Dame Andrews, having been so honored in 2000 in her native England by Queen Elizabeth II for her lifetime achievements in the arts and humanities, is someone who has gathered a long list of titles and accolades. One of the 100 Greatest Britons as chosen by the British Broadcasting Corporation, Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), winner of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the recipient of a prestigious Kennedy Centre Honor in the fall of 2001; there is, however, no danger of this Dame simply resting on her laurels.

Despite recovering from very serious throat surgery, Ms Andrews has embarked in recent years on a very busy schedule involving film, television, books and speaking engagements. She has filmed movies-for-TV of the modern day children’s classics “Eloise & the Plaza,” for Disney & ABC. She has also launched the “Julie Andrews Collection” as a publishing imprint of Harper Collins where, with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton, she will publish up to eight books a year as well as personally writing 2 to 4 books a year.

Born in the picturesque town of Walton-on-Thames, Ms Andrews’ childhood was steeped in entertainment. Both her mother and stepfather were music-hall performers and, by the age of five, she was already entertaining the public by singing in a wartime air-raid shelter.

Her first appearance on a London stage at the age of 12 signaled the arrival of a major talent. Established as "the young girl with the phenomenal voice”, her initial successes were in such award-winning stage performances as Cinderella, The Boyfriend and, in particular, My Fair Lady. In the title role of Eliza Doolittle, she won  enormous critical and popular acclaim and she starred in both Broadway and London runs of the production. She followed this with another Broadway triumph as Guinevere in "Camelot” with Richard Burton, a show which enjoyed 873 performances on the Great White Way.

Ms Andrews enjoyed as meteoric a rise as a film star. Her performance as “Mary Poppins” in 1963 resulted in an Oscar on her very first motion picture appearance, while her performance in “The Sound Of Music” is still regarded today as one of cinema’s most powerful and evocative roles. The highest grossing film of all time, it established her a global star. Television specials like “The Julie Andrews Hour” followed, proving once again the diversity of this performer.
 
She returned to the silver screen in the late 1970s and appeared in a succession of box-office hits such as “10”, “Victor/Victoria”. In 1988, she embarked on her debut American concert tour which was an enormous success and sold out theatres and venues across the country. Another musical highlight was the release of the “Julie Andrews' Broadway: The Music of Richard Rodgers” album which earned her a Grammy nomination.

She has continued to thrill and entertain audiences in recent years with a wide and diverse range of TV and film performances. In 2001, she starred in the Walt Disney/Buena Vista feature film “The Princess Diaries”, which became one of the year’s blockbuster releases, and in the CBS television network special live theater presentation of “On Golden Pond” with Christopher Plummer. Ms Andrews also appeared alongside Kathy Bates, Rupert Everett and Dan Ackroyd in the motion picture “Unconditional Love” and published new editions of her best-selling children's books “Little Bo in France”, “Dumpy Saves Christmas” and “Dumpy and the Big Storm”.

For Dame Julie Andrews, this wide range of challenging roles, performances and appearances has seen her bringing happiness to countless millions. Because of her elegance, artistry and integrity, she has succeeded in many different fields. From the Broadway and London West End stages to the demands of Hollywood, television, album releases and concert tours, Ms Andrews has become one of the most highly respected and admired figures in the world of entertainment. All at A Royal Christmas are extremely proud and pleased that she has agreed to join our show.
 

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