The Original Mary Poppins The remake of the Disney classic Mary Poppins is everywhere, and by all accounts Emily Blunt is brilliant in the lead role. But for people of a certain age, like myself, who can forget the sheer charm of the original. It’s lead actor being none other than Walton on Thames’ own Julie Andrews. Credit: Everett Collection/Rex Feature
Julie Andrews in her younger years
Julie Andrews is simply one of the most enduring and popular figures in the British acting profession, even if her most recognisable work took place five decades ago with Mary Poppins (1964) and The Sound of Music (1965). Julia Elizabeth Wells was born in 1935 in at the Rodney House Maternity Hospital in Rodney Road in Walton. She lived in Westcar Lane - on the border of Walton and Hersham. The Andrews family then took up residence at the Old Meuse, in West Grove, Hersham, a house (now demolished) where Andrews' maternal grandmother had served as a maid. Julie made her stage debut in 1947, singing an aria at the London Hippodrome. She made her Broadway debut in 1954 with The Boy Friend. In 1963, she started work on Mary Poppins. Walt Disney had seen her in a performance of Camelot and thought she was ideal for the part of the quintessential - but magical - British nanny. Upon completion, the film became the biggest box-office draw in Disney history, winning five Oscars in the process. In 1965 she also won an Oscar for The Sound of Music. She has continued to star in films, musicals and television shows. Please mention Shepperton Matters when responding to adverts
She was made a dame in 2000 and in 2002 was voted 59th in a poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Richard Stirling, the author, who was curator of her retrospective in 2005 recalls, “She was first into musicals, Broadway and then Hollywood, but she never forgot Walton." Her mother, Barbara, was a pianist. In her early days she would perform at the Walton Playhouse where her auntie ran a dance class - The Joan Morris School of Dancing Source: various
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