Julie Andrews, acclaimed English actress and star of beloved American movies The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins, died on Tuesday in her home in Long Island, N.Y., at the age of 88 of TK.

Born in England on October 1, 1935, Andrews’ parents, Edward Charles Wells and Barbara Morris Andrews, were both aspiring performers. Her stepfather, an aspiring actor and singer, struggled with unstable work, while her mother was a former actress and singer. At age 10, Andrews started the Andrews family music-hall act. Demonstrating a compelling voice with perfect pitch, she made her solo professional debut in 1947, singing an operatic aria in Starlight Roof.

Andrews debuted in West End in 1948 and stepped onto Broadway with The Boy Friend in 1954. She gained prominence with her performances in Broadway musicals, notably as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1956) and Queen Guinevere in Camelot (1960). In 1963, Walt Disney offered her the lead role in his groundbreaking musical fantasy, Mary Poppins, a film blending live-action and animation. 

Since her iconic debut in the beloved 1964 film, Julie Andrews has remained one of the most celebrated actresses in American cinema. In her illustrious career on the stage and in film, Andrews won countless awards, including an Academy Award, four Golden Globe Awards, eight Emmy Awards, and a “Lifetime Tribute Award” from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 

In 1993, Julie Andrews returned to the stage after a 30-year absence, starring in the off-Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s Putting It Together. Just two years later, she fulfilled the dreams of countless fans of American musical theater by returning to Broadway with the stage adaptation of Victor/Victoria.

In 2023, Andrews told Forbes that she was “pretty much retired” from her Hollywood career while still lending her speaking voice as the narrator, Lady Whistledown, on the popular Netflix series Bridgerton. She is survived by her three children, Emma Walton Hamilton, Amy Edwards, and Joanna Edwards, and three grandchildren Maximillan Scheff, Hope Hamilton, and Sam Hamilton.