QUINTESSENTIALLY ENGLISH
JW
ulie alters
Born in Edgbaston, England on February 22, 1950, Julie Mary Walters was the youngest of three children and the only daughter of Irish-born postal clerk Mary Bridget’s and Thomas Walters, a builder from Birmingham. She expressed a desire to act from an early age, but her strong-willed mother disagreed and pushed her towards a nursing career. Reluctantly applying to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, the acting bug eventually became too strong, and Julie walked away from her medical career.
Studying English and Drama at Manchester Polytechnic, she joined the Everyman Theatre Company in Liverpool and began performing stand-up comedy, making her London stage debut in ‘Funny Peculiar’ in 1975. Teaming up with writer and comedienne Victoria Wood, the duo appeared together in sketch comedy, and some of their most famous works were transferred to television, receiving rave reviews. Eventually, the twosome landed their own TV series ‘Wood and Walters’ in 1981. In 1980, Julie enjoyed huge solo success in Willy Russell’s ‘Educating Rita’, winning both the Variety Critic’s and the London Critic’s Circle Awards. In 1993 it was transferred to television, and Julie starred on the big
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