Julie Walters Movies
British character actress Julie Walters has made a career out of playing working-class women with good hearts and sharp tongues -- which should come as no surprise, given her background. Born in Birmingham, England, on February 22, 1950, Walters was raised in a strong, practical family where she was encouraged to study nursing. Walters did in fact enroll in the nursing program at Manchester Polytechnic, but in her second year of studies she developed an interest in acting, and eventually changed her major to theater. Walters soon made friends with fellow theater student Pete Postlethwaite, and they joined a small theater troupe with Matthew Kelly; Walters made her legitimate stage debut not long after in a Liverpool production of The Taming of the Shrew. Walters also began moonlighting as a comedian, performing as a standup act and with an improvisational troupe called Van Load. In 1976, Walters made her London stage debut in Funny Peculiar, and in 1980, she was cast in the title role of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Willy Russell's play Educating Rita. Walters won rave reviews for her performance, and the comedy-drama became a major success; following her appearances in several well-received television productions, Walters was cast in the film version of Educating Rita opposite Michael Caine, and the movie was a solid critical and financial success in both Europe and the United States. Walters' budding film career seemed to have gotten off to a solid start when she was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in Educating Rita; while she didn't win, she did receive Golden Globe and British Film Academy awards for her performance. However, Walters opted to continue living and working in Britain, and while she maintained a busy schedule of television and stage work, it would be a few years before Walters became a regular presence in films. In 1987, she won the leading role in the fact-based comedy Personal Services, as well as a major supporting role in the Joe Orton biopic Prick up Your Ears, and the following year she starred opposite pop star Phil Collins in another comedy-drama drawn from real life, Buster. Over the next ten years, Walters continued to work steadily in British television (both in dramatic roles and in comedic appearances, frequently with English comedy star Victoria Wood), but her next major screen success wouldn't arrive until 2000, when she played dance instructor Mrs. Wilkinson in the international hit Billy Elliot; the role earned her another Academy Award nomination, as well as a British Film Academy nomination. The following year, Walters appeared in a small role in one of the year's biggest box-office blockbusters, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, as well as a number of TV projects. Offscreen, Walters is married to Grant Roffey, who operates a successful organic farm; they're the parents of a daughter, Maisie. In 1999, Walters received special recognition for her work in the arts when she was presented an Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth for her services to British drama. In the years to come, Walters would remain active on screen, appearing in moviesl ike Mama Mia!. ~ Rovi- 1998
In the British North Country, in-laws Jackie (Julie Walters) and Dawn (Brenda Blethyn) work together on an assembly line at an electronics firm. Dawn is married to Jackie's brother Steve (George Costigan). Jackie's marriage is collapsing, and she has a secret affair with a bingo club run by Paul (James Gaddas). TGIF, the girls' night out, and while Jackie and Paul are engaged in a back-office tryst, Dawn wins the pot of $100,000. She shares the loot with Jackie, who uses it as an opportunity to ditch both the husband and the job. Dawn has a seizure, diagnosed as a brain tumor, but she keeps it secret. When Jackie buys two tickets to Vegas, Dawn joins her at the airport, not bothering to let her husband or children know about the trip. In Vegas, the two dress as rhinestone cowgals, ogle an Elvis impersonator, and meet Cody (Kris Kristofferson), heading home just before things turn grim. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brenda Blethyn, Julie Walters, (more)
Originally adapted for German television in 1966, Francis Durbridge's mystery novel Melissa was remade as a British miniseries in 1974. That version was sufficiently famous to warrant an expensive four-part reworking nearly a quarter of a century later. Expanding considerably upon the original, this new version of Melissa told the story of war correspondent Guy Foster (Tim Dutton), who, after the death of his wife in a car accident, embarked upon an ocean voyage to forget his troubles. En route, he enjoyed a shipboard romance with an ethereally beautiful woman named Melissa (Jennifer Ehle), who shortly afterward died in mysterious circumstances. The plot thickened as several of Guy's other acquaintances were likewise knocked off, one by one, until the hero found himself accused of their murders. Melissa debuted over Britain's Channel 4 on May 12, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tim Dutton, Jennifer Ehle, (more)
