Julie Andrews bio, relationships, career & net worth
Who is Julie Andrews?
Julie Andrews, now 87, is a British actress, singer, and writer. She is mostly known for her role in Disney’s hit movie Mary Poppins.
Julie is one of the most charismatic and versatile actors of all time and has given us many memorable performances in films like The Sound of Music, The Princess Diaries, Tooth Fairy, Enchanted, Cinderella, and more.
We all know her as the sweet, goody-good Mary Poppins, who flew into the sky on her little umbrella and made everyone smile.
Quick facts
| Full name | Dame Julie Andrews |
| Birthday | October 1, 1935 |
| Birthplace | Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom. |
| Age | 87 years old |
| Profession | Actress/ Singer/ Author |
| Zodiac | Libra |
| Traits | Positive: charming, beautiful, and well-balanced Negative: indecisive, egoistic |
| Hair | Brunette |
| Best known for | Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music |
| Parents | Edward Charles Wells (father) Barbara ward Wells (mother) Ted Andrews (step-father) |
| Spouse | Blake Edwards (1969-2010) Tony Walton (1959-1967) |
| Children | Emma Walton (With Tony Walton) Amy Edwards and Joanna Edwards (with Blake Edwards) |
| Step-children | Jennifer and Geoffrey |
| Net worth | USD 50 million |
| Social media | Instagram |
Interesting facts of Julie Andrews
- She is British
Julie is a British actress, singer, and writer born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom. She was born to British parents, Edward Charles Wells and Barbara Ward Wells.
2. She had a troubled childhood
Julie’s parents divorced when she was only eight years old. Later her mother married a Canadian actor and singer, Ted Andrews.
However, he was also a drunkard and would try to abuse her. Due to this, she faced extreme poverty before making it big on the entertainment industry.
3. Julie has five children, of which only one is biological.
Julie Andrews has a daughter, Emma Walton, with her first husband, Tony.
While on her second marriage with Blake Edwards, she adopted two girls from a Vietnamese orphanage and named them Amy and Joana Edwards.
She also has two step-children named Geoffrey Edwards and Jennifer Edwards.
4. She began singing at the age of 10
Andrews was only 10 when she started singing. She made her professional debut in 1947 at an operatic aria in Starlight Rood.
5. Julie Andrews is ‘Britain’s Youngest Prima Donna.’
She became the youngest solo performer to perform for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in the Royal Command Variety Performace. This event earned her the title of ‘Britain’s Youngest Prima Donna.
6. Julie lost her voice to lesions
She had a non-cancerous vocal nodule that was making it difficult for Julie to lose her voice.
She had to undergo surgery, after which she had scarred cords. As a result, she lost her voice and quit singing.
Julie Andrews childhood and early life
Julie had a horrifying childhood that involved broken homes, an abusive stepfather, extreme poverty, and whatnot.
Julie Andrews was born on October 1, 1935, in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom.
Her mother, Barbara Ward Wells, was a pianist in London, and her father Edward Charles Wells was a teacher of metalwork and woodwork.
Her mother left Edward when Julie was eight, and that changed her life completely.
Life became difficult for Julie in her new home with her drunkard stepfather Ted Andrews. He was a Canadian actor and singer.
In a memoir, Julie has revealed that at times, Ted even tried to abuse her.
She went through a lot of hardships before she made it into the entertainment world. We respect this resilient woman.
Education
Andrews went to an arts educational school Cone- Ripman School, where she met her voice instructor Madam Lilian Stiles- Allen.
She considered Madam her third mother as she influenced her musical career, correcting her pitch and improving her vocal range.
For her further academic education, Julie went to Woodbrook School in Beckenham.
Julie Andrews personality
Julie Andrews is 87 years old as of today.
This green-eyed beauty is a Libra, and we can see all the Libra traits in her as she is friendly, classy, and elegant. Some even call her the epitome of elegance, and we couldn’t agree more.
One of her favorite things to eat is green apple tarts. Well, that explains where all that sweetness in her comes from.
Although she had a broken home as a kid and lived a dark childhood, she fulfilled her and her mom’s dreams by becoming an amazing actress and singer.
Her passion for writing grew later in her life, and now she is an equally successful writer.
Talking about versatility, this woman has done it all. She is continuing to keep us entertained to this day.
