Andrews, Julie

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Julie Andrews

Perhaps best known for her award–winning roles in the films Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, the multi–talented Julie Andrews (born 1935) has been entertaining fans with her singing ever since she was a little girl. Even though she lost her singing voice in the late 1990s, she has continued to delight her fans by writing children's books and taking supporting roles in hit movies.

In his 1983 biography Julie Andrews, writer Robert Windeler reflected, "By the time she was 30, Julie Andrews was the best–loved, highest–paid entertainer in the world. With her crystalline, five–octave voice and impeccable demeanor, she was the essence of innocence, the nanny–next–door." However, he noted, her fame "stamped her with an image she would come to hate: wholesome."

Talented From an Early Age

Julie Andrews was born Julia Elizabeth Wells on October 1, 1935 in Walton–on–Thames, a suburb south of London. She was the daughter of Ted Wells, a teacher, and Barbara Morris Wells, an accomplished pianist who was also a piano teacher and part–time pianist for her sister's dance school. Biographers James Arntz and Thomas S. Wilson noted in Julie Andrews, "From a very early age, baby Julia was aware of the sound of music. As a toddler, she was already learning tap and ballet from her aunt."

Educated by her father, the little girl was reading and writing by age three. Biographers Arntz and Wilson wrote that the child "displayed such exceptional imagination, intelligence, and musical talent that both parents became convinced she would find success in the world of entertainment."

When Andrews was four years old, her parents divorced and her mother married Ted Andrews, her vaudeville partner. In an attempt to get to know her better, her stepfather began to give her singing lessons. Andrews recalled to Windeler, "I loathed singing and resented my stepfather." However, later in life, she would admit she was grateful that he instilled a sense of discipline and structure.

As World War II began and England was bombed, citizens were often forced to take cover in air raid shelters. The Andrews tried to keep up everyone's spirits by getting people to sing. Now called [Julie], the little girl's voice often stood out, even among the experienced adult singers. In a 1996 interview with the Saturday Evening Post, Andrews shared with Earl L. Conn, "For some reason, I had this freakish voice. I was sort of a child prodigy who had a really strong voice and a very large vocal range."

In fact, the biography on the Julie Andrews website noted, "To everyone's surprise [she] had a fully developed larynx, perfect pitch and a large four octave vocal range." The website continued, "At the age of eight [she] began to have singing lessons from Madame Lilian Stiles–Allen, who had once been a renowned concert singer."

When Andrews was ten, World War II ended, and she spent much of her time touring with her mother and stepfather. Biographers Arntz and Wilson noted that many theater managers liked family acts, so "eventually [she] changed her last name to Andrews to make the billing simpler." As noted on the Julie Andrews website, "On December 5th 1946, [she] performed alone for the first time at London's Stage Door Canteen. The Queen (later the Queen Mother) and the late Princess Margaret were in attendance."

Made Professional Debut

In the fall of 1947, shortly after Andrews turned 12, she made her professional debut in London in a revue called "Starlight Roof." In December of that year, the Julie Andrews website noted, she was given a screen test by the British division of Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer. The studio decided against signing her because they said she was "unfilmable."

Andrews went on to perform in other revues and pantomimes, including "Humpty Dumpty" in 1948, "Red Riding Hood" in 1950, and "Cinderella" in 1953. The role in "Humpty Dumpty" was the most significant to her personal life, as she met Tony Walton, whom she would later marry.

Playing in "Cinderella" impacted Andrews' professional life. While doing this role, she caught the eye of the director who was working on the London production of a musical about the 1920s, entitled The Boy Friend. The show was to debut in the United States, on Broadway, in New York City. Andrews was offered the lead role and eventually accepted the part. At the age of 18, she joined the cast of The Boy Friend and went to New York in August of 1954. The show became an overnight success and Andrews became a star.

A Star in Musical Theatre

After almost 500 performances, Andrews' run in The Boy Friend ended, and she took on her next professional challenge. She played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, the musical version of George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion." For this role, Andrews was nominated for an Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award and won the New York Drama Critics Award for best actress in a musical. It was during her run in My Fair Lady that Andrews married Walton, her childhood sweetheart, who was now a set designer. They would have a daughter, Emma, in 1962.

