Julie Andrews and Late Husband Blake Edwards Were Married for 41 Years: Marriage History 

Mary Poppins actress Julie Andrews was lucky enough to find two great loves in her life. The Oscar winner was married to her first husband, Tony Walton, from 1959 to 1968, and to her second husband, Blake Edwards, for 41 years before his death in 2010. Scroll below for details on her two marriages. 

Who Was Julie Andrews’ 1st Husband, Tony Walton? 

Tony saw Julie for the first time when she was performing in Humpty Dumpty at the George Hotel in Luton, England, at age 11. Captivated by her performance, he was determined to get her autograph after the show. The pair became pen pals and later developed romantic feelings for one another. They wed in 1959 and began working together on several projects when Tony took an interest in pursuing stage and costume design full-time. 

The Tony Award winner was hired to work on sets and costumes for stage productions like Pippin, Guys and Dolls, Company, 1776 and more. In 1978, he was chosen to work as the production designer on The Wiz and earned other design credits from Death of a Salesman, Murder on the Orient Express and Equus. In 1979, the British designer won an Oscar for Best Art Direction for his work on the Bob Fosse-directed musical All That Jazz. 

Julie and Tony started a family together during their nine-year marriage. They welcomed their daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, in 1962. After their 1968 divorce, Tony continued his work in theater and films and collaborated with his ex-wife and daughter on several children’s books. He married his second wife, Gen LeRoy, in 1991. 

The award-winning theater icon died on March 2, 2022, at the age of 87 from complications of a stroke. 

“Tony was my dearest and oldest friend,” Julie told People after her ex-husband’s passing. “He taught me to see the world with fresh eyes and his talent was simply monumental. I will miss him more than I can say.”

Who Was Julie Andrews’ 2nd Husband, Blake Edwards? 

Julie fell madly in love with Blake, a film director and actor, after meeting him outside of their therapist’s office. Despite their 13-year age difference, they were head over heels for each other at the time of their 1969 wedding. That same year, they began working together on Darling Lili, a musical spy film that was released in 1970. 

The Princess Diaries actress became a stepmom to his two kids, Geoffrey Edwards and Jennifer Edwards, from his first marriage to Patricia Walker. Julie and Blake also adopted two daughters, Amy and Joanna, after their nuptials. 

The Breakfast at Tiffany’s director died on December 15, 2010, at age 88 from complications due to pneumonia. 

“I’m still dealing with it,” Julie reflected on her grief journey on Good Morning Britain in March 2015. “There are days when it’s perfectly wonderful and I am myself and then it’s suddenly — sock you in the middle of your gut and you think, ‘Ah God, I wish he were here.’”