Dame Julie Andrews is an English actress, singer, and author who has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades.
Gatekeepers News reports Andrews, who is best known for her Oscar-winning roles in Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, is one of the last surviving leading actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Fans recently listened to Andrews’s distinct voice with a crisp British accent as narrator ‘Lady Whistledown’ in Bridgerton, where she tells the story of each of the characters as they happen.
Early Life
Born Julia Elizabeth Wells on 1 October 1935 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, her mother, Barbara Ward Wells (née Morris; 25 July 1910(7)–1984) married Edward Charles “Ted” Wells (1908–1990), a teacher of metalwork and woodwork, in 1932.
Andrews was conceived as a result of an affair her mother had with a family friend. Andrews discovered her true parentage from her mother in 1950, although it was not publicly disclosed until her 2008 autobiography.
With the outbreak of World War II, her parents went their separate ways and were soon divorced. Each remarried.
Andrews’s mother joined her stepfather in entertaining the troops through the Entertainments National Service Association.
Her stepfather sponsored lessons for her, first at the independent arts educational school Cone-Ripman School (ArtsEd) in London, and thereafter with concert soprano and voice instructor Madame Lilian Stiles-Allen.
After Cone-Ripman School, Andrews continued her academic education at the nearby Woodbrook School, a local state school in Beckenham.
Career And Awards
Beginning in 1945, and for the next two years, Andrews performed spontaneously and unbilled on stage with her parents.
Initially, Andrews stood on a beer crate to sing into the microphone, performing a solo or a duet with her stepfather, while her mother played piano.
Andrews had her career breakthrough when her stepfather introduced her to managing director Val Parnell, whose Moss Empires controlled prominent performance venues in London. At age 12, Andrews made her professional solo debut at the London Hippodrome, singing the difficult aria “Je suis Titania” from Mignon as part of a musical revue, called “Starlight Roof”, on 22 October 1947. She played at the Hippodrome for one year.
On 1 November 1948, thirteen-year-old Andrews became the youngest solo performer ever to be seen in a Royal Variety Performance before King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at the London Palladium. Andrews performed alongside singer Danny Kaye, dancers the Nicholas Brothers, and the comedy team George and Bert Bernard.
Andrews subsequently followed her parents into radio and television. She performed in musical interludes of the BBC Light Programme comedy show Up the Pole and was a cast member in Educating Archie, from 1950 to 1952. She reportedly made her television début on the BBC programme RadiOlympia Showtime on 8 October 1949. Andrews appeared in West End theatre at the London Casino, where she played one year each as Princess Badroulbadour in Aladdin and the egg in Humpty Dumpty. Andrews also appeared on provincial stages in Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood, as well as starring as the lead role in Cinderella. In 1952, she voiced Princess Zeila in the English dub of the Italian animated movie La Rosa di Bagdad (renamed The Singing Princess), in her first film and first venture into voice-over work.
On 30 September 1954, the eve of her 19th birthday, Andrews made her Broadway debut as Polly Browne in the London musical The Boy Friend. Andrews was recommended to director Vida Hope for the part by actress Hattie Jacques, whom Andrews regards as a “catalyst” for her career. The Boy Friend became a hit, with Andrews receiving praise; critics called her the stand-out of the show.
In 1965, she played the role of Maria von Trapp in the film ” The Sound of Music,” for which she received the Golden Globe Award under the category of Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.
She has appeared in super movies in her acting career and worked with a popular director in the film industry. She has received various awards for her excellent acting in the movies. She has received the British Academy Film Award and Primetime Emmy Awards two times. She has also won the Grammy Awards three times. She also received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in the year of 2007.
Personal Life
Andrews married set designer Tony Walton on 10 May 1959 in Weybridge, Surrey. They first met in 1948 when Andrews was appearing at the London Casino in the show Humpty Dumpty. In November 1962, their daughter Emma (now Emma Walton Hamilton, an author of children’s books), was born. They divorced in 1968.
Andrews subsequently married director Blake Edwards in 1969; becoming stepmother to his children, Jennifer and Geoffrey. In the 1970s, Edwards and Andrews adopted two Vietnamese daughters; Amy (later known as Amelia) in 1974 and Joanna in 1975. They remained married for 41 years until his death on 15 December 2010, in Santa Monica, California. He was 88 years old. Andrews is a grandmother to nine and a great-grandmother to three.
Net Worth
According to sources like Forbes and Bloomberg, Andrews, an actress, author of many books and singer, is estimated to be worth around $35 Million.
She was able to make this much net worth and have a successful career in the film industry because of her excellent acting skills, which she has been doing for a long period of time. She has won various big awards and achievements in her career which has resulted in getting high amount of fees.
She also makes music for her appearances on television shows. She has also done brand endorsements and brand promotions in her career, which have also contributed to her career. She makes millions of dollars on an annual basis.
