Today's generation probably remembers her as Queen Clarissa from Princee Diaries; but she has a long career and has given many memorable, significant performances. Julie Andrews is still remembered for her musicals such as My Fair Lady and Camelot, and in musical films such as Mary Poppins, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress and The Sound of Music for which she is still fondly remembered.
Born on October 1, 1935, in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, Julie Andrews had a very tough childhood. Ted and Barbara Andrews, her parents were stage artists and as their career started getting better, their condition improved. Julie Andrews got her big break when her stepfather introduced her to Val Parnell. Andrews made her professional solo debut at the London Hippodrome on October 22, 1947.
On 1 November 1948, Julie Andrews became the youngest solo performer ever to be seen in a Royal Command Variety Performance, at the London Palladium. She made her television debut on the BBC program RadiOlympia Showtime on 8 October 1949. She garnered considerable fame in the United Kingdom for her work on the BBC radio comedy show Educating Archie; she was a cast member from 1950 to 1952. On 30 September 1954 on the eve of her 19th birthday, Julie Andrews made her Broadway debut portraying "Polly Browne" in the already highly successful London musical The Boy Friend. Andrews later began her work in the title role of Disney's musical film Mary Poppins. As a result of her performance in Mary Poppins, Andrews won the 1964 Academy Award for Best Actress and the 1965 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. After this though, Julie gave a series of flops.
In 1972–1973, Andrews starred in her own television variety series, The Julie Andrews Hour, on the ABC network. The show won seven Emmy Awards, but was cancelled after one season. Later she appeared in various films, theatre shows and Television shows. In 2001, Andrews appeared in The Princess Diaries, her first Disney film since 1964's Mary Poppins. She starred as Queen Clarisse Marie Renaldi and reprised the role in a sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. In 2004 Andrews performed the voice of Queen Lillian in the animated blockbuster Shrek 2, reprising the role for its sequels, Shrek the Third (2007) and Shrek Forever After (2010). Later, in 2007, she narrated Enchanted, a live-action Disney musical comedy.
Throughout her career Julie Andrews received a lot of awards and appreciation. Her latest achievement being a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2011. Her biggest award was probably when Julie Andrews was named a Dame by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on the Millenium New Year's Honours List on December 31, 1999.
Fridaymoviez wishes Julie Andrews a very Happy Birthday!