JULIE WALTERS (Mrs. Wilkinson) has been described as a "living national treasure," justly rewarded when she received an OBE in September 1999. She is one of the few actors who is just as natural or funny off-screen as she is on. Whether it is her appearance as Mrs. Overall, the shambling old woman in Acorn Antiques on Victoria Wood: Seen on Television, or as Rita in Willy Russell's film Educating Rita, for which she won a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, a Variety Club Award and an Oscar nomination, Walters' characters make us laugh; all are ultimately familiar, in one way or another.
Walters did not, however, begin her career as an actress. At age 19, to please her mother, she trained to be a nurse at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. When her desire to act became overwhelming, Walters left home to study drama at Manchester Poly. She later joined the Liverpool Everyman in 1974, where she first worked with writer Alan Bleasdale. Her career took off when she starred with Richard Beckinsale in the Everyman production of Mike Stott's Funny Peculiar, which transferred to the West End for 16 months.
Walters has starred in: Terry Jones' PersonalServices, which earned her a BAFTA nomination; Stephen Frears' Prick Up Your Ears; Lewis Gilbert's Stepping Out with Liza Minnelli (BAFTA nomination, Best Supporting Actress); Nancy Meckler's Sister My Sister; Intimate Relations with Rupert Graves; and Roger M ichel 1 's Titanic Town.
West End theatre credits include Sam Shepard's Fool For Love (Olivier nomination for Best Actress): Sharman McDonald's When I was a Girl I Used to Scream and Shout; Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Luuie; and Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo directed by Peter Hall.
Television roles include: Alan Bleasdale's Box's from the Black Stuff (BAFTA nomination Best Television Actress); GBH; Jake's Progress; Alan Bennett's Intensive Care. Talking Heads and Say Something Funny (BAFTA nomination Best Actress); and Victoria Wood's Pat and Marga ret and Julie Walters and Friends which included Victoria Wood, Alan Bleasdale, Alan Bennett and Willy Russell (BAFTA nomination Best Light Entertainment Program).
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