- 1996
- R
In 1954, all of England was rocked by a shocking crime that took place in a quiet coastal town and involved a socially upstanding landlady, her smart, newly blossomed teenage daughter, and a handsome but troubled Australian in search of family he had never known. In retelling this true story, first-time filmmaker Philip Goodhew offers a blackly comic and ironic look behind the proper lace curtains of a seemingly normal British household and reveals a seething pit of repressed lust, jealousy and deadly obsession. The tale begins as Harold Guppy (Rupert Graves) leaves a ship and ambles toward the home of his long-lost brother Maurice Guppy (Les Dennis). The reunion is tepid, for Maurice's wife Iris (Elizabeth McKechnie) is suspicious of Harold and unwilling to welcome him into her home. It doesn't help that the callow Harold reveals a troubled, though somewhat cloaked past. Unable to stay with his brother, Harold finds lodging in the home of friendly, late-middle-aged Mrs. Beasley (Julie Walters). With her rhinestoned glasses, boxy dresses, short bouffant, and prim take-charge manner, Mrs. Beasley seems the epitome of 1950s motherhood and good housekeeping. Harold soon meets the rest of the family, the fresh-faced, bright, but rather macabre Joyce (Laura Sadler in her feature-film debut), and Mr. Beasley, a quiet, hen-pecked (the Mrs. hasn't had relations with him in years and forces him to sleep in his own room) WW I survivor who despite his missing leg, still supports his family. Things seem normal enough until a fateful game of spin-the-bottle during Joyce's 14th birthday party reveals an entirely different side to Mrs. Beasley. That night she creeps to Harold's bedroom and pleads with him until he weakens and accepts her advances and they begin to make wild love. The row awakens Joyce who pops into Harold's room and refuses to leave until the would-be lovers allow her into the bed. Thinking her asleep and unaware, Mrs. Beasley and Harold quietly resume their cavorting. Joyce is very much awake and spends the night scheming to get Harold to come to her. Thus begins an inescapable downward spiral for the weak-willed Harold that culminates in a desperate and horrific act of violence. Though it is not difficult to guess that none of the three protagonists will come to a good end, the graphic nature of the story's climax is jarring and out of place in the otherwise low-key and rather dry comedy. That the trio's characters are so broadly drawn, even bordering on cariactures, lessens the impact and the actual horror of the case. Still, Intimate Relations is a well-made film that aptly captures the flavor of post WW II England and contains many memorable lines.That the three try so hard to keep up the appearances of a normal household (Mrs. Beasley insists that Harold call her "Mum," a word he later has tattooed upon his arm) only adds to the bitter humor. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, Rupert Graves, (more)
- 1994
Two years after losing both her husband and an unborn baby in a single week, Alice (Julie Walters) hopes to satisfy her maternal urges by adopting a baby. Unfortunately, the adoption agencies in Britain and the Continent are unable to match up Alice with her much-coveted newborn child. Dragging her reluctant new boyfriend along, Alice heads to the poverty-stricken inner regions of Venezuela, there to find a baby by whatever means possible, legal or otherwise. First telecast on Britain's BBC1 under its original title Bambino Mio, this 90-minute film has been released to video in Europe as Mon Enfant. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
This British drama was originally created for British television but was later released in the U.S. It is based on a true story and chronicles the struggles of Deric and Diana Longden, a happily married couple who try to cope with Diana's inexplicable degenerative disease which causes occasional paralysis of her extremities and periodic blackouts. The doctors have no clue as to what ails her. Their love sustains them, but finally Diana comes to grips with the fact that the illness may prove fatal. She decides that before she goes, they should find Deric a replacement. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, (more)
In this stark drama based on actual events in a small French town in the early '30s, a pair of repressed sisters slowly lose their grip on reality, leading to horrific consequences at the home where they're employed as maids. Christine (Joely Richardson), a domestic servant in the home of haughty widow Madame Danzard (Julie Walters), takes pride in her efficiency and deference. Raised by nuns, Christine bitterly resents her penniless mother, but remains devoted to her younger, similarly convent-reared sister, Lea (Jodhi May). When Lea, too, comes to work for Madame Danzard, Christine trains her dutifully while also driving a wedge between the girl and their mother. The sisters' emotional bond eventually becomes a sexual one, too, and as they turn inward their work suffers, leading to increasing disapproval