Dame Julie Andrews is a British actress, singer, and author, best known for her starring roles in the musical films Mary Poppins (1964) and The Sound of Music (1965).
She was born Julia Elizabeth Wells in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey on October 1, 1935. Her earliest public performances were during World War II, entertaining troops throughout the UK with fellow child star Petula Clark.
She made her stage debut at an early age, appearing in London's West End in 1947. She graduated through radio (on the show Educating Archie) and theatre to starring in stage productions of musicals such as The Boyfriend, My Fair Lady and Camelot. Julie Andrews With Dick van Dyke in a scene from the film Mary Poppins
When she lost the starring role in the film of My Fair Lady to Audrey Hepburn, she received the consolation of the starring role in Walt Disney's musical version of Mary Poppins (1964), winning a Best Actress Academy Award as a result (notably, Hepburn wasn't even in the running). She was nominated again, the following year, for her role as Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1965), and thus became, briefly, one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood. As a result, she appeared in the three-hour epic Hawaii, co-starring with Max von Sydow, and Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain with Paul Newman (both in 1966), and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), with Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Channing.
When she lost the starring role in the film of My Fair Lady to Audrey Hepburn, she received the consolation of the starring role in Walt Disney's musical version of Mary Poppins (1964), winning a Best Actress Academy Award as a result (notably, Hepburn wasn't even in the running). She was nominated again, the following year, for her role as Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1965), and thus became, briefly, one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood. As a result, she appeared in the three-hour epic Hawaii, co-starring with Max von Sydow, and Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain with Paul Newman (both in 1966), and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), with Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Channing.
