| Julie Walters |
| For Nerds. By Nerds. |
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Full Name:
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Siblings:
- Julia Mary Walters
- Julie
Date of Birth:
- 22 February 1950
Place of Birth:
- Smethwick, West Midlands, England
Siblings:
- 2; older
Walters is the youngest and only girl born to Mary Bridget O’Brien and Thomas Walters. When
she was younger, her mother was very strict with her and expected Julie to follow in the path
she, her mother, had chosen for her. For little Julie, that meant a strict Irish-Catholic education
and the eventual study and practice of nursing. For awhile that path worked, Walters studied
nursing at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
Walters soon realized that was not the right course for her and gave up nursing to study Drama
and English at Manchester Polytechnic. Performance proved to be in her blood and she pursued
a career in it, first joining a local improv group.
Perhaps best known to Brit audiences for her comedic roles, Walters met another comic, Victoria
Wood, and together produced many shows and sketches eventually landing their own show,
Wood and Walters.
Having played the stages as both a stand-up comic and a sketch comedy actress, Walters was
well prepared for her London stage debut in Educating Rita, a role that would prove fateful. She
won many awards and nominations for her work in the stage play and when it was later
adapted into a film, she stared opposite Michael Caine in the title role she originated on London’
s West End. This role vaulted her into world renowned fame and recognition, scoring an
Academy Award nomination, and Golden Globe and BAFTA Award wins.
In a career that has lasted from the late 1970s until the present, she has had great success in
every venue of performing: theater, film and TV. She can also sing, but sadly hasn’t had much
opportunity to show off her voice. Her two high profile musical roles have been in Acorn
Antiquities: The Musical! reprising one of her biggest fan-favorite roles with Victoria Wood (and
was nominated for an Olivier Award for it) and more recently in the ABBA inspired musical hit,
Mamma Mia!
The multi-talented Walters has not only mastered her art, but
she’s also an accomplished author, having written her autobiography: Julie Walters: Seriously
Funny (2003) and, inspired by her daughter Maisie, Baby Talk (1990), and in 2006 her first fiction
work, Maggie’s Tree.
Many of her roles have endeared her to audiences everywhere, and many love her work in
Educating Rita, as Rita - the inexperienced hairdresser who seeks to better her life through
education, or the brash and abrasive but encouraging Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot for which she
was nominated for and won many awards. But perhaps she is best known for her maternal and
charmingly engaging portrayal of Mrs. Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter films.
Walters is married to husband, Grant Roffey, since 1997, though the couple had been together
for over a decade before the nuptials. They have one daughter, Maisie Mae Roffey, who was
born in 1988. Maisie was diagnosed with leukemia at a very early age, but she has beaten the
disease. The family lives on their organic farm in Sussex, England.
For her contributions to drama, she has been elevated to the rank of Commander of the Order of
the British Empire and her old home town is scheduled to induct her into their Walk of Stars in
2009. From her experiences in life and her long and successful acting career, she has these words
of wisdom to share with her audiences: “Self-worth is everything. Without it life is a misery.”
she was younger, her mother was very strict with her and expected Julie to follow in the path
she, her mother, had chosen for her. For little Julie, that meant a strict Irish-Catholic education
and the eventual study and practice of nursing. For awhile that path worked, Walters studied
nursing at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
Walters soon realized that was not the right course for her and gave up nursing to study Drama
and English at Manchester Polytechnic. Performance proved to be in her blood and she pursued
a career in it, first joining a local improv group.
Perhaps best known to Brit audiences for her comedic roles, Walters met another comic, Victoria
Wood, and together produced many shows and sketches eventually landing their own show,
Wood and Walters.
Having played the stages as both a stand-up comic and a sketch comedy actress, Walters was
well prepared for her London stage debut in Educating Rita, a role that would prove fateful. She
won many awards and nominations for her work in the stage play and when it was later
adapted into a film, she stared opposite Michael Caine in the title role she originated on London’
s West End. This role vaulted her into world renowned fame and recognition, scoring an
Academy Award nomination, and Golden Globe and BAFTA Award wins.
In a career that has lasted from the late 1970s until the present, she has had great success in
every venue of performing: theater, film and TV. She can also sing, but sadly hasn’t had much
opportunity to show off her voice. Her two high profile musical roles have been in Acorn
Antiquities: The Musical! reprising one of her biggest fan-favorite roles with Victoria Wood (and
was nominated for an Olivier Award for it) and more recently in the ABBA inspired musical hit,
Mamma Mia!
The multi-talented Walters has not only mastered her art, but
she’s also an accomplished author, having written her autobiography: Julie Walters: Seriously
Funny (2003) and, inspired by her daughter Maisie, Baby Talk (1990), and in 2006 her first fiction
work, Maggie’s Tree.
Many of her roles have endeared her to audiences everywhere, and many love her work in
Educating Rita, as Rita - the inexperienced hairdresser who seeks to better her life through
education, or the brash and abrasive but encouraging Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot for which she
was nominated for and won many awards. But perhaps she is best known for her maternal and
charmingly engaging portrayal of Mrs. Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter films.
Walters is married to husband, Grant Roffey, since 1997, though the couple had been together
for over a decade before the nuptials. They have one daughter, Maisie Mae Roffey, who was
born in 1988. Maisie was diagnosed with leukemia at a very early age, but she has beaten the
disease. The family lives on their organic farm in Sussex, England.
For her contributions to drama, she has been elevated to the rank of Commander of the Order of
the British Empire and her old home town is scheduled to induct her into their Walk of Stars in
2009. From her experiences in life and her long and successful acting career, she has these words
of wisdom to share with her audiences: “Self-worth is everything. Without it life is a misery.”
- 1983 Best Actress Academy Award nomination
- Educating Rita
- 1983 Best Actress Golden Globe Award win
Educating Rita
1983 Best Actress BAFTA Award win
Educating Rita
1999 Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- 2000 Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination
- Billy Elliot
- 2000 Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Award nomination
- Billy Elliot
- 2000 Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award win
- Billy Elliot
- 2000 Best Supporting Actress SAG Award nomination
- Billy Elliot
- 2001 Best Actress Laurence Olivier Award win
- All My Sons by Arthur Miller
- 2001 Best Actress BAFTA Television Award win
- My Beautiful Son
- 2002 Best Actress BAFTA Television Award win
- Murder
- 2003 Best Actress BAFTA Television Award win
- The Canterbury Tales
- 2006 Best Actress Laurence Olivier Award nomination
- Acorn Antiques: The Musical!
- 2008 Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
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