For the weekend, let's feature a popular pair: Mary and Bert from
Mary Poppins (1964).
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells in 1935) started her career as a child on the London stage and came to prominence in Broadway musicals in the 1950s (
My Fair Lady,
Camelot). In 1957, she appeared in the televised Rodgers and Hammerstein musical
Cinderella to an estimated 107 million viewers.
Mary Poppins was her film debut, earning her the Oscar for Best Actress. (According to Disney Wiki, Walt Disney chose her for the part for her ability to whistle, and she provided the whistling for the bird in "A Spoonful of Sugar.") She later delivered the biggest hits in the history of 20th Century Fox (
The Sound of Music) and Universal (
Thoroughly Modern Millie). She worked steadily in film and on television.
In 1997, Andrews underwent vocal cord surgery that permanently damaged her singing voice. But she continued working, including in Disney films. In 2001, she appeared in
The Princess Diaries, her first Disney film since
Mary Poppins, and even was able to sing a song with a specially limited range (which she nailed on the first take) in 2004's
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. She also was the Narrator in
Enchanted (2007). Andrews was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1991, and she was the official ambassador for
Disneyland's 50th Anniversary celebration.
In addition to her acting work, Andrews has written a number of children's books and an autobiography,
Home: A Memoir of My Early Years (2008).
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke (born 1925) left high school in his senior year to serve in World War II. He was rejected several times for being underweight, but finally was accepted for service as a radio announcer and then entertainer for troops in the continental United States (he did receive his high school diploma--when he was 78). He then started his career in local TV and then moved on to variety shows before hitting Broadway (which he tackled without having had any dancing or singing lessons).
Van Dyke starred (with Mary Tyler Moore) on
The Dick Van Dyke Show from 1961 to 1966 . During this time he got into films. In addition to
Mary Poppins, his Disney work in the 1960s included
Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966) and
Never a Dull Moment (1968). Of course, he also starred in (non-Disney)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
At an age when many people retire, he just kept going. From 1993 to 2001, he starred in the TV show
Diagnosis: Murder. He made appearances in Disney-related films
Dick Tracy (1990) and
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014), and in 2001, he narrated a feature-length documentary about Walt Disney titled
Walt: The Man Behind the Myth. Even though now in his 90s, he's been out and about quite a bit (including joining a 90th birthday flash mob in singing "Let's Go Fly A Kite") and will have a role in
Mary Poppins Returns (scheduled to be released this Christmas).
Van Dyke was named a Disney Legend in 1998.
In addition to acting, Van Dyke has kept busy with singing. He has sung in an a cappella group called "Dick Van Dyke and The Vantastix" since 2000. And last year, he released "Step (Back) In Time," his first solo album since 1963.
One more
Mary Poppins tidbit--in addition to playing Bert, Van Dyke also played the villain, Mr. Dawes Sr. The credit of "Navckid Keyd" reveals itself to be an anagram of "Dick Van Dyke."
