Julie Andrews – American Film Institute
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Julie Andrews

48th AFI Life Achievement Award Honoree

A legendary actress of both stage and screen, Julie Andrews has enchanted and delighted audiences around the world with her uplifting and inspiring body of work. She continues to captivate viewers in front of the camera, with her remarkable wit, characteristic grace and an incandescent and unmistakable voice all of her own — while also shining a light on humanitarian issues in her activism and philanthropic work.

A three-time Academy Award® nominee, Andrews’ star turn in MARY POPPINS won her both a BAFTA and an Oscar®. From her early debut as Polly Browne in “The Boyfriend” to her critically acclaimed Eliza Doolittle in the Broadway hit “My Fair Lady” to her timeless performance as Maria von Trapp in THE SOUND OF MUSIC to her groundbreaking dual roles in the gender-bending VICTOR/VICTORIA, Andrews has proven herself an accomplished and versatile actress. Throughout an illustrious career that spans seven decades, she has won five Golden Globes, three Grammys® and two Emmys® for projects infused with her incomparable charm and recognized for their ability to enthrall audiences worldwide. The critically lauded Andrews is also a Kennedy Center honoree, a Disney Legend inductee and the recipient of a SAG Life Achievement Award.

On stage and screen, she has delivered transcendent performances known for their elegance, artistry and humor, with additional acting credits including: “Camelot” (1960), THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY (1964), TORN CURTAIN (1966), HAWAII (1966), THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (1967), STAR! (1968), 10 (1979), LITTLE MISS MARKER (1980), THE MAN WHO LOVED WOMEN (1983), DUET FOR ONE (1986), ENCHANTED (2007) and AQUAMAN (2018). She has also starred in multiple, successful franchises, including THE PRINCESS DIARIES 1 and 2 (2001); SHREK 2 (2004), SHREK THE THIRD (2007) and SHREK FOREVER AFTER (2010); and DESPICABLE ME (2010), DESPICABLE ME 3 (2017) and the MINIONS (2022). Recently, Andrews played a sharp-tongued gossip writer in Regency London in Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix series BRIDGERTON, marking her continued evolution as an actress and icon. Andrews’ second memoir, “Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years” — a follow-up to her successful 2008 New York Times Best Seller, “Home: A Memoir of My Early Years” — was released in 2019.

A TRIBUTE TO JULIE ANDREWS
A foreword from Carol Burnett

Julie and I met for the first time in 1960, when mutual friends of ours brought Julie to see me in an off-Broadway show I was doing, “Once Upon A Mattress.” She had already done “My Fair Lady,” and I was pretty much in awe. After the show that night, we all went to a restaurant and those poor guys who were with us didn’t have a prayer – Julie and I never stopped yapping. It was as if I had found my long-lost twin who some evil being had stolen at birth and stuck over there, somewhere in England. That evening kicked off what was to be (so far) a 60-year relationship… professional, and best of all… personal.

We did our first television special in 1962. We began calling each other “chum.” During our rehearsal breaks, we talked about the men in our lives and our careers and our futures.

In the ‘70s, we did another special… and during our rehearsal breaks, we talked about our husbands, our children and schools.

Then we got together for yet another special in the ‘80s, and during those rehearsal breaks, we talked about hot flashes, hormones and “vit”-amins.

If we ever do another one, we’ll most likely be delving into the mysteries of Metamucil.

This award is so very much deserved. She has constantly given us her all. And her “all” is awe-inspiring. Her talent is unsurpassed. She’s a consummate actress, and her voice is a gift from the gods. She is a great “Dame” in every good sense of the word. Congratulations, chum.

Carol Burnett

“There is about Julie an aura of radiance. On her voice we journey across our lives. She is our fairest lady. She is my favorite thing.”
-Carol Burnett

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THE HISTORY OF THE AFI LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The AFI Life Achievement Award — the highest honor for a career in film — was established by the AFI Board of Trustees on February 23, 1973 to celebrate an individual whose career in motion pictures or television has greatly contributed to the enrichment of American culture.

The award is given to a “recipient whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art; whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time.”

In 1993, the AFI Board of Trustees extended the criteria to encompass individuals with active careers and work of significance yet to be accomplished.