Julie Christie Biography

JULIE CHRISTIE

Date of Birth: April 14, 1941

Born in India to British parents, Julie Christie had a tumultuous childhood. Her parents separated when it was discovered that her father had had an affair with an Indian woman, which produced a child (Julie's half-sibling). Julie was then given to a foster mother to be raised, although she spent some time with her mother in Wales and as a teen, was enrolled at a boarding school for girls. Afterwards, she studied drama at London's Central School of Speech Training. Her first acting gigs were on stage, beginning in 1957 as a member of the Frinton Repertory of Essex. She made her screen debut on the small screen with the title role in the BBC sci-fi series A for Andromeda (1961).

The exposure launched her career and soon she was accepting starring roles in films such as The Fast Lady (1962), Crooks Anonymous (1962), and Billy Liar (1963), for which she received her first BAFTA Film award nomination. But it was her performance in Darling (1965) that launched her career to its heights—winning her numerous awards around the world, including a BAFTA Film award and an Academy Award.

She worked steadily through the years to follow, picking up awards here and there, including a Golden Globe nomination for Shampoo (1975), a Best Actress award at the Havana Film Festival for Miss Mary (1986) and a National Society of Film Critics Award for Afterglow (1997).

Film credits include major motion pictures such as the Best Picture Oscar-nominated Doctor Zhivago (1965); Far From the Madding Crowd (1967); Robert Altman's McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971); for which she received her second Oscar nomination; Heaven Can Wait (1978) starring Warren Beatty (with whom she had a long-term relationship); Hamlet (1996) directed by Kenneth Branaugh; Troy (2004); Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and Finding Neverland (2004) with Johnny Depp.

But it was a small budget Canadian film that brought Christie more acclaim than she'd had in years. Away From Her (2007), written and directed by Canadian Sarah Polley and featuring a mostly Canadian cast, tells the story of a woman (Christie) with Alzheimer's disease who must go live in a nursing home. Christie gave a remarkable performance in the challenging role and wound up being rewarded by film societies and festivals around the world. Additionally, she won a Screen Actors Guild award, a Golden Globe, and both BAFTA Film Award/Academy Award nominations.

Christie lives in England with her longtime partner, journalist Duncan Campbell. She also has a farm in Wales.

Filmography:

The Company You Keep (2012)
Red Riding Hood (2011)
Glorious 39 (2009)
New York, I Love You (2008)
Away from Her (2006)
The Secret Life of Words (2006)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Troy (2004)
I'm with Lucy (2002)
Snapshots (2002)
No Such Thing (2001)
Belphegor, Phantom of the Louvre (2001)
The Miracle Maker (2000) (voice)
Afterglow (1997)
Hamlet (1996)
Dragonheart (1996)
The Railway Station Man (1992)
Fools of Fortune (1990)
Miss Mary (1986)
Power (1986)
Champagne amer (1986)
Heat and Dust (1983)
The Gold Diggers (1983)
Les quarantièmes rugissants (1982)
The Return of the Soldier (1982)
Memoirs of a Survivor (1981)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Demon Seed (1977)
Shampoo (1975)
Don't Look Now (1973)
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
The Go-Between (1970)
In Search of Gregory (1969)
Petulia (1968)
Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)
Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Darling (1965)
Young Cassidy (1965)
Billy Liar (1963)
Crooks Anonymous (1962)
The Fast Lady (1962)