JULIE WALTERS has been described as a "living national treasure", justly rewarded when she received an OBE in September 1999. She is one of the few actors who is just as natural or funny off-screen as she is on. Whether it is her appearance as Mrs. Overall, the shambling old woman in Acorn Antiques on "Victoria Wood: Seen on Television", or as Rita in Willy Russell's film "Educating Rita", for which she won a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, a Variety Club Award and an Oscar nomination, Walters' characters make us laugh; all are ultimately familiar, in one way or another.
Walters did not, however, begin her career as an actress. At age 19, to please her mother, she trained to be a nurse at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. When her desire to act became overwhelming, Walters left home to study drama at Manchester Poly. She later joined the Liverpool Everyman in 1974, where she first worked with writer Alan Bleasdale. Her career took off when she starred with Richard Beckinsale in the Everyman production of Mike Stott's "Funny Peculiar", which transferred to the West End for 16 months.
Julie Walters - Details
Biography
Events
- 22nd February 1950 - Birth