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Julie Andrews
Playing Mary Poppins and Maria in The Sound of Music, with a voice inseparable from both films.
Mary Poppins · The Sound of Music
- Born
- 1 October 1935
- Birthplace
- Walton-on-Thames, England
More people
Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews moved from childhood variety shows to Broadway and some of cinema’s best-known musicals. Her precise singing and comic timing later found new audiences through family films, voice roles and children’s books.
Early life
A performing household
Born Julia Elizabeth Wells, she grew up during wartime in a family working in entertainment. She adopted her stepfather’s surname professionally.
A voice trained young
Singing lessons with Lilian Stiles-Allen developed her unusually mature childhood voice. Professional stage appearances followed while she was still at school.
Career
- 1947
West End beginnings
Starlight Roof introduced her singing to London audiences.
- 1954–1960
Broadway leading roles
The Boy Friend brought her to New York, followed by Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and Guenevere in Camelot.
- 1964–1982
A screen musical star
Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music established her film career; Victor/Victoria later expanded her comic screen persona.
- 2001 onward
New generations
The Princess Diaries, animated films and the narration of Bridgerton brought her to younger audiences.
Selected work
Mary Poppins
Her film debut as the magical nanny earned the Academy Award for leading actress.
The Sound of Music
As Maria, she combined songs, comedy and warmth in the story of the von Trapp family.
Victor/Victoria
A singer performing as a female impersonator tests assumptions about gender and performance.
Beyond work
Books with her daughter
Andrews has written children’s books with Emma Walton Hamilton and recounted her life in memoirs.
A changed voice
Throat surgery in 1997 ended her former singing range. She continued acting, writing and performing through other forms.
Sources & photo credit
Life and career ↗Institutional or specialist reference ↗Photo: Eva Rinaldi. CC BY-SA 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
