Julie Andrews

Dame Julie Elizabeth Andrews, DBE, is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author, who is perhaps best known for playing Maria von Trapp in the 1965 musical drama film The Sound of Music, and for voicing Queen Lillian in DreamWorks' Shrek franchise and Marlena Gru (Gru's mother) in Universal/Illumination's Despicable Me franchise.

For Disney, she portrayed the titular character of the 1964 musical film Mary Poppins, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. She remains the only person to win an Academy Award for her performance in a film released under the Disney label. She also played Queen Clarisse Renaldi in The Princess Diaries and its 2004 sequel, as well as Nanny in Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime. She later portrayed the Narrator in Enchanted and also posed as the Blue Fairy in "Where Magic Begins" in the Disney Dream Portrait Series. Additionally, she guest-starred in The Muppet Show and was mentioned in the Liv and Maddie episode "Sing it Live!!!-a-Rooney".

Roles[]

Her portrayal of Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music became an inspiration for Disney character Belle.
Her role as Mary Poppins from the film of the same name was spoofed by Genie in the Aladdin TV series.
Walt Disney chose her for the role of Mary Poppins for her ability to whistle.
She also provided the whistling for the audio animatronic bird in the song "A Spoonful of Sugar".
She was considered for the role of Miss Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, along with several other actresses, but the role was ultimately given to Angela Lansbury.^{[citation needed]}
Victoria Summer portrayed her in Saving Mr. Banks.
As of 2024, Andrews and Dick Van Dyke are two currently surviving Disney actors, as past actors Mickey Rooney, Phyllis Diller, Ernest Borgnine, Christopher Plummer, and Andy Griffith passed away during their post career years respectively.