October 1, 1935 – Actress, Singer, and Disney Legend Julie Andrews is Born
“I know that I am blessed and unbelievably lucky to be asked to do [Mary Poppins], at a time in my life when the next break was just a big question mark and suddenly, there was Mary Poppins and Walt.”
On October 1, 1935, actress and singer Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells) was born in Walton-on-Thames, England. During World War II, Andrews’ mother and father separated, with Andrews’ mother joining Ted Andrews in entertaining the troops through the Entertainments National Service Association; they soon married, and Julie was sent to live with her mother and step-father. Julie took private voice lessons with Madame Lilian Stiles-Allen, working on her amazing vocals, which ranged five octaves. At age 12, Andrews sang at the London Hippodrome, which soon led to many other opportunities on the sate, including Cinderella and The Boy Friend, as well as one of her most well-known roles as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.
Walt Disney was in the audience one night while Andrews performed as Queen Guinevere in the Broadway production of Camelot. After the performance, he went backstage and offered her the lead role in his new feature film, Mary Poppins. She agreed tentatively, as there was a chance that she would be in the film version of My Fair Lady; when the role of Eliza went to Audrey Hepburn, Andrews began the work on Mary Poppins. The film was a success, and made Andrews a star, with her winning an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance. She starred in several high-profile films after this, including The Sound Of Music, which garnered her another Golden Globe, and a nomination for another Academy Award.
Andrews is best known for playing the title character in Disney’s Mary Poppins, a role that won her the Academy Award for Best Leading Actress
In 1991, Andrews was named a Disney Legend. In 2001, Andrews returned to Disney films by playing the role of Queen Clarisse Marie Renaldi in their adaptation of the Meg Cabot series The Princess Diaries, as well as the sequel The Princess Diaries II. In 2005, Andrews was named the Official Ambassador of Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary, promoting the celebration and the park with several events.
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