Julie Andrews

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Julie Andrews, 2013

Dame Julie Elizabeth Andrews , DBE ; civil Julie Andrews Edwards (* 1. October 1935 as Julia Elizabeth Wells in Walton-on-Thames ) is a British actress , singer , writer and voice actor . She gained international fame in the 1960s as a musical performer, especially through her leading roles in the film musicals Mary Poppins and Meine Lieder - mein Träume. She also gave numerous concerts all over the world until she lost her singing voice in 1997 as a result of an unsuccessful operation. Afterwards, the Oscar winner devoted herself more to writing; she was particularly successful as an author of children's books.

Life

Childhood and youth

Julie Andrews was born Julia Elizabeth Wells on October 1, 1935. Her parents soon divorced and her mother married Ted Andrews, whose last name the girl took on. From this marriage, Julie Andrews has two half-siblings. Ted Andrews was a vaudeville artist and performed with his wife in vaudeville theaters in and around London. He discovered his stepdaughter's talent for singing and so he developed the two-person show into a family production in which young Julie sang a few songs while her mother accompanied her on the piano. The girl's performances were so well received by the audience that her stage time was extended until she was the main protagonist of the program, most of the living for the family.

Family and children

In 1959, Andrews took three weeks off from her then engagement as the leading actress in My Fair Lady to marry her fiancé. She had known the future set designer Tony Walton since childhood. The wedding took place on May 10th with great sympathy from the population and the press in the village church of St. Mary's in Oatlands . The couple then invited to the 300-year-old Miter Hotel to celebrate. Shortly before the filming of Mary Poppins began , their daughter Emma was born. Andrews and Walton's marriage was divorced on November 14, 1967. In 1969, while filming Darling Lili , the actress married the film's director, Blake Edwards , who was also married for a second time. Edwards brought his two children, Jennifer and Geoffrey , into the marriage, stemming from his association with actress Patricia Walker . In the mid 1970s, Andrews and Edwards adopted two girls from Vietnam . The family lived alternately in their villa in Los Angeles and on their property in Gstaad , Switzerland . Blake Edwards died on December 15, 2010 at the age of 88. Julie Andrews was made an honorary citizen of Saanen on March 29, 2014 by the local community assembly , for which she thanked with a sculpture, a duck owned by Blake Edwards.

Career

Julie Andrews' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

As an actress

Andrews was encouraged by her parents at an early age and was already on stage in the Starlight Roof Revue at the age of twelve . Her leading role in the musical The Boy Friend proved to be a major stepping stone in her career in 1953 . Three years later, Moss Hart gave her the role of Eliza Doolittle in the Broadway version of My Fair Lady , an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion . Andrews also played the Eliza in the London production.

In 1960 Lerner and Loewe (the creators of My Fair Lady) wrote the role of Guinevere in Camelot for her. She starred in it alongside Richard Burton and other well-known stars. Andrews became known to a wider audience in the United States through an appearance with Camelot on the Ed Sullivan Show . Even Walt Disney was thus aware of the young actress and offered her soon after the lead role in his film adaptation of the musical Mary Poppins on.

Around the same time, the filming of My Fair Lady was being planned and Andrews sought the role of Eliza Doolittle, which she had already portrayed . The producers, however, opted for Audrey Hepburn, who was already well-known and more experienced in the film business . Both films hit theaters in 1964 and the media tried to create jealousy between the two leading actresses. Andrews won the Academy Award for Best Actress the following year for her portrayal .

After the film For Officers Only , in which she starred in a more serious role alongside James Garner , Andrews returned to the film musical in 1965 with My Songs - My Dreams . She received a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the nun and housekeeper Maria von Trapp .

After marrying Blake Edwards in 1969, Andrews played the female lead in many of his films, including the mistaken comedy Victor / Victoria , with whose Broadway adaptation of the same name she returned to the theater stage in the 1990s. She had a longstanding collaboration with the composer of this piece, Ian Fraser . For her performance she was nominated for a Tony Award in 1996; The scandal then came when Andrews announced at the end of a performance that she would not accept the nomination for best actress . She wanted to express her displeasure that only she and not the ensemble had been nominated. This had no effect on the award ceremony, as Zoe Caldwell became best actress.

In 1999 she shot the romantic comedy Magic of a Winter Night with her friend and colleague James Garner . She then celebrated success with younger audiences as Queen Clarisse in the feature film Suddenly Princess and its sequel.

For the second part of Shrek , she was recruited as a voice actress for the role of a queen. As in the third and fourth parts  , she lent her voice to Princess Fiona's mother , Queen Lillian.