These days she is quite active on Instagram. Her posts are mostly about updates on her children’s books and podcasts that she does with her daughter, Emma Walton.
In her podcast, she reads her children’s books with Emma.
Julie Andrews relationships and children
During a show called Humpty Dumpty in 1948, a young man named Tony Walton laid his eyes on Julie. He was smitten with her. Julie fell in love with him, and they got married on May 10th, 1959. Tony was a costume designer. He worked in the custom designing of Mary Poppins.
She has a daughter, named Emma, with Tony. Emma Walton, 57, is a teacher, voice actor, author, and theater director.
Julie and Tony Walton separated in 1967 when the filming of Mary Poppins ended simultaneously.
The divorce was so hard for Julie that she had to seek therapy. Luckily, she met her love Blake Edwards in the same institution. They clicked instantly and got married in 1969.
Blake was already the father of two kids.
Julie wanted more kids. So the pair adopted two beautiful girls from a Vietnamese orphanage and named them Amy and Joanna.
At the age of 88, on December 15th, 2010, Blake bid farewell to the world, leaving Julie widowed. Julie has mentioned her late husband, Blake, in her memoir as well.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Julie recites a poem she wrote about him that left some of us teary-eyed.
“When all is said and done, the lady’s by your side
For the wild fun, the fierce pain, the laughter, and the ride
And darling when I show you this, I know what you’ll say
“What else?” you’ll grin,
What else will you write about me today?
Don’t we all secretly wish for a love like this?”
Career
This multi-talented lady spent most of her childhood singing and entertaining the war troops with her parents.
Since her childhood performing years, she was a stage favorite, which gave her the momentum to dive into Broadway.
Julie was born to a musical family. Her mother was a pianist, and her stepfather was a singer.
Andrews began singing at the age of 10. She made her solo professional debut at an operatic aria in Starlight Rood in 1947.
In 1948, she became the youngest solo performer ever to be in a Royal Command Variety Performance to perform before King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, which earned her the title of “Britain’s Youngest Prima Donna”.
She made her debut on Broadway with The Boy Friend in 1954 and suddenly rose to prominence.
Her outstanding performance and immense charisma blew everyone away and later earned her leading roles in many Broadway shows.
In 1957, she starred in the premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s television musical Cinderella that had more than 100 million viewers.
This musical made Julie Andrews a household name.
She played the role of Queen Guinevere in Camelot in 1960. This gave her an elegant and queen-like image. And in this very show, she was discovered by Walt Dinsey, who personally went backstage to meet her.
Impressed by her astounding talent, Walt offered her her role as Mary Poppins
Despite Julie’s pregnancy, Walt agreed to wait for her to play in the movie. That’s how she got her first feature film offer. Later on, Mary Poppins became the huge money-making hit movie that people watch and recreate till today. The movie won her an Academy Award for best actress and a Grammy for her impeccable singing.
Now that’s a fantastic debut into feature films.
In 1965, her role as Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music earned her a Golden Globe Award for best actress. It was released about three times in the theatres. This movie is the third highest-grossing movie in history.
The Americanization of Emily, Hawaii, Torn Curtains, Thoroughly Modern Millie, That’s Life are some of her hits. She has appeared in more than 40 movies.
In 2000, she gained the title of “Dame” from Queen Elizabeth II for her excellent service in the performing arts, and she became Dame Julie Elizabeth Andrews. The title is incredibly apt for a woman full of elegance and class.
Julie is an excellent voice actor too. She has lent her voice in movies like the Shrek series, Aquaman, Despicable Me, and some award-winning documentaries.
She also appeared as the bold and mighty Queen Clarisse Renaldi in the 2001 film The Princess Diaries.
Her musical career was always there. She was a natural singer with a voice so beautiful and the throat of an angel. She has claimed to be able to reach an octave range of 5 in her glory days as an opera singer.
Her first album, The Lass with the Delicate Air, was released in 1957. She has sung some of the most memorable songs like My Favorite Things, Feed the Birds, A Spoonful of Sugar, Do-Re-Mi, So Long, Farewell, and the list goes on.
We all sang along to this song My Favorite Things in our childhood, didn’t we?
Julie Andrews: Mary Poppins
Julie Andrews starred in the iconic 1964 movie Mary Poppins. The movie is about a man looking for a nanny for his children. Mary Poppins, played by Julie, is an angelic nanny who changes their lives and happiness.
