Julie Andrews

Actress Julie Andrews is known for her roles in classic films such as The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins and The Princess Diaries. Throughout her career, she has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards and six Golden Globe Awards. She was nominated for three Tony Awards and received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2007.

As a child, Andrews performed in musical and theater productions. At the age of 12, she had her solo debut as a singer. In September 1954, at 19, she made her Broadway debut as Polly Browne in The Boy Friend, which was followed by My Fair Lady and Cinderella. In 1963, Andrews was cast in the Disney film Mary Poppins after a casting director saw her on Broadway in Camelot, and in 1964, she starred in the comedy-drama war film The Americanization of Emily. The following year, she starred in The Sound of Music. After these performances, Andrews’ career soared, earning her multiple nominations for her acting.

In 1997, Andrews lost her singing voice after a surgery to remove non-cancerous nodules left her vocal cords scarred. She later took on non-musical roles, such as playing the Queen of Genovia in The Princess Diaries (2001) and voicing Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton.

Andrews married set designer Tony Walton in May 1959. They share a daughter, Emma Kate Walton (born 1962), with whom Andrews has co-written many children’s books. Andrews divorced her first husband in 1968, and married director Blake Edwards the following year, becoming the stepmother to his children, Jennifer and Geoffrey. Together, they adopted two daughters: Amy (born 1974) and Joanna (born 1975). She has 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. In 2010, Blake Edwards passed away.