In Germany, Andrews was dubbed in her film roles by various actresses, most often Viktoria Brams .

As a singer

Andrew's stepfather discovered her unusual voice and gave her singing lessons. Soon after, however, they sent the parents to a professional singing teacher; she took over her training in the following years and also accompanied Julie Andrews to appearances in different parts of the country.

Although Andrews' voice spanned four octaves, it was not suitable for training as an opera singer, as it was not powerful enough. From then on, she accompanied her parents to their vaudeville appearances. Through this experience and her vocal training, she made the leap to becoming a sought-after musical actress.

Her talent eventually helped her establish herself in the movie business, and Julie Andrews sings or dances in many of her roles, such as Mary Poppins , The Sound of Music , Thouroughly Modern Millie , Star! or Victor / Victoria . Her films made her increasingly popular with audiences, and she eventually received her own television show, The Julie Andrews Hour , in the 1970s . In the one-hour show, colleagues such as Dinah Shore , Gene Kelly , Robert Goulet , Cass Elliot and many more appeared with singing, dancing and sketching.

In addition, the artist published numerous CDs with her own songs as well as new recordings of classics or Christmas carols, which she also performed on tours around the world. Andrews hit an "F #" over the high "C" of a soprano on several occasions during her early live performances .

1992 appeared a studio recording of the musical The King and I with her and Ben Kingsley in the lead roles. Roger Moore and Michael Sheen played supporting roles .

From 1995 to 1997 Andrews played the title role on New York's Broadway in the musical Victor / Victoria , which is based on the 1982 film of the same name .

1997 Andrews lost as a result of an operation in the vocal cords ( singers nodules ) a year completely her voice. A lawsuit against her doctors ended in September 2000 with a settlement .

To date she has not regained her full singing voice. However, in current films (for example, Suddenly Princess ), she managed to sing a few lines in low voices . In interviews, she described the experience as very painful, but she never gave up hope of a full recovery.

On May 8, 2010, she appeared again as a singer for the first time after her operation. At the concert at The O 2 in London she was accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and supported by five other singers. While Andrews could not convince the critics with their performance, 20,000 listeners celebrated their comeback with a standing ovation.

As a writer

In the early 1970s, inspired by her own children, the actress wrote the first children's books. The book Mandy was published in 1971, followed three years later by The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles .

After losing her voice, she returned to writing. Together with her biological daughter Emma Walton-Hamilton, Andrews developed the successful Dumpy children's stories . From this series there are always new books about the truck of the same name. The illustration of the books was done by Andrew's ex-husband Tony Walton.

The actress has also written books for adult readers and published them by her publisher HarperCollins , for example Simeon's present . At her publishing house she now has her own collection in which she publishes books for young readers that have long since ceased to be published. But Julie Andrews also offers young children's book authors a platform for the publication of their works.

Her autobiography was published in 2008 under the title Home . In the book, she describes her childhood and youth in vaudeville theater and her beginnings as an actress until 1963. While Andrews kept her stage name as an actress after her wedding to Blake Edwards, she uses her full name as a writer Julie Andrews-Edwards.

reception

Julie Andrews is one of the most popular and recognized actresses in American cinema. With friendly characters such as the magical nanny Mary Poppins and the former nun Maria von Trapp, her reputation as the “fairy godmother of Hollywood” was already consolidated at the beginning of her career. These roles brought her a lot of fame, which one film critic commented: "Julie Andrews is not just a star, she is a whole floating constellation." With these family-friendly roles, the actress was quickly established in her repertoire. Later she tried to counteract this image with completely opposite characters, which she only succeeded to a limited extent. Above all, her second husband, the director Blake Edwards, cast her against her image, for example as a female spy in Darling Lili , as a supposed drag queen in Victor / Victoria or as a psychiatrist trying to cure a notorious cheater, women were his hobby . Most of these films were flops. Audiences still remember Andrews as a sweet nanny and continue to prefer to see her in similar characters. With her portrayal of the nanny in the two Eloise films or Queen Clarisse in Suddenly Princess I and II , she returned to her usual role model and was again able to celebrate great successes.

Awards

Signature of Julie Andrews in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater

The Disney organization named Julie Andrews a " Disney Legend " in 1991 for her services as an actress in Disney productions.

On December 31, 1999, Queen Elizabeth II raised her to the rank of Lady Commander of the British Empire .

In 2001 Andrews was awarded the Kennedy Prize for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts at a gala evening at the Kennedy Center, along with Van Cliburn , Quincy Jones , Jack Nicholson , and Luciano Pavarotti .

In the 2002 broadcast 100 Greatest Britons , Julie Andrews was voted 59th of the 100 Greatest Compatriots in Great Britain.