Mary Poppins has got a rating of 7.8/10 on IMDb.
Julie Andrews: The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a heartwarming story based on the real story of the Von Trapp Family singers. In this movie, Julie portrays the role of Maria. She is a tomboyish postulant at an Austrian abbey.
Watch the journey of Maria as she goes from a postulant to a governess. This movie has been rated by IMDb as an 8/10.
Julie Andrews: Aquaman
Julie Andrews has voiced for the role of the mythical creature named Karathen. Karathen guards the trident at a watery grave, and when Aquaman tried to retrieve it, she attacks him.
However, she evoked controversy with her racist dialogues. As a result, this movie has been rated 6.9/10 by IMDb.
Julie Andrews: Bridgerton
Bridgerton is a Netflix and Shondaland series that was adapted from the Julia Quinn romance novels.
The series revolves around eight siblings of the Bridgerton family who try to find love.
Julia has voiced the role of the narrator Lady Whistledown. This show has been rated 7.3/10 in IMDb.
Julie Andrews author children books
Like her on-screen character Mary Poppins, Julie is very fond of kids in real life. She loves children, and writing books for kids is one of her passions. Julie has written about 30 books.
Her daughter Emma Walton helps her with writing as she is an author herself.
Here’s a list of kid’s books that Julie and Emma have published.
- The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
- The Very Fairy Princess
- Thanks to You: Wisdom from Mother & Child
- Mandy
- Simeon’s Gift
- Little Bo
- Dumpy’s Valentine
She has published two memoirs called; Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, 2008 and Homework: A Memoir of Hollywood Years, 2019
In her first memoir, she relives her early struggles, difficult childhood, and how she swooped her way into Hollywood through years of hard work.
In an interview with Google, Julie talks about her second memoir. She tells us all about her life in Hollywood and gives us insights into her personal life in the book. The book also has some tips on how to survive in the industry and not giving up.
Her third memoir is on its way.
We must say, this woman’s career is nothing short of legendary.
How Julie Andrews lost her voice and can she still sing?
In her 60s, Julie decided to revisit Broadway. She started singing and performing but felt like her voice was getting hoarse.
In 1998, she underwent throat surgery that was a failure, and it ended up costing her singing voice. The failed surgery left her completely devastated. She lost something she loved so dearly and sued the team of New York surgeons.
She won the case and got a settlement amount of around USD 600000. Being the generous and amazing lady that she is, she donated the whole amount to charity.
Filmography
| Film/TV series | Year | Role |
| Minions: The Rise of Gru | 2022 | Marlena Gru (voice) |
| Bridgerton (TV Series) | 2020 | Lady Whistledown (voice) |
| Aquaman | 2018 | Karathen (voice) |
| The King’s Daughter | 2017 | Narrator (voice) |
| Despicable Me 3 | 2017 | Gru’s Mom (voice) |
| Julie’s Greenroom (TV Series) | 2017 | Ms. Julie |
| Despicable Me | 2010 | Gru’s Mom (voice) |
| Shrek Forever After | 2010 | Queen (voice) |
| Tooth Fairy | 2010 | Lily |
| Pip’s Predicament: A Pop-Up Adventure (Short) | 2008 | Narrator |
| Enchanted | 2007 | The Narrator (voice) |
| Shrek the Third | 2007 | Queen (voice) |
| The Cat That Looked at a King (Video short) | 2004 | Mary Poppins |
| Great Performances (TV Series) | 2004 | Cinderella / Self |
| The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement | 2004 | Queen Clarisse Renaldi |
| Shrek 2 | 2004 | Queen (voice) |
| The Wonderful World of Disney (TV Series) | 2003 | Nanny |
| Unconditional Love | 2002 | Julie Andrews |
| Paraíso Filmes (TV Series) | 2001 | Actress on TV |
| The Princess Diaries | 2001 | Queen Clarisse Renaldi |
| On Golden Pond (TV Movie) | 2001 | Ethel Thayer |
| Relative Values | 2000 | Felicity Marshwood |
| One Special Night (TV Movie) | 1999 | Catherine |
| Victor/Victoria (TV Movie) | 1995 | Victor / Victoria |
| Julie (TV Series) | 1992 | Julie Carlyle-McGuire |
| A Fine Romance | 1991 | Mrs. Pamela Piquet |
| Our Sons (TV Movie) | 1991 | Audrey Grant |
| Duet for One | 1986 | Stephanie Anderson |