In 1960, Andrews took on the role of Queen Guinevere in Camelot on Broadway. The show ran for two years, and she received another Tony Award nomination. It was during the run of Camelot that Andrews was introduced to American comedienne and actress Carol Burnett. The two became good friends, and would later do many television shows and specials together.

In 1962, producer Walt Disney went to see a performance of Camelot and was impressed by Andrews' performance. He thought she would be perfect in the production he was working on. Arntz and Wilson noted that Andrews met with Disney "who offered her a choice role in what was to be her first motion picture, Mary Poppins." Arntz and Wilson added, "Once Hollywood beckoned, [she] would not return to the stage for more than three decades."

Hollywood

Although Andrews had success on Broadway, she was passed over in favor of "name" actresses when the musicals My Fair Lady and Camelot were made into films. Her luck changed, however, when she made her screen debut in Mary Poppins in 1964. The story of a nanny with magical powers that featured the songs "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," and "Chim Chim Cher–ee" was unique because it mixed real, live people and animation.

For her first feature film, Andrews earned the Golden Globe Award as Best Actress in a musical or comedy in February of 1965, and two months later, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Right after Mary Poppins, Andrews tackled her first dramatic role, The Americanization of Emily, before taking possibly her best–known role.

Biographer Windeler noted that initially, Andrews "did not greet the prospect of playing Maria in The Sound of Music with great joy." However, she did take on the role of the singing novice who is sent from the convent to be the governess of the seven von Trapp children. Partially filmed in Europe and based on a true story, the film featured memorable songs like "I Have Confidence in Me," "My Favorite Things," and "Do–Re–Mi."

As noted on the Julie Andrews website, The Sound of Music "would end up being one of the most loved movies of all time." The movie won five Oscars, including Best Picture, and Andrews received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. Subsequently, Andrews took a role in yet another musical film, 1967's Thoroughly Modern Millie. Arntz and Wilson commented, "Her first six films were so successful that for nearly a decade [she] held the record as the highest grossing performer in the history of movies." However, Arntz and Wilson added, "Almost as abruptly, [her] box office temperature plunged."

Slipped at the Box Office

In 1968, shortly after wrapping up Thoroughly Modern Millie, Andrews and her husband divorced. She began work on a new project, Darling Lili with producer Blake Edwards, perhaps best known for the Pink Panther movies. Arntz and Wilson described the movie as an "entertaining, well–crafted, often–funny, always–beautiful movie musical . . . a notorious Hollywood flop."

Even though the film did not succeed, the relationship between Andrews and Edwards did. Although both were divorced with children from their previous marriages, the couple married in 1969. Andrews shared with Conn, "You try harder and are more realistic with a second marriage . . . We vowed when we married that this we would take a day at a time—not have any fantasies that sort of precluded the realities." The couple adopted two daughters, Jeanna and Amy, and even though Andrews would continue to perform, family would be the priority.

Andrews did several variety shows and specials in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including "Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center" and the television series, "The Julie Andrews Hour." She also did a concert of Christmas songs, performing with the London Symphony Orchestra, and gave concerts where she would perform most of her Broadway and Hollywood hits.

In addition to acting and singing, Andrews worked on another talent, as a children's author. Using the pen name Julie Edwards, Andrews wrote her first two books. Mandy was published in 1971, and The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles in 1974.

Andrews did continue acting, however, and she worked on many of her husband's projects. She played Dudley Moore's girlfriend in 10 and had a somewhat notorious part in the movie S.O.B. (Standard Operating Bull), where she had a brief nude scene. Biographers Arntz and Wilson called it "one of the most talked–about events of her career." They added that "[her] willingness to take on this relatively small role, disrobe, and then endure the inevitable press frenzy, [was] proof positive that she and [Edwards] have a loving, highly supportive relationship, as well as a healthy sense of humor."

In 1982, Andrews received high marks for her performance in Victor/Victoria, a musical comedy about a female singer who impersonates a man impersonating a woman, so she can find work in a night club. Andrews earned another Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a musical or comedy.

In 1986, Andrews received great reviews for her role as a concert violinist stricken with multiple sclerosis. Biographers Arntz and Wilson described Duet for One as "a thoughtful, beautifully crafted film" where Andrews gave her "finest dramatic performance."

Triumphant Return to Broadway

In 1995, Andrews returned to Broadway in what she described to Conn as her "big, new adventure." She and her husband collaborated on the stage version of her hit movie Victor/Victoria, with Edwards as the director. It was a demanding role, and Andrews was in almost every scene. Doing eight shows per week and performing eight numbers per show did take a toll on Andrews, and she missed several performances due to illness.