from their employer. Meanwhile, Christine is driven mad with jealousy at what she perceives as a flirtation between Lea and Madame Danzard's sullen daughter, Isabelle (Sophie Thursfield). Tensions reach a boiling point when the widow and her daughter return home one evening to find burned garments, uncompleted housework, and the sisters holed up in their room together, smelling of sex. Adapted by Wendy Kesselman from her Pulitzer Prize-winning play, My Sister in This House, Sister My Sister was based on the true story of Christine and Lea Papin, whose grisly 1933 murders have also inspired several other works. In addition to Jean Genet's 1948 play The Maids, the incident was the basis for Jean-Pierre Denis' feature Les Blessures Assassines and the documentary En Quete Des Soeurs Papin, both released in 2000. The real-life Christine Papin died after four years in prison, but Lea was released after ten years of hard labor and lived for several more decades in another small French town. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, Joely Richardson, (more)
- 1993
- NR
Martin Sherman adapted Alice Thomas Ellis' novel for this comedy about a suburban Englishwoman who's about to settle on marriage with her mother-dominated next door neighbor until everyone's comfortable life is disrupted by a visit from her exotic and flamboyant friend Lili (Jeanne Moreau, in a scene-stealing performance). ~ Nicole Gagne, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeanne Moreau, Joan Plowright, (more)
- 1992
Just Like a Woman is a contemporary cross-dressing farce played as if it were a romantic comedy. But still, in the deep recesses of the celluloid, the narrator from Ed Wood's Glen Or Glenda can be heard intoning, "Remember, transvestites are not homosexuals." The story begins when businessman Gerald (Adrian Pasdar) is kicked out of his house by his wife, who discovers Gerald in the possession of a strange woman's underwear. After being cast out of hearth and home, he ends up living in a rented room at the home of fortyish divorcee Monica (Julie Walters). The two proceed to fall in love, and all is well until Monica spots a mysterious woman creeping upstairs to Gerald's room. When Monica investigates, it turns out that the mystery woman is, in fact, Gerald. Monica is taken aback, but only for a moment, and they continue their affair -- dresses, panties, garter belts and all. As one of Monica's friends points out to her, "It's 'is 'obby, luv . . . like golf . . .except you see more of him." Unfortunately, so does Gerald's boss, Miles Millichamp (Paul Freeman) who abruptly fires him for being a transvestite. But Gerald's firing affects his firm's negotiations with an important Japanese company and he must muster up enough fortitude to both straighten out his career and his panty hose. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, Adrian Pasdar, (more)
- 1991
- PG
Stepping Out might be considered a textbook exercise in screenwriting cliche: take Mavis Turner (Liza Minnelli), a woman who "coulda been a contenda" had she pursued her dreams of appearing on Broadway; give her an evening job at a converted church teaching tap; mix in a motley crew of left-footed cardboard-cutouts too rhythmically challenged for her to train; add a charity performance organized by a snooty old ruler-of-the-world-type (Nora Dunn) who thinks they're too klutzy to participate; watch the motley crew turn into a well-oiled dance machine in time to steal the show, prove the snob wrong and overcome their personal problems along the way (not to mention Mavis')...and somehow, in spite of it all, it actually manages to be a rather entertaining film. The entire production is so cheesy and exaggeratedly "Broadway" that it provides more than its share of amusement, intentional or otherwise; the fact that Minnelli turns in an infectiously good-humored performance doesn't hurt, either. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi
- Starring:
- Liza Minnelli, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1989
- PG13
This film adaptation of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's musical play The Threepenny Opera portrays the engagement of a gangster (Raul Julia) to an innocent girl (Rachel Robertson) in Victorian-era London. The girl's family attempts to thwart the marriage by catching the thief in the act. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- Starring:
- Raul Julia, Richard Harris, (more)
- 1989
Having previously headlined a series of short TV skits and monologues, British comedienne-composer Victoria Wood graduated to the anthology format in this six-episode offering. Individual episode titles included "Mens Sana in Thingummy Doodah," "The Library," "Over to Pam," "We'd Quite Like to Apologize," "Val De Ree (Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha)," and "Staying In." All playlets were written by the star, as was the piano music heard between scenes. Appearing in support of Wood was an impressive coterie of British guest stars and comedy "regulars," including her old professional cronies Julie Walters, Duncan Preston, Celia Imrie, and Susie Blake. Victoria Wood originally aired from November 16 to December 21, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Victoria Wood, Celia Imrie, (more)