| That’s Life! | 1986 | Gillian Fairchild |
| The Man Who Loved Women | 1983 | Marianna |
| Trail of the Pink Panther | 1982 | Charwoman (uncredited) |
| Victor Victoria | 1982 | Victoria Grant |
| S.O.B. | 1981 | Sally Miles |
| Little Miss Marker | 1980 | Amanda Worthington |
| 10 | 1979 | Samantha Taylor |
| The Pink Panther Strikes Again | 1976 | Ainsley Jarvis (singing voice, uncredited) |
| The Tamarind Seed | 1974 | Judith Farrow |
| Darling Lili | 1970 | Lili Smith |
| Star! | 1968 | Gertrude Lawrence |
| Thoroughly Modern Millie | 1967 | Millie Dillmount |
| Hawaii | 1966 | Jerusha Bromley |
| Torn Curtain | 1966 | Sarah Sherman |
| The Sound of Music | 1965 | Maria |
| The Americanization of Emily | 1964 | Emily Barham |
| Mary Poppins | 1964 | Mary Poppins |
| The Gentle Flame (TV Movie) | 1959 | Trissa |
| Cinderella (TV Movie) | 1957 | Cinderella |
| Ford Star Jubilee (TV Series) | 1956 | Lise |
| The Singing Princess | 1949 | Princess Zeila (English version, voice) |
Awards and lifetime achievement
Julie Andrews surely deserves all the accolades she has received in her lifetime. She has received more than 30 so far.
We already talked about her Academy Award, The Golden Globe, and the Grammy. But the list doesn’t end there.
Julie won two Emmy Awards for her performances in The Julie Andrews Hour and Broadway: The American Musical.
Julie Andrews won a BAFTA for Mary Poppins in 1965.
She won a Drama Desk Award for Victor/Victoria. She was also given the Kennedy Center Honoree in 2001.
She has also got the Life Achievement Award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2017.
She has won numerous awards like the Theatre World Award, Laurel Awards, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards, David Di Donatello Awards, Hasty Pudding Theatricals, People’s Choice Awards, Golden Plate Awards, Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards, American Academy of Neurology, UCLA George and Ira Gershwin Award, Prince Rainier Award, Hamptons International Film Festival, and Golden Lion Honorary Award.
Wow! Is there any award this phenomenal woman hasn’t received?
Julie Andrews politics
Julie Andrews has always been vocal when it comes to calling out about sexism and political issues.
Once, she has joked about how the fictional nanny, Mary Poppins, would be able to sort out Donald Trump. In addition, she has said that she was deeply disturbed by Trump pulling America out of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Julie Andrews net worth
Julie has had a great career in all of her fields, singing, acting, or writing. She is even ranked 59th in BBC’s poll of 100 Greatest Britons.
Acting in more than 40 movies and acting and directing Broadway shows will surely make up for impressive net worth. As of 2020, her net worth is a staggering sum of around USD 45 million.
With that kind of wealth, there is no doubt that her lifestyle is lavish and prosperous.
We offer this excellent woman our heartiest wishes and look forward to seeing what else she has to offer to her fans.
Do you guys think we covered all your questions about Julie Andrews? If not, please let us know in the comments. We would love to hear from you.
Social media presence
Julie Andrews used to be quite active on social media till 2020. But, recently, it seems like she hasn’t used any of her social media accounts.
Her Facebook page has over 1.6 million followers.
She has an Instagram account with the username @julieandrews
She has over 308k followers. She typically promotes her books and upcoming shows on her Instagram.
Her last post was on October 30, 2020, where she was updating her followers that she will be the guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
She also has a Twitter account with the username @JulieAndrews
She has over 60.8K followers and had made her last tweet in November 2020.
She also has her website julieslibraryshow.org
Julie Andrews now
Julie is still working on voicing animated movies. Her movie from the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise, titled ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru,’ will release in 2022.
She has also done a Netflix series for kids called ‘Julie’s Greenroom.’ She has also written a series of children’s books with Hamilton. Some of these books are featured in Julie’s Library.
