More than six decades ago, in 1964, a now-iconic Disney film turned a Broadway darling into a full-fledged movie star. Actress Julie Andrews made movie history as the practically perfect nanny in Mary Poppins.
Based on stories written by P.L. Travers, the book took Walt Disney over 20 years to acquire the rights to. When he finally did, making good on a promise to his daughters to turn one of their favorite tales into a big-screen blockbuster, his would-be star wasn’t ready to step into the title character’s shoes. Disney wanted Andrews for the role in 1962, but she had other plans.
In 2014, the legendary actress spoke candidly to BBC’s The One Show about Disney, “He asked if I would be interested in coming to Hollywood to see the designs and to hear the songs he was planning for this movie he intended to make. And I was horrified, and I said, ‘Oh Mr. Disney, I would love it, I would love it, but I have to tell you, I’m pregnant.”
Disney believed in the actress and waited nearly two years for Andrews. As it turns out, the wait was well worth it. With a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film was just ranked number eight on the site’s list of ‘Best Fantasy Movies of All Time.’
Of course, the critics have applauded this film (and its lead actress) for years. A resurfaced 1963 review from Variety praised Andrews’ performance: “Julie Andrews’ first appearance on the screen is a signal triumph, and she performs as easily as she sings, displaying a fresh type of beauty nicely adaptable to the color cameras.”
Likewise, The Hollywood Reporter also raved about Andrews and Mary Poppins in the early ‘60s: “Mary Poppins will be one of the year’s box office champions, and a hardy perennial as popular and welcome as Santa Claus. The film makes major stars of its two leading players, Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. It makes everyone connected with it bigger and more important.”
The glowing review went on to call the Disney flick, “The greatest musical of its kind since The Wizard of Oz,” and add that Andrews was “Sweet and pert, with her crystalline voice enchanting on the songs.”
Fast forward to 2018 and a Rob Marshall-directed redo starring Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins hit theaters. If you’re wondering why Andrews didn’t have a role in Mary Poppins Returns, Marshall told Variety, “She immediately said no. She said, ‘This is Emily’s show, and I want her to run with this. She should run with this. This is hers. I don’t want to be on top of that.’”
Following her breakout, Academy Award-winning role in Mary Poppins, Andrews went on to star in The Sound of Music, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Star!, 10, Victor/Victoria, and The Princess Diaries. She also voiced characters in Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, and Despicable Me. Andrews recently won her second Primetime Emmy in a row (2025 and 2026) for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance as Lady Whistledown in Netflix’s Bridgerton. This honor made her the oldest performer in history to win an Emmy Award.
