Julie Andrews’ Husband: Marriages, Family Life, and Her Love With Blake Edwards
When people search for Julie Andrews’ husband, they’re usually imagining a story as magical as Mary Poppins or The Sound of Music. In reality, Julie Andrews’ love life has been very human: full of young love, heartbreak, second chances, blended family chaos, and deep, enduring partnership. She has been married twice—first to designer Tony Walton, and later to filmmaker Blake Edwards, who became the great love of her life and her husband for more than forty years.
Who Is Julie Andrews?
Julie Andrews is one of those rare performers who feels almost timeless. Born in 1935 in Surrey, England, she grew up performing in variety shows with her family and quickly became known for an extraordinary voice with incredible range and clarity. By her teens, she was already working professionally and heading toward a serious stage career.
She made her name in the theatre first, starring in major productions like My Fair Lady and Camelot in London and on Broadway. Hollywood came calling soon after. Her film debut in Mary Poppins earned her an Academy Award, and The Sound of Music turned her into a global icon. Over the years she has worked as an actor, singer, author, and director, winning shelves of awards and the affection of multiple generations.
Behind that sparkling career, though, her personal life has evolved in quieter, more complicated ways, especially when it comes to love and marriage.
Her First Husband: Tony Walton
Julie Andrews’ first husband was Tony Walton, a British set and costume designer. Their love story started early. They met as teenagers in England when Julie was already performing and Tony was a young art student. What began as a teenage crush turned into a more serious relationship as they both grew into their careers.
They married in 1959, at a time when Julie was still primarily a stage actress and had not yet made her big Hollywood leap. Tony’s career was rising too; he would go on to design sets and costumes for major stage productions and films, winning awards and building a strong reputation of his own.
In 1962, they welcomed a daughter, Emma. She would later become Emma Walton Hamilton, an author and Julie’s frequent collaborator on children’s books and other literary projects. For a while, the family moved through the whirlwind of the 1960s together as Julie’s film career exploded and Tony’s design work flourished.
But fame and constant work can be hard on a marriage. Long stretches on different continents, conflicting schedules, and the pressure of being “on” for the world took their toll. In 1968, after about nine years of marriage, Julie and Tony divorced. It was painful, but not bitter. They remained on good terms, and their shared love for Emma kept them connected. Later in life, they would even work together again, with Tony illustrating some of the books Julie wrote with Emma.
Their story feels like what it was: young love that grew in different directions, but never turned into lifelong animosity.
Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards: A Second Chance at Love
If Tony Walton was Julie’s young love, Blake Edwards became the partner of her life.
Blake Edwards was already an established writer and director when their paths crossed in Hollywood. He was the creative mind behind films like Breakfast at Tiffany’s and The Pink Panther series. Julie has often told a charming story of how they first noticed each other: sitting in traffic outside a studio, passing in opposite directions in their cars, exchanging curious glances without yet knowing their future together.
They reconnected later, after both of their first marriages had ended. This time, the timing was right. They began dating in the late 1960s and married in November 1969. From that point on, their lives became deeply intertwined, personally and professionally.
They also created a blended family. Julie brought her daughter Emma into the marriage, and Blake had two children, Jennifer and Geoffrey, from his previous marriage. In the mid-1970s, they adopted two orphaned girls from Vietnam, Amy (later known as Amelia) and Joanna. Suddenly, there were five children, two working artists, and a very busy household. Julie has often said that their home life was chaotic but full of love and humor.
A Marriage Built on Humor, Work, and Weathering Storms
What made Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards’ marriage so strong wasn’t that it was perfect. It was that they were genuinely partners.
They collaborated on a number of films—Darling Lili, 10, S.O.B., Victor/Victoria, and others. In some cases, their own home became a set, and their family ended up in the background of scenes. Work and life blurred together, but in a way that felt natural for them. They understood each other’s obsessions, schedules, and creative moods because they were both driven in similar ways.
Humor was a huge part of their bond. Blake had a sharp, sometimes dark sense of humor, which balanced Julie’s famously polished image. She has said that he made her laugh every day, often at exactly the moment she needed it.
Their relationship also had to withstand real hardships. In the late 1990s, Julie underwent vocal cord surgery that permanently damaged her singing voice. For someone who had been defined by that voice for decades, it was a devastating loss. Blake supported her as she grieved that part of her identity and slowly reinvented herself as an author, voice actor, and non-singing performer.
Later, Blake’s health began to fail, and Julie stepped into a caregiving role. The roles they had played in earlier years—director and star, husband and wife—expanded into something even deeper: two people taking turns holding each other up when life got heavy.
They stayed married for 41 years, a rare milestone in any realm, but especially in Hollywood.
Life After Blake Edwards’ Passing
Blake Edwards died in December 2010, with Julie by his side. Losing a partner of four decades is not something a person simply “moves on” from, and Julie has never pretended otherwise. She has spoken candidly about grief—how it comes in waves, how some days feel manageable and others hit hard.
Even so, she has continued to live and create. She has written memoirs, continued her long-running series of children’s books with her daughter Emma, voiced characters in animated films, and, more recently, narrated the hit series Bridgerton. Her work now carries the perspective of someone who has lived a full, complicated life, not just a fairy-tale career.
She often mentions Blake with affection and gratitude, clearly carrying his memory as part of everything she does.
Featured Image Source: people.com
