Julie Andrews has spent more than seven decades enchanting audiences on stage and screen, and her 91st birthday offers the perfect reason to revisit some of the moments that made her a legend. From her extraordinary early start in England to Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music and beyond, her story stretches across generations of entertainment history.
According to People, Julie Andrews’ career began long before Hollywood knew her name. Born Oct. 1, 1935, in Surrey, England, Andrews started performing as a child with her mother and stepfather. By age 13, she had already become the youngest solo performer to appear at the Royal Variety Show, singing before King George VI.
Julie Andrews’ Career Took Her From Broadway to Hollywood
Andrews made her Broadway debut at 19 in The Boy Friend before taking on one of her most celebrated early roles, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady in 1956. She later starred as Guinevere in Camelot, earning a Tony Award nomination and cementing her reputation as one of musical theater’s brightest talents.
Hollywood soon followed. Andrews won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Mary Poppins and then starred opposite Christopher Plummer as Maria von Trapp in 1965’s The Sound of Music. That performance brought her another Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe, while both films became enduring favorites that introduced her voice and warmth to generations of moviegoers.
Her Legacy Continued Across Generations
Andrews never allowed her career to belong to one era. She starred in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Victor/Victoria, hosted The Julie Andrews Hour, and became a dame in 2000. A new generation discovered her as Queen Clarisse in The Princess Diaries, while later audiences heard her voice in Bridgerton. In 2026, she won an Emmy for the series as she continued focusing on books, podcasts, and voice work.
Julie Andrews’ career also includes a rich personal story. She became a mother to a daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, with her first husband, Tony Walton, and later adopted two more daughters with her second husband, filmmaker Blake Edwards. She and Edwards remained married until his death in 2010. At 91, Andrews’ legacy reaches far beyond any single role.
Whether fans first knew her as Mary Poppins, Maria von Trapp, or the Queen of Genovia, her work continues to inspire nostalgia while finding new audiences. Few performers have moved so effortlessly between theater, film, television, music, and voice acting—and fewer still have remained so beloved for so long.