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Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Dame Julie Andrews

Julie Andrews or Dame Julie Andrews née Julia Elizabeth Wells is a British singer and actress. She is well known for her roles in popular classic musicals including Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Julie Andrews changed her name from Wells to Andrews when her mother got a divorce and married a man named Ted Andrews.

Julie’s stepfather was an alcoholic and violent man and she only called him ‘dad’ because her mother insisted that she does so. Ted Wells, Andrews’ biological father was a war hero who evacuated and rescued children during WWII. Andrews found out he was her father at the age of 14.

Born on October 1, 1935, in England to Barbara Ward Wells née Morris and Edward Charles ‘Ted’ Wells, Andrews began acting from a young age. At the age of twelve, Andrews starred in Starlight Roof, which was her first professional role. She has starred in numerous shows including Queen Renaldi in The Princess Diaries in 2001, The Sound of Music in 1965 and Mary Poppins in 1964.

When the filming of Sound of Music was taking place, Mary Poppins was yet to be released. To keep the children entertained on set during the filming of Sound of Music, Andrews sang ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ to them. The children were hearing the song for the first time. The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins each grossed highly for their respective filming studios.

Andrews, who has perfect pitch, can sing four octaves in soprano. She has been compared to Rock star Freddie Mercury’s wide vocal baritone range. Mercury could sing four octaves in baritone while Andrews sings four octaves in soprano. Apart from her singing and acting, Andrews is also a flower seller. She had a salmon pink rose bred in England named after her in 1992. The Julie Andrews hybrid tea rose is both enchanting and beautiful.

Below are ten amazing facts about Dame Julie Andrews.

1. Andrews was mentored musically by Lilian Stiles-Allen

Sergio Franchi and Julie Andrews from the 1974 brochure. Photo by Sergio Franchi Publicity Brochure; Raydell Pub., New York/

Soprano Madame Lilian Stiles-Allen, whom Andrews considered her third mother, was very instrumental in her musical training.

Stiles-Allen also wrote a memoir titled ‘Julie Andrews – My Star Pupil’ in which she describes Andrews as having perfect pitch.

2. Andrews started acting professionally while she was a teenager

Andrews started acting while in her teenage years. Apart from appearing in Starlight Roof, Andrews also appeared in The Singing Princess as Princess Zella.

3. Andrews was named Dame Julie Andrews by Queen Elizabeth II

Julie Andrews at the L.A. Times Book Festival on Sunday, April 22nd at USC. Photo by Flickr/

On December 31, 1999, as the world ushered in a new millennium, Andrews was named Dame Julie Andrews. To receive the title, she was included in Queen Elizabeth II’s Millennium New Year’s Honours List.

4. Audrey Hepburn replaced Andrews as Eliza Doolittle in ‘My Fair Lady’

Photo of Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison from My Fair Lady. Eliza Doolittle, the flower girl, meets Professor Henry Higgins. Friedman-Abeles/

Executives felt Andrews may not handle the film screening of My Fair lady since she had not acted on screen before. The role of Eliza Doolittle went to Audrey Hepburn instead.

After seeing her Broadway performance in ‘Camelot’, Walt Disney cast Andrews in Mary Poppins. In 1964, My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins both came out. My Fair Lady was nominated for several awards at the Academy Awards and won all of them except the nomination for best actress.

Interestingly, the best actress award went to Andrews for her role in Mary Poppins.

5. In 1971 Andrews hosted Walt Disney World’s opening day in Orlando, Florida

In addition to hosting Walt Disney’s World opening day, Andrews was also chosen to be the organization’s ambassador. In 2005 as Disneyland marked its 50th anniversary Andrews was selected to be the Ambassador for ‘The Happiest Homecoming on Earth’.

6. ‘Stay Awake’ was always Andrews’ favourite song in Mary Poppins

Julie Andrews from the trailer for the film Mary Poppins. Photo by Mary Poppins Trailer/

Walt Disney wanted to remove the song ‘Stay Awake’ from the Mary Poppins film. To keep it in the film, Andrews wrote to P.L. Travers, who authored the book that the movie is based on and asked her to talk to Disney about keeping the song in the movie.

7. Andrews had throat surgery in 1988 to remove non-cancerous nodules

In 1998, Andrews underwent throat surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital to remove non-cancerous nodules. While singing, Andrews had experienced throat problems and unfortunately, the surgery caused her not to sing again.

Her voice was never the same again and in 1999, she sued the surgeon for malpractice.

8. Andrews is the stepmother of one of the USS Enterprise’s crews member

Julie Andrews media conference at Park Hyatt, Sydney, Australia – 16th May 2013. Photo by Julie Andrews/

Andrews married Blake Edwards in November 1969 after she divorced her first husband Tony in 1967. Blake Edwards who is Andrews’ second husband, had two daughters one of whom is Jennifer Edwards. One of Jennifer Edwards’ roles is in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation.’

9. Andrews’ acting career spans almost eight decades

Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews were on location in Salzburg during the filming of The Sound of Music, 1964. Photo by 20th Century Fox/

Over the decades, Andrews has appeared in many children’s favourite shows. Her popularity is not limited to Sound of Music and Mary Poppins but also includes a lot of modern-day favourites such as Shrek, Princess Diaries and Despicable Me.

Andrews has starred as Queen in several of the films she has appeared in including Princess Diaries and Shrek.

10. Andrews declined a Tony nomination

Andrews has appeared in a number of Broadway shows. For her role as Victoria Grant in ‘Victor/Victoria’, she was offered a Tony nomination which she turned down.

Andrews is an icon and has received more than ten awards over her lifetime. Described by her mentor, Lilian Stiles-Allen, as one who possessed the rare gift of absolute pitch, Andrews has appeared in several TV shows and movies.

The shows include Darling Lili in 1970, The Man Who Loved Women in 1983, Unconditional Love in 2002, The Wonderful World of Disney in 2003, Enchanted in 2007, Shrek Forever After in 2010, Despicable Me 3 in 2017 and Julie’s Greenroom in 2017 which she also wrote.

Over the years, Andrews’ awards include Golden Globe awards, Emmy awards, Academy Awards and Grammy awards. She won her first Oscar for her role in Mary Poppins. A year later, Andrews was nominated again for her role as Maria in ‘The Sound of Music.’