For decades British actress and comedienne Julie Walters has served as a sturdy representation of the working class with her passionate, earthy portrayals on England's stage, screen and TV.
A bona fide talent, her infectious spirit and self-deprecating sense of humor eventually captured the hearts of international audiences. The small and slender actress with the prominent cheekbones has yet to give an uninteresting performance.
She was born Julia Mary Walters on February 22, 1950, the youngest of three and the only daughter of Irish-Catholic parents. Convent-schooled in Birmingham, she expressed an early desire to act.
Julie befriended aspiring writer/comedienne Victoria Wood and the twosome appeared together in sketch comedy. A couple of their works, "Talent" and "Nearly a Happy Ending," transferred to TV and were accompanied by rave reviews. Eventually they were handed their own TV series, "Wood and Walters."
In 1980, Julie scored a huge solo success under the theatre lights when she made her London debut in Willy Russell's "Educating Rita."
Reuniting with Victoria Wood in 1984, the pair continue to appear together frequently on TV, most recently with the award-winning series "Dinnerladies."
She capped her career in films as the abrasively stern but encouraging dance teacher in Billy Elliot, which earned her a second Oscar nod and a healthy helping of quirky character parts, including her charming, charity-driven widow who poses à la natural in Calendar Girls, and the maternal witch-wife Molly Weasley in the J.K. Rowling "Harry Potter" series.
Married to Grant Roffey since 1997, after a 12-year relationship, the couple tend to a 70-acre organic farm they bought in Sussex.
Julie was honored with an OBE for her services to drama in 1999.
GP Credits Courtesy of Peppermint Pattie
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