Spotlight: Julie Andrews

In honor of Julie Andrews Day in this Week of Musicals, may I present a Spotlight on (you guessed it...) Julie Andrews!

Julie Andrews

 

A Week of Musicals: Julie Andrews

Welcome to the fourth day of our Week of Musicals! Today's featured person...Julie Andrews. A wonderful actor!

Guess what? Like so many other actors, Julie wasn't born under the name she's known for, at least not entirely...she was born on October 1, 1935 as Julie Wells, in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey England. Honestly, who wouldn't want to be born in a town with that name?!? Around 1945, she started singing in company with her parents.

In 1954, she debuted here in the US -- she was almost 19. She acted in several plays over the years, and one of her first movies was in 1957, Cinderella. 

She also played in Camelot with Richard Burton in 1960, and was almost cast for My Fair Lady the movie, but it was decided that she wasn't famous enough, and Audrey Hepburn won out. In 1963, she finally started in on the roles that we know her for, starting with Mary Poppins. She won several awards in that role.

 Then, in 1965, she starred in her best known film (IMHO), Sound of Music.

Later in life, Julie starred as Nanny in Eloise...

...and as Queen Clarisse in Princess Diaries, as well as being a voice in Enchanted and Despicable Me. 

She was married to Tony Walton for 18 years, and Blake Edwards for 31. She had five children total: Jennifer, Geoffrey, Emma, Amelia, and Joanna.

Home

Author: Julie Andrews

Genre: Life

Series: Not technically – but I hope she writes a sequel about the rest of her life.

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7.5

Type: Biography

Number of pages: 339

Time period: 1950’s, mostly

My overall opinion: It was okay. There was some stuff that she definitely could have left out. And I should mention that it was just about her early life – it stops just after she gets the part of Mary in Mary Poppins, in the 1960’s. And it was Mary Poppins, and Sound of Music, and the other later movies that she did that I was really interested in. But this book was passably interesting, though I won’t read it again.

Female Doubles: Post 2

We are more than 1/2 done with all my doubles posts, if this goes the way I'm planning! Remember, if you think of more, let me know. :) Oh, and please...with all these doubles posts, let me know if a picture or if some information is incorrect!!!

Justine Waddell

Molly Gibson (Wives and Daughters, 1999)

 

Estella (Great Expectations, 1999)

 

 

Julia Bertram (Mansfield Park, 1999)* {she was busy that year...she's on the left}

{she was also in "Tess of the d'Urbervilles, but I'm not sure if that's good}

Carey Mulligan

Kitty Bennet (Pride and Prejudice, 2005)

Isabelle Thorpe (Northanger Abbey, 2007)*

 

Ada Clare (Bleak House, 2005)

Julie Andrews

Maria (Sound of Music, 1965)
 

Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins, 1964)

Nanny (Eloise at the Plaza, 2003)

Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Princess Diaries, 2001)*

 

{{she also acted in the 1957 Cinderella as the title character, and narrated for the 2007 Enchanted.}}

Imelda Staunton

Mrs. Palmer (Sense and Sensiblity, 1995)

Miss Pole (Cranford, 2007)*

Mrs. Micawber (David Copperfield, 1999)*

{{she was also in Nanny McPhee and Much Ado About Nothing}}

Movie: The Sound of Music

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Main characters: Maria, the Captain, the Baroness, Uncle Max, and of course: the kids

Genre: Family, life, classic  

Primary actors: Julie Andrews

Length: About three hours!

Based on: I believe there's a book by the actual Maria Von Trapp, based on their real life. But the story there is much different.

Time period: 1940's

Exciting events: Being chased by Nazis...!

Quote(s): "The Von Trapp children don't play, they march." "What's going to happen's going to happen. Just make sure it doesn't happen to you." "I haven't had so much fun since the day we put glue on Fraulein Josephine's toothbrush."

Year it came out: 1965

My overall opinion: <3 This is such a classic movie. :)

Movie: Eloise at the Plasa

My rating on a 1-10 scale:  8

Main characters: Eloise, Nanny, varioius others

Genre: Children's :)

Primary actors: Julie Andrews

Length: One and 1/2 hours

Based on: The Eloise books by Kay Thompson

Time period: Present

Exciting events: Many adventures. :)

Quote(s): "Think pink. A better way of life." "Eloise...being bored is not allowed." "I always say what's in my head. It makes everything so much easier."

Year it came out: 2003

My overall opinion: A fun kid's movie! It was quite hilarious in parts.