Andrews, Julie (1935-…), is a British-born star of musical comedies. She is known for her clear soprano voice. Andrews gained international fame as Eliza Doolittle in the Broadway musical hit My Fair Lady (1956). She won the Academy Award as best actress for her first motion picture, the musical Mary Poppins (1964). She played the title role.
Andrews was born on Oct. 1, 1935, in Walton-on-Thames, England. Her given name was Julia Elizabeth Wells. Andrews began her show-business career as a child singing in English stage shows. She received her first recognition in 1954 in the musical The Boy Friend. After her success in My Fair Lady, Andrews starred in the Broadway musical hit Camelot (1960). She then devoted herself to motion pictures. Blake Edwards , her second husband, directed most of her films. They were married from 1969 until Edwards’s death in 2010.
Andrews’s early films include The Americanization of Emily (1964), The Sound of Music (1965), and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). She also starred in Victor/Victoria (1982) and A Fine Romance (1992). Andrews returned to the stage as the star of the musical adaptation of Victor/Victoria (1995). Later, she appeared in the films The Princess Diaries (2001) and The Princess Diaries 2 (2004). She also provided the voice of the queen in the popular “Shrek” series of animated movies.
In 2000, Andrews was made dame commander in the Order of the British Empire. She thus became known as Dame Julie Andrews. In 2005, she directed a revival of The Boy Friend. Andrews also is a published author. She has written or co-written a number of children’s books and the memoirs Home: A Memoir of My Early Years (2008) and Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years (2019).