At the Screen Actors Guild Awards 2007, the actress was honored for her life's work. The trophy was presented by fellow actors Dick Van Dyke and Anne Hathaway .

At 6901 Hollywood Boulevard, Andrews has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . A star was also dedicated to her on the Avenue of Stars in London.

Golden Globe Award

  • 1965: Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for Mary Poppins
  • 1966: Award for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical for My Songs - My Dreams
  • 1968: Nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for Modern Millie
  • 1969: Nomination for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical for Star!
  • 1971: Nomination for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical for Darling Lili
  • 1980: Nomination for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical for Ten - Die Traumfrau
  • 1983: Award for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical for Victor / Victoria
  • 1987: Nomination for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical for That's Life - That's Life
  • 1987: Nomination for Best Actress - Drama for Duet for One

Oscar

  • 1965 : Award as Best Actress for Mary Poppins
  • 1966 : Nomination for Best Actress for My Songs - My Dreams
  • 1983 : Nomination for Best Actress for Victor / Victoria

Further

literature

By Julie Andrews

About Julie Andrews

Filmography (selection)

Theater (roles)

  • 1954: The Boy Friend (Polly Brown)
  • 1956: My Fair Lady (Eliza Doolittle)
  • 1960: Camelot (Queen Guinevere)
  • 1993: Putting It Together (Amy)
  • 1995–1997: Victor / Victoria (Victoria Grant / Victor Grazinsky)

Web links

Commons : Julie Andrews  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The religion of Julie Andrews. In: adherents.com. Retrieved November 24, 2009 (… during a three-week vacation from My Fair Lady, Julie Andrews married Tony Walton at St Mary's village church in Oatlands…).
  2. ↑ A Tribute to Julie Andrews. (No longer available online.) In: classicmovies.org. Archived from the original on May 13, 2010 ; Retrieved November 24, 2009 (The wedding reception was held at the 300-year-old Miter Hotel ...). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.classicmovies.org
  3. ↑ Julie Andrews is an honorary citizen of the Saanen community. Anzeiger von Saanen, March 29, 2014, accessed June 5, 2014 .
  4. ↑ Switzerland currently from June 5, 2014 on SRF 1
  5. ^ Mike Barnes: Ian Fraser, Famed Composer for TV and Film, Dies at 81. In: The Hollywood Reporter . October 31, 2014, accessed November 1, 2014 .
  6. ↑ THE GREAT SLIGHT WAY JULIE DECLINES NOD IN A TONY SNIT FIT. (No longer available online.) In: www.nydailynews.com. May 9, 1996, formerly in the original ; accessed on February 14, 2011 (English): "Julie Andrews yesterday refused to accept her Tony nomination [...]"
  7. ↑ Biography of Julie Andrews. (No longer available online.) In: Kennedy Center. Archived from the original on May 2, 2010 ; Retrieved April 8, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kennedy-center.org
  8. ↑ Julie Andrews settles lawsuit ( Memento of the original from November 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , The Chicago Sun-Times, September 9, 2000. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.highbeam.com
  9. ↑ www.telegraph.co.uk: Review: Dame Julie Andrews at the O2 Arena . Accessed February 25, 2011
  10. ↑ Biography of Julie Andrews. (No longer available online.) In: Kennedy Center. Archived from the original on May 2, 2010 ; Retrieved November 24, 2009 (Since her iconic debut in films nearly 40 years ago, Julie Andrews has been one of the most beloved and honored actresses in American movies.). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kennedy-center.org
  11. ↑ A Tribute to Julie Andrews. (No longer available online.) In: classicmovies.org. Archived from the original on May 13, 2010 ; Retrieved November 24, 2009 ( Original: Julie Andrews is not only a star, she's an entire whirling constellation ). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.classicmovies.org
  12. ↑ Julie Andrews biography and filmography. In: moviesection.de. Retrieved November 24, 2009 .
  13. ↑ Julie Andrews as "Disney Legend". In: disney.go.com. Retrieved December 23, 2009 .
  14. ↑ Julie Andrews. In: Answers.com. Retrieved November 24, 2009 (Andrews became Dame Julie Andrews in 2000, when Queen Elizabeth II named her a Dame of the British Empire.).
  15. ↑ orf.at: Julie Andrews receives honorary lions in Venice . Article dated March 8, 2019, accessed March 8, 2019.
personal data
SURNAME Andrews, Julie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wells, Julia Elizabeth; Andrews-Edwards, Julie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actress, singer and author
DATE OF BIRTH October 1, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH Walton-on-Thames , Surrey , England , United Kingdom