A legendary stage and screen actress, Julie Andrews has enchanted and delighted audiences worldwide 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 unmistakable voice all of her own — while also shining a light on humanitarian issues in her activism and philanthropic work.

In early June, she was celebra ted at a gala almost 60 years after her breakthrough as the flying nanny in “Mary Poppins”; and honoured by the American Film Institute (AFI) for her lifetime achievement. The 86-year-old accepted the prestigious award at a gala in Hollywood in early June. Andrews has owned a chalet in Gstaad for many years and has been an honorary citizen of Saanen since 2014.

Andrews has a decades-long career as a musical performer and actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 1965 for her first feature role in the film “Mary Poppins”. The movie “The Sound of Music” earned her another Oscar nomination the following year.

At the gala in early June, Andrews was accompanied by four of her children and five actors who had played the children of the Trapp family. Andrews was supposed to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award two years ago, but the gala was postponed because of the corona pandemic. The star-studded evening featured tributes and speeches from Carol Burnett, Steve Carell, Gwen Stefani, Héctor Elizondo and Jane Seymour.

To honour Andrews’ iconic role, Cynthia Erivo performed a moving rendition of “Edelweiss” – Julie’s favourite song from The Sound of Music.

BASED ON AVS / AFI