Happy birthday Julie Andrews!
The beloved award-winning actress and singer turned 91 on October 1, and despite taking a break from on-screen acting in recent years, has remained a pop culture fixture.
With her earliest roles in musical classics like Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, to her later appearances as the voice of Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton and the Princess Diaries franchise, Julie’s legacy is truly one of a kind.
But did you know her career on stage began way before she was on Broadway? In fact, it began even before she hit her teenage years! In honor of her big day, we’re taking a look at some vintage photos of the star in her early days…
© Getty ImagesJulie’s early career with her parents
By the time she was a pre-teen, Julie would sing onstage with her mother Barbara Ward and her stepfather Ted Andrews, who would entertain the troops during the war. She’d spontaneously sing on stage with them while touring the UK, and by 12, she made her professional solo debut at the London Hippodrome.
© Getty ImagesProfessional breakthroughs
By 13, she was the youngest solo performer ever to be seen in a Royal Variety Performance. She then followed her parents into TV and radio gigs, including a two-year stint in the BBC comedy show Educating Archie from 1950 to 1952 with ventriloquist dummy Archie Andrews.
© Getty ImagesDebuting on stage
By the early 1950s, Julie began making her debut on the London stage as well, appearing in a variety of West End productions in bit parts, including Princess Badroulbadour in Aladdin and the egg in Humpty Dumpty.
© Getty ImagesLeading lady
Julie found more notable success in provincial and local stage productions, including an early 1953 lead role in a production of Cinderella by the time she was 18, plus others like Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood.
© Getty ImagesStepping into the spotlight
The young star continued her vocal and ballet training, leading up to her move to the United States and Broadway. On the eve of her 19th birthday in 1954, she made her Broadway debut in a production of The Boy Friend, which earned her positive notices. The following year, she starred in My Fair Lady as Eliza Doolittle, a role that made her a star and inspired a move to TV and film. And the rest, as they say, is history!
