Julie Andrews, 91, Retires From Acting as Health Limits Public Appearances

For generations, Dame Julie Andrews has ranked among the most recognizable figures in entertainment.

Today, however, the celebrated star of stage and screen is seen far less often. Andrews has gradually stepped away from the public eye that once accompanied her everywhere.

“Julie spends a lot of time at home. She is a homebody and loves being in Sag Harbor in the Hamptons, where she has a beautiful garden. She loves tending to her roses,” an industry insider told Our News Outlet.

As the Mary Poppins icon prepared to mark her 91st birthday last Thursday, there was little sign of her at her $2.8 million property in the Hamptons.

Andrews did not appear to venture into Sag Harbor during the week, while residents seemed determined to keep quiet about her movements around the village.

“She is occasionally seen in town meeting someone for tea, but those sightings are rare,” the source said. “When she does appear, she is always impeccably dressed, with full makeup and tasteful gold jewelry. There are no sweat outfits for her.”

“She does not take part in the Hamptons social scene, either. She has been invited, but she has declined. Julie is very private and extremely close to her daughter, Emma [Walton Hamilton]. They see each other all the time.”

Andrews was last pictured in the area in September 2023, when she used a cane while leaving her daughter Hamilton’s theater, located only a few minutes from her home.

Her increasingly private lifestyle follows her announcement in early August that she would step away from screen roles.

In a recent interview, Andrews also addressed the long-awaited third installment of The Princess Diaries, ending years of speculation about whether she might return.

After portraying Queen Clarisse in the first two films, released in 2001 and 2004, she confirmed that she had turned down the opportunity to reprise the character.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she said: “I think I’m retired, really. That would probably be the best description.”

“The film’s creative team asked me throughout last year whether I would be interested. It was very, very difficult to say no, but I did because I felt I had enjoyed a wonderful ride. I also felt this film would flourish very well without Granny having to step in at my age.”

Long days on a Hollywood set no longer appeal to Andrews, according to the insider, who said the actress continues to receive lucrative offers.

“Julie simply does not want to make big movies anymore because the process is so demanding. Spending that much time away from home is brutal,” the source said. “She receives offers with substantial paychecks all the time, but she turns them down. She does not need the money; she already has her fortune.”

Retirement, however, does not mean Andrews has stopped working altogether. She has said she is not “completely” retired and remains active through book projects, podcasts, voiceovers and other creative work.

“She has done voiceover work on Bridgerton, which she loves because she does not have to get up early or spend time having her hair and makeup done,” the insider said.

Her unmistakable voice has become such a big part of her that she even had a sound booth built into her Hamptons home by her grandson Sam, a sound engineer.

‘I just walk into my ridiculous closet, and there’s the microphone and my grandson,’ she previously told Orlando Family magazine of the room, which is draped in curtains, cushions and blankets for comfort. ‘We work so well together. He’s a wonderful director.’

In recent years Andrews has been relatively open about her slower pace of life, telling Julia Louis-Dreyfus on her Wiser Than Me show in 2024: ‘I don’t go out as much, and I love being home. But I kind of enjoyed that, pulling back a little bit now. And of course I’ve got a million thoughts and ideas and hope that I can keep going for a great deal longer. But who knows? And I’m just pleased that I’ve arrived here.’

But that quiet life is about to get louder, however, as Andrews has been working on a new documentary for Disney+ from director RJ Cutler. Set for release in 2027, the reclusive actress will share a trove of never before seen photos from her colorful life.

‘They did a few sit-down interviews with her at her home,’ said our insider. ‘She talks about Mary Poppins, The Sound Of Music and The Princess Diaries, her fans will love that. It should be a big deal next year.

‘She is participating in the documentary because she is proud of her work and wants to celebrate it. Julie also shares a lot of her old photos from her early years, photos no one has ever seen before.’

They continued: ‘She has led a quiet life for decades now, but there will be a lot of press for the documentary, it is a big deal for Disney+, so I am not sure she is fully prepared for that.’

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Despite her excitement at dipping her toe back into the big screen, she’s putting pause to any plans to promote the show worldwide, sticking instead to the East Coast.

‘It’s a good thing she lives so close to New York City, she can just be driven in and do her interviews there. Walking is not so easy for her, but she has a cane and plenty of help,’ our insider shared.

Like her two memoirs – Home: A Memoir of My Early Years (2008), which charts her working-class upbringing in