The actress celebrated her 81st Birthday yesterday (1st October) and here is just a few reasons that we love her!
1. She is the type of nanny that we would have loved to have had: the way in which she played Mary Poppins was so wonderfully firm with just a hint of fun and magic that makes the film so endearing to audiences even today. P.L. Travers may not have liked the film, but it is certainly the film that helped propel Julie Andrews to stardom after missing out on the film version of My Fair Lady (Audrey Hepburn played Eliza Doolittle).
But perhaps she didn’t mind missing out too much as she went on to win an Oscar for Best Actress for her role.
2. The Sound of Music: of course her voice is incomparable and even by the time she starred in The Sound of Music her astonishing vocals were well known. But it really was The Sound of Music that we got a real sense of the full range of her voice, which is so instantly recognisable. Her portrayal of Maria is light,warm hearted and genuine that no matter how many times you watch it, you end up with a smile on your face.
3. Her sense of comic timing is always spot on: no matter what film you watch her in, from Thoroughly Modern Mille to The Princess Diaries, she always has a sharp sense of the comedy required, delivering her lines with great judgement and style.
But most of all, her talent and grace always come through no matter what she does and she has been involved with some of the most beloved films ever made from Mary Poppins to Shrek and The Princess Diaries. She has provided audiences with plenty of memorable moments captured on film and for that we tahnk her and those who gave her the roles.