Angel-faced, with a cut-glass accent and a voice that could charm the birds from the trees. But as The Sound of Music star Julie Andrews turns 90, how her steely core has earned her the nickname ‘the nun with a switchblade’

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Considering Dame Julie Andrews’ career has lasted an incredible 80 years, it’s understandable she’s played many parts both on stage and in films. It’s not surprising she has a long list of roles!

Even now though, as she turns 90, it is two that stand out more than any other.

For many, the most beloved leading lady is either the enchanting nanny Mary Poppins or the wonderfully musical Maria von Trapp from The Sound of Music. Both characters are known for their charm and talent.

These two films will always be remembered as sources of comfort for those feeling sad. They’ve become ingrained in the national psyche as a way to lift spirits when people are downhearted.

For decades, Dame Julie has been widely considered a national treasure thanks to her amazing voice and beautiful looks.

While she became famous for roles that everyone enjoyed, the star consistently avoided being labeled as just a performer for families. She famously told reporters, ‘I hate the word wholesome‘.

Famous in Hollywood as ‘the nun with the switchblade’ because of her tough approach, she’s also played daring characters, like in the 1986 film Duet for One, where she acted with Liam Neeson.

Later in her career, she gained even more fans by playing the strong-willed Queen Clarisse Renaldi in the 2001 movie The Princess Diaries and its 2004 sequel.

Today, Dame Julie received birthday wishes from many of her colleagues. Mary Poppins child star Karen Dotrice described her as ‘a tonic in this world’, while Nicholas Hammond, from The Sound of Music, called her ‘the personification of professionalism’.

The mother of three, who has been married twice and rarely appears in public these days, lost her incredible singing voice after a surgery went wrong in 1997. She has had to adjust to life without the voice that once defined her.

Speaking in 2019, she told how the trauma made her feel as though she had ‘lost my identity’.

Dame Julie experienced a difficult childhood marked by significant financial hardship. She was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, and felt a stronger connection with her father, who was a school teacher, than with her mother.

When she was only four years old, her mother moved in with a Canadian singer. The couple later formally divorced when she was eight.

With a remarkably beautiful soprano voice, young Julie began performing on stage with her mother and stepfather when she was very young.

However, Julie’s stepfather also harbored inappropriate sexual feelings for her, which she learned when he invited her into bed with him and subsequently kissed her.

At the age of 14, the actress discovered that her mother had an affair with a family friend, and she was the result of that relationship.

By the time she discovered this important information about her family, the young performer had already impressed audiences with her incredible singing ability at the Royal Variety Performance – she was just 13 years old at the time.

And that gig had come after her first big break in the West End revue Starlight Roof, aged 12. 

With regular work at the BBC under her belt, Dame Julie then went to perform on Broadway.

Then still a teenager, she was chosen for the lead in The Boy Friend. 

Her role as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady came next, and it quickly made her a huge star on Broadway.

While performing in New York, Dame Julie landed the role in her debut film, which ultimately earned her an Oscar.

Oh my gosh, by that time she was already married to Tony Walton, you know, the amazing costume designer! And they had their first baby, a beautiful daughter named Emma! I was absolutely obsessed with following her life even back then, and I remember being so thrilled when I heard the news. It felt like everyone was celebrating with them, and I was right there with them in spirit! It was just the beginning of an incredible journey.

She recounted that five years prior, Walt Disney had seen her perform and subsequently offered her a role in his upcoming film.

She recalled that he attended a performance of Camelot on Broadway, where she acted alongside the wonderful Richard Burton. Afterwards, he visited her backstage and offered her a role in a film, Mary Poppins, inviting her to Hollywood, she said.

I told him, “Oh, Mr. Disney, I’d really like to, but I’m expecting a baby.” He replied, “Oh, that’s alright, we can hold off.” And he actually did.

Mary Poppins, first shown in 1964, was immediately praised by both critics and audiences. It received widespread positive reviews and was very well-received by everyone who saw it.

Originally based on the book series by P. L. Travers, the film became the top-earning movie of 1964. It also earned 13 nominations for Academy Awards, which was a record for any film released by Walt Disney Studios.

In a 2023 interview with Vanity Fair, Dame Julie explained that she was initially captivated by the music, which was the primary reason she accepted the role.

I hadn’t experienced anything like it before. It was, naturally, for Walt Disney, and the songs in Mary Poppins had a distinctly old-fashioned, Vaudeville feel to them,” Andrews shared.

What really drew me to this job was the music – all that elaborate, energetic style, like the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Jolly Holiday songs, reminded me a lot of traditional English vaudeville.

In 1965, she gained even more fans with her performance in The Sound of Music, where she starred with Christopher Plummer.

The story draws inspiration from the true story of Maria von Trapp, an Austrian nun who became a governess. She later married into a family of musicians and bravely resisted the Nazis.

Immediately following its debut, the movie became a global sensation. In 1966, it received five Academy Awards, notably for Best Picture and Best Director.

Sadly, Dame Julie lost out to Julie Christie in the Best Actress award.   

Today, the film remains one of the best-loved productions globally. 

Dame Julie continued her career by collaborating with renowned horror director Alfred Hitchcock on the film Torn Curtain in 1966. Afterwards, she primarily focused on television projects throughout the 1970s.

She ended her marriage with Walton in 1968, and then married director Blake Edwards in 1969.

With him, Dame Julie made 1974 romantic spy thriller The Tamarind Seed and sex comedy 10.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve always admired Dame Julie Andrews’ versatility! It really became clear with her roles in S.O.B in 1981 and Victor/Victoria in 1982 that she was incredibly comfortable pushing boundaries – even when it came to on-screen nudity. She truly showed her range and willingness to take risks with those parts!

In 1986, she appeared in two films: That’s Life and Duet for One. In That’s Life, she played the role of a singer anxiously awaiting the results of a cancer test to determine if she has throat cancer.

In the second storyline, she played a concert violinist whose husband was unfaithful. She then herself had an affair with Liam Neeson’s character-a junk collector-after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Dame Julie received her damehood in the year 2000. When she met with the late Queen Elizabeth at the Palace, the Queen remarked: ‘I’ve been waiting a long time to see you here.‘

Celebrating Julie Andrews’ birthday today, Ms. Dotrice – who was just nine years old when she played Jane Banks in Mary Poppins – shared a message with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘Happy Birthday Julie, you are a tonic in this world.‘

You’ve had a profound impact, altering the lives of those around you and even how people view things – like, I think, the way someone might interpret Mary Poppins. There’s a really meaningful message within that film.

And it’s more than just a lighthearted musical; it explores how parents should pay attention to their children, referencing the Edwardian era when family care wasn’t prioritized and children were often expected to be quiet and unseen.

‘She followed those rules to a point but she always allowed for the fun. 

That pretty much sums up Julie – she’s a really dedicated worker, but she also loves to have fun and is always first to join in when there’s a good time to be had.

Nicholas Hammond, known for playing young Friedrich von Trapp in The Sound of Music, shared a heartwarming story. He recalled attending Julie Andrews’ last performance in My Fair Lady with his mother. Then, a few years later – when he was about three and a half or four years old – he remembered being in his pajamas, with his mother singing My Favourite Things to him. He described the moment as a dream come true.

He explained: ‘Throughout the entire filming of The Sound of Music, she truly embodied professionalism, hard work, and a consistently positive outlook.’

‘She is to this day still a very good friend of mine and someone who I love with all my heart.’

Dame Julie, who lives in The Hamptons in New York, has not spoken publicly to mark her birthday.

She was last pictured in public during a shopping trip near her home last April.  

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2025-10-01 16:21