Julie Andrews An Intimate Biography [Paperback]

The extraordinary career of Dame Julie Andrews spans more than forty years. Her first film,Mary Poppins, was Disney's most successful film, and in 1965The Sound of Musicrescued Twentieth Century Fox from bankruptcy. Three years later,Star!almost put the studio back under, and the leading lady of both films fell as spectacularly as she had risen. But Julie Andrews is nothing if not a survivor; and despite many setbacksincluding the tragic loss of her singing voice in 1997 after a botched operationshe's still a performer, recently starring inShrekandThe Princess Diaries. Richard Stirling's deeply researched biographybased on many years of contact with Julieis a frank but affectionate portrait of an enduring icon of stage and screen.

Richard Stirling lives in London. As an actor he has appeared on film, television, and the London and American stage. As a writer, his features include articles on Dame Julie Andrews for many British publications; he was also curator of the star's seventieth birthday film retrospective at the National Film Theatre in 2005.

Julie Andrews is, quite simply, a phenomenon. She has probably brought more joy to more people than any other star of her generation. Richard Attenborough

Stirling charts the life and career of Julie Andrews with a wealth of detail and an agreeably light tone. . . . Stirling adroitly conveys the excitement engendered by her explosive entry into the American consciousness. Kirkus Reviews

A very well-written, gripping account of Andrews's extraordinary life and career. . . . Full of information that may not be known even to some of Andrews's staunchest fans. Michael Portantiere, TheaterMania.com

An absorbingly extensive study, with glossy photographs and lively quotes bringing the pages alive with the sound of a much-loved musical star. Evening Standard (London)

Intelligent and engrossing. Roger Lewislƒ