Andrews caused a bit of controversy when she declined a Tony award nomination for her role in Victor/Victoria after she was the only one with the show who was recognized. As noted by Belinda Luscombe of Time, Andrews told a matinee crowd at a performance, "I have searched my conscience and my heart, and I find that I cannot accept this nomination—and prefer to stand with the egregiously overlooked." Luscombe added that the controversy caused ticket sales to the show to dramatically increase.

Near the end of her two–year run with Victor/Victoria, Andrews was diagnosed with a non–cancerous growth on her vocal cords. She wrapped up the musical in June of 1997, and had surgery shortly afterwards. Even though she had been told her vocal cords would not be compromised, Andrews lost her singing voice.

Lost Singing Voice

As recounted by People Weekly, Andrews told television reporter Barbara Walters, "I went in for a routine procedure that I was told would not be threatening to my vocal cords. And since then . . . I've just been unable to sing." Stepdaughter Jennifer Edwards added, "She said that when she lost her voice, she had lost her identity." Ultimately, the People Weekly article noted, Andrews became depressed and "underwent grief therapy at Sierra Tucson, an Arizona rehab clinic noted for treating celebrity clients."

Andrews was bolstered by the support and love of her family, and threw herself into other projects. She told Sean M. Smith and Jac Chebatoris of Newsweek, "It was a tremendous setback. But I'm one of those people who see the glass as half full rather than half empty. And in truth, it seems I've never been busier." Early in 2000, Andrews filed a lawsuit against her doctor and his associates. Later that year, she accepted an undisclosed settlement and dropped the lawsuit.

Still Entertained Her Fans

As Andrews shared with Newsweek, despite the loss of her singing voice, she kept busy with many projects. In 1998, she appeared in a stage production of Dr. Dolittle in London. As recounted on the Julie Andrews website, she performed the voice of Polynesia the parrot and "recorded some 700 sentences and sounds, which were placed on a computer chip that sat in the mechanical bird's mouth. In the song "Talk To The Animals," Polynesia the parrot even sings."

Andrews also returned to her writing. Little Bo: The Story of Bonnie Boadicea was published in 1999. She also made the Dumpy the Dump Truck series a family affair, as she wrote the books with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, which were in turn illustrated by her ex–husband, Tony Walton. Andrews also collaborated with old friends. In 1999, she teamed up with James Garner to make One Special Night, a television movie for CBS. In 2001, Andrews and Christopher Plummer worked together for the first time since making The Sound of Music, when they appeared in a live broadcast of the play On Golden Pond.

In addition to entertaining her fans, Andrews worked on behalf of many charities, including Operation USA, UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), and Save the Children. She received many honors for her charity work as well as for her contributions to entertainment. In 2000, she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. In 2001, she received an Honor Award from the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, in Washington, D.C. She also received a 2002 Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service, and was recognized for "bringing joy and inspiration to audiences of all ages."

Andrews also returned to the big screen in a big way in 2001. The Princess Diaries told the story of a gawky teenager who learned that her deceased, long–lost father was a prince of a small European country, and she was now the heir, if she wanted to be. Andrews played her grandmother, the queen, who wanted to transform her into a crown princess. Richard Natale of Variety wrote, "Thirty–seven years after Walt Disney transformed her into an instant movie star in Mary Poppins—and Oscar winner to boot—[Andrews] returned to the studio this year with another $100 million winner."

The year 2004 was also a busy, successful movie year for Andrews. She appeared in two movie sequels playing queens in both. She reprised her role as Queen Clarisse Renaldi in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and also starred as the voice of Queen Lillian in Shrek 2. And on December 14, 2004, everyone's favorite magical nanny was re–introduced to audiences as the 40th anniversary edition DVD of Mary Poppins was released. The DVD featured both commentary and a musical reunion of Andrews and her co–star, Dick Van Dyke.

Biographers Arntz and Wilson noted that her friends and family consider Andrews "warm, sensitive, bright, upbeat, and funny." In addition, she is a successful author, dedicated to her charities, and a fine of fine arts. Arntz and Wilson concluded that Andrews "is celebrated around the world for a remarkable career encompassing stage, film, television, recordings, and the concert stage."