When a father attempts to return to his abandoned family after 23 years his grown son tries to murder his drunk, unemployed father. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Denholm Elliott, Julie Walters, (more)
On August 8, 1963, the Royal Mail train, on its nighttime run from London to Glasgow, was robbed by 15 men who got away with 2.6 million pounds (today the equivalent of $35 million). Buster tells the story of one of the junior robbers, Buster Edwards (played by pop singer Phil Collins), in a crime that came to be known as the Great Train Robbery. The film details the planning of the famous heist, but its main concern is Buster's relationship with his family and his devotion to his wife June (Julie Walters). The Edwards are like a British Kramden family, trying to make ends meet from day-to-day in their rental apartment, but instead of a bus driver, Buster is a two-bit thief who has the fine luck of hardly ever getting caught. After the Royal mail train robbery, the heat intensifies, since the Conservative Government, already smarting from the Profumo scandal, latches onto the train robbery as a means to deflect attention from the scandal by bringing the train robbers quickly to justice. Buster and June go into hiding and have a series of close calls before finally escaping to Mexico. Finally in paradise, the Edwards find their money quickly being eaten up and discover that they cannot adapt to the Mexico milieu. June, for her part, is homesick, and Buster, always ready to keep her happy, makes the grand gesture -- to return to England and turn himself in to the police. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Phil Collins, Julie Walters, (more)
This unadorned biography of playwright Joe Orton (Gary Oldman) charts his bawdy, dangerous relationships. Alfred Molina plays Orton's brutish lover, Kenneth Halliwell, a pathetic figure who becomes horrific and then tragic before the film is over. The hilarity of scenes from such Orton plays as Loot and What the Butler Saw is evenly balanced by the bleakness of the playwright's tormented (and tormenting) off-stage existence, which ended suddenly at age 34 with half a dozen blows to the head from a hammer. Prick Up Your Ears is based on the book by theater critic John Lahr, who is played in the film by Wallace Shawn. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gary Oldman, Alfred Molina, (more)
- 1987
- R
This comedy was inspired by the true story of Cynthia Payne, a former waitress who gained fame as England's best-known (and best-liked) madame. Christine Painter (Julie Walters) is a working-class single mother who sub-leases a few inexpensive flats as a way of bringing in extra money. Christine has no particular interest in selling her body, but when she finds herself in a tight spot financially -- and notices that the prostitutes who rent her apartments are the only ones who consistently pay on time -- she decides to open a brothel. With the help of Shirley (Shirley Stelfox), an experienced prostie, and Morton (Alec McCowen), a former RAF commander with a fondness for women's undergarments, Christine opens a little place where elderly businessmen can indulge their fondness for kinky lingerie and being spanked by younger women. Soon Christine's business is booming and everyone is happy -- until the police pay her a visit. Personal Services was directed by Terry Jones, best known as a member of the Monty Python troupe; the real-life Cynthia Payne served as a technical advisor. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, Alec McCowen, (more)
- 1986
Written for television by Victoria Wood, Happy Since I Met You is an excellent showcase for the talents of Educating Rita star Julie Walters. Cast as a ditsy dramatics teacher, Julie tries to help aspiring actor Duncan Preston. Though both resist the inevitable as long as possible, love inevitably blooms. Several well-known British actors show up in cameo roles, notably the irrespressible Tracey Ullman. Filmed in 1986, Happy Since I Met You was first seen on American cable TV in 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
In this comedy, Julie Walters and Ian Charleson play a married couple, Jacqueline and Gerald, who somehow endure a fractious relationship that would have sent others running to divorce court in a second. One point of contention is Gerald's new Jaguar, a car he would take over Jacqueline any day. When she is trapped inside the new car with an amorous salesman in a compromising clinch, the police have to cut up the Jag in order to get them out. From that point onward, Gerald has murderous designs on his wife, and the comedy thins out even more. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, Ian Charleson, (more)
- 1985
