Quick Facts
- NAME: Julie Andrews
- OCCUPATION: Film Actress, Theater Actress
- BIRTH DATE: October 01, 1935 (Age: 77)
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom
- ZODIAC SIGN: Libra
Best Known For
Julie Andrews is an Oscar and Tony Award-winning actress and singer famous for her roles in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins.
Videos see all videos
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Gene Kelly - Remembered (2:06)
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Julie Andrews - The Sound of Music
Watch a short video about Julie Andrews and how this actress and singer kept "The Sound of Music" alive, even after having throat surgery.
Gene Kelly - Remembered
Gene Kelly made his mark on Hollywood and, through his work both in front of and behind the camera, transformed the movie musical.
Gene Kelly - Singin' in the Rain
While filming "Singin' in the Rain," Gene Kelly was ill, his suits were shrinking underneath the hot lights, and he filmed for days in the rain. Despite all of this, he managed to perform one of the most famous scenes in movie history.
Gene Kelly - The Start of Hollywood Success
Gene Kelly, unlike Hollywood's other leading male dancer, Fred Astaire, brought an athletic quality to the movies when he danced on screen. His big break came in "Cover Girl" when he danced a duet… with himself.
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Play NowJulie Andrews. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 03:06, May 23, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/julie-andrews-9184978.
Julie Andrews. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/julie-andrews-9184978 [Accessed 23 May 2013].
"Julie Andrews." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 23 2013, 03:06 http://www.biography.com/people/julie-andrews-9184978.
"Julie Andrews," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/julie-andrews-9184978 [accessed May 23, 2013].
"Julie Andrews," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/julie-andrews-9184978 (accessed May 23, 2013).
Julie Andrews [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 23] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/julie-andrews-9184978.
Julie Andrews, http://www.biography.com/people/julie-andrews-9184978 (last visited May 23, 2013).
Julie Andrews. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/julie-andrews-9184978. Accessed May 23, 2013.
Synopsis
Julie Andrews was born on October 1, 1935, in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England. She was a success on the English stage before duplicating that success on Broadway. She won an Academy Award for playing the title role in Mary Poppins and was nominated for her performance in The Sound of Music. Additionally,
Quotes
"If you hold on to your words, your voice will pull through for you when you're singing. So be true to your vowels."
she received Tony Award nominations for her roles in Camelot and My Fair Lady. Andrews worked on a number of acclaimed films with husband Blake Edwards, and was made an English dame in 2000.
Early Career
Singer and actress Julie Andrews was born Julia Elizabeth Wells on October 1, 1935, in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England. Andrews has been a popular stage and film actress and singer for many decades. She came from a musical family; her mother was a pianist and her stepfather was a singer.
Andrews first found success on the English stage in the late 1940s, and then moved to America in the 1950s, where she starred in the musical The Boyfriend from 1954 to 1955. The following year, she starred in My Fair Lady as Eliza Doolittle, a role that earned her a Tony Award nomination for best actress in a musical. She followed that stellar performance with another lead role in the musical Camelot in 1960, for which she earned her second Tony Award nomination.
Film Success
Julie Andrews made the leap to film stardom in 1964 with lead roles in The Americanization of Emily, starring opposite James Garner; and Mary Poppins. It was as the lovable, magical nanny in Mary Poppins that Andrews won her first Academy Award for best actress. The following year, she was nominated for her part in another musical, The Sound of Music, which featured her in a care-giving role to the von Trapp family. Both Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music were hugely successful, winning Andrews fans around the globe. These films remain popular, gaining quite a following over the years.
In the 1980s, Andrews seemed to be ready for new challenges. She starred in 1981's S.O.B., which provided a satirical look at Hollywood and was directed by her second husband Blake Edwards. The next year, Andrews took gender-bending to new heights as a woman who pretends to be man pretending to a woman in Victor/Victoria—starring opposite James Garner and marking another collaboration with Edwards. Over the next several years, she would work on many projects with her husband, including Darling Lili (1970), The Man Who Loved Women (1983) and That's Life (1986).
In 1996, Andrews returned to Broadway in the stage production of Victor/Victoria. For her performance in the musical, she earned her third Tony Award nomination. However, she refused the nomination, stating that she felt the rest of the cast had been overlooked.
Personal Setback
Andrews experienced a huge personal setback in the late 1990s, when her vocal chords were damaged during an operation. While she never regained her powerful, sharp singing voice, she continued to act in films and television movies.
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