October 1st: The Day Julie Andrews was Born

This year the all-singing and all-dancing English actress Dame Julie Andrews turned 77 years old. Born in 1935, Andrews' career stretches from Broadway and stage acting to feature films to directing to book writing. She is a national treasure, and a comforting role model to have throughout your childhood. Her most notable roles on the screen were as lovable nanny Mary Poppins, the endearing music enthusiast Maria von Trap, and more recently the heart-warming grandmother in The Princess Diaries series. See a pattern? Dame Julie Andrews, to me, is the ultimate maternal figure in theatre and film, teaching us to sing our do, re, mi's and tidy our bedrooms up. 

Dame Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins (1964)

   And her voice! It is thought that her voice had a five-octave range at the peak of her singing career, hence why her main successes were in the West End or in film-musicals. Andrews was in demand, too. On seeing a performance of Camelot that she starred in, Walt Disney selected her as the perfect actress to play Mary Poppins (of course - Mary Poppins was supposed to be 'practically perfect in every way!'). Due to pregnancy however, Andrews turned the part down, but Disney said 'We'll wait for you.' 

   Sadly, Dame Julie lost her spectacular voice in 1997 when she had to undergo surgery after experiencing muscular strain on her vocal chords. Although her singing voice is not what it used to be, Andrews has proved herself in other fields, striking success in movies like The Princess Diaries, Despicable Me and Shrek. Among her plethora of awards, she has Golden Globes, Emmys, Grammys, BAFTAs, Academy Awards...the list goes on. In 2000, she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to the performing arts. Do you like Julie Andrews? Do you think she has succeeded in pursuing her career despite the loss of  her iconic voice?