This weekly British sketch-comedy series represented the first major TV vehicle for that irrepressible comedienne, monologist, playwright, and singer-pianist Victoria Wood. Regular features included Shakespearean versions of popular British television programs, and the ongoing soap opera lampoon "Acorn Antiques." Also in the cast were several of Wood's favorite supporting players, including Julie Walters, Duncan Preston, Celia Imrie, and Susie Blake. Debuting January 11, 1985, Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV yielded 12 35-minute episodes and one 60-minute special before its final broadcast on December 18, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Duncan Preston
- 1985
- PG
Irreverent British writer Dennis Potter speaks aloud what many literary historians have only postulated in whispers in Dreamchild. The film is set in 1932, on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alice in Wonderland creator Lewis Carroll. The guest of honor at the New York-based celebration is 80-year-old Alice Liddell (Coral Browne), who as a child inspired Carroll's whimsical novels. Amidst the cajoling of both devoted fans and fast-buck hustlers, the grim-faced Alice tries to remain calm and dignified. What none of the idolaters suspect is that Alice harbors a long-suppressed secret concerning her "very special" relationship with Carroll -- a secret revealed in an extremely tasteful fashion during a flashback sequence, featuring Amelia Shankley as young Alice and Ian Holm as Charles Dodgson, the virginal, child-obsessed clergyman whom the world knew as Lewis Carroll. The darkness of Dennis Potter's vision is lightened by Muppeteer Jim Henson's marvelous three-dimensional renditions of the Wonderland and Looking Glass characters. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Coral Browne, Ian Holm, (more)
- 1984
Vacillating between the suspense of a thriller and the absurdity of a farce, this uneven story about a demonized telephone company intent on controlling everyone's lives ends up in cinematic limbo -- neither farce nor thriller. When Mavis (Julie Walters) leaves her gay husband to go live in an apartment with her daughter, she receives a call from him saying he is about to come over for a visit. Nothing happens. Then the telephone does other strange things, and as she sets out to discover why, the people she meets are as odd as her phone. She comes across a dwarf with a giant libido and an expert in conspiracy theories who holds his own views (not created jointly with others). The woman would have been better off getting an answering machine, much needed to resolve the plot holes in this story. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, David Rappaport, (more)
- 1984
Eight British women sign up for a week-long survival course. They hope to counter their boredom with life by sweating through a regimen of cliff-climbing and rope-pulling in Britain's Lake district. In between, the ladies discuss their sex lives, with the best lines going to Julie Walters as she rambles on about her three years' abstention from sex. The other actress, who haven't scaled the same professional heights as Ms. Walters since 1984, include Jane Evers, Janet Henfrey, Paula Jacobs, Penelope Nice, Maureen O'Brien and Alyson Spiro. She'll Be Wearing Pink Pajamas was written, apparently from first-hand experience, by Eva Hardy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, Anthony Higgins, (more)
A trio of Oscar nominations and a pair of Golden Globes went to this acclaimed romantic comedy-drama based on the play by Willy Russell. Julie Walters stars as Rita, a witty, 26-year-old working class British hairdresser who decides to seek an education at Open University. Rita needs a tutor, and she selects Dr. Frank Bryant (Michael Caine), an alcoholic college literature professor whose life is a shambles. Divorced, Bryant's new lover is now having an affair with his best friend and he's increasingly depressed, seeking solace in whisky. Bryant's domestic turmoil is mirrored by Rita's, as she has opted for college over motherhood, a source of friction between her and her husband. As Rita blooms intellectually under the tutelage of Bryant, she realizes that what she really lacks is self-confidence, not education, and a gentle romance blossoms between her and Bryant. At home, however, Rita's newfound self-respect and intelligence cause her even greater pain. Director Lewis Gilbert and writer Russell teamed again six years later on the similarly-themed Shirley Valentine (1989). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Julie Walters, (more)
- 1982
Having worked her way up the guest-star ranks to headline her own occasional TV specials, British comedienne/writer/singer Victoria Wood scored one of her biggest successes in the 1979 one-off drama Talent, in which she was teamed with actress Julie Walters. Two years later, Wood and Walters were reteamed in the free-flowing comedy special Two Creatures Great and Small. From this spawned the weekly, half-hour comedy sketch anthology Wood and Walters, for which Wood again supplied the scripts and the songs. This project aired in the U.K. from January 1 to February 21, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Victoria Wood, Julie Walters, (more)
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