a male impersonator in order to get work in a Paris nightclub. The film was a critical and commercial success and earned Andrews an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe win. She also reprised the role on Broadway in 1995, earning a Tony Award nomination.
In 1997, Andrews underwent surgery to remove nodules from her vocal cords, but the operation damaged her voice and left her unable to sing. She sued the doctors and settled out of court in 2000. She also wrote a memoir of her early years, called Home, which was published in 2008. She followed it with a second memoir, Home Work, which covered her Hollywood years, in 2019.
Recent Projects and Legacy
Despite losing her singing voice, Andrews continued to work as an actress, author, and voice actor. She starred in the popular Disney films The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, playing the grandmother and mentor of Anne Hathaway’s character. She also lent her voice to the animated films Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After, and Despicable Me, Despicable Me 3, and Minions: The Rise of Gru.
She also co-created and hosted a children’s show on Netflix, called Julie’s Greenroom, in 2017, which featured puppets and guest stars from the world of arts and entertainment. In 2020, she voiced the mysterious narrator, Lady Whistledown, in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton, based on the novels by Julia Quinn.
Andrews has received numerous honors and awards for her contributions to the arts and culture. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. She also received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2007, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2022. She has also co-authored several children’s books with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, and has been involved in various charitable causes, such as UNICEF and Operation USA.
Julie Andrews Movies And Tv Shows
Julie Andrews is a legendary actress, singer, and author who has starred in many movies and TV shows over the course of her career. Some of her most famous and beloved roles are:
Mary Poppins (1964): A Disney musical film where she plays a magical nanny who employs music and adventure to help two neglected children become closer to their father.
The Sound of Music (1965): A classic family film where she plays Maria von Trapp, a young novice who becomes a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer in 1930s Austria
Victor/Victoria (1982): A comedy-drama film where she plays a struggling female singer who pretends to be a male impersonator of a female singer, with hilarious and romantic
The Princess Diaries (2001-2004): A teen comedy film series where she plays Queen consequences.Clarisse Renaldi, the grandmother and mentor of Mia Thermopolis, a shy American teenager who discovers she is the heir to the throne of Genovia.
Shrek (2001-2010): An animated film franchise where she voices Queen Lillian, the mother of Princess Fiona and the wife of King Harold, who are both secretly ogres.
Despicable Me (2010-present): An animated film franchise where she voices Marlena Gru, the sarcastic and adventurous mother of the villain-turned-hero Gru.
Bridgerton (2020-present): A Netflix period drama series where she voices Lady Whistledown, the mysterious and witty narrator who exposes the scandals and secrets of the high society in Regency-era London.
How Many Awards Has Julie Andrews Won?
Julie Andrews has won a total of 67 awards and received 135 nominations for her work on both the screen and stage. Some of the most prestigious awards she has won are:
An Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Mary Poppins (1964)
Two BAFTA Awards for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for Mary Poppins (1964) and Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema (1989)
Two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Nonfiction Series for Broadway: The American Musical (2005) and Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for Bridgerton (2022)
Three Grammy Awards for Best Recording for Children for Mary Poppins (1965), Best Album for Children for The Sound of Music (1966), and Best Spoken Word Album for Children for Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies (2011)
Six Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical for Mary Poppins (1964), The Sound of Music (1965), Victor/Victoria (1982), and That’s Life! (1986), and for World Film Favorite - Female (1966 and 1967)
She has also received many honorary awards, such as the Kennedy Center Honors (2001), the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award (2007), the Venice International Film Festival’s Golden Lion (2019), and the AFI Life Achievement Award (2022). She is truly a star!.
What Is Julie Andrews Net Worth
Julie Andrews is an English actress, singer, and author who has a net worth of $30 million. She is best known for her roles in films such as Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and The Princess Diaries.
Controversy And Activism Of Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews is not only a legendary actress, singer, and author, but also a person who has faced some controversy and been involved in some activism throughout her career. Here are some examples:
She was involved in a ‘feud’ with Audrey Hepburn over the role of Eliza Doolittle in the film adaptation of My Fair Lady (1964). Andrews had originated the role on Broadway, but was passed over for the film in favor of Hepburn, who was more famous and bankable at the time. However, Andrews won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in Mary Poppins (1964), beating Hepburn, who was not even nominated. Andrews graciously thanked the man who made it all possible: Jack Warner, the producer who rejected her for My Fair Lady.
She underwent a throat surgery in 1997 that damaged her vocal cords and left her unable to sing as she used to. She sued the doctors who performed the operation and settled the case in 2000. She later said that losing her singing voice was a “devastating blow” and that she had to learn to accept her new limitations.
She has been a supporter of various causes and charities, such as UNICEF, Operation USA, Save the Children, and the American Foundation for AIDS Research. She has also advocated for the arts, education, and the environment. She was made a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women in 1991.
She has been a voice for the LGBTQ+ community, especially after playing a gender-bending role in Victor/Victoria (1982), directed by her late husband Blake Edwards. She said that the film was a “love letter” to the gay community and that she was proud to be a part of it. She also expressed her support for gay marriage and said that love is universal.
These are just some of the examples of the controversy and activism of Julie Andrews. She is a remarkable woman who has overcome many challenges and contributed to many causes. She is truly a star!.
Conclusion
Julie Andrews is a living legend who has inspired generations of fans with her grace, talent, and generosity. She is a true icon of stage and screen, and a shining example of what it means to be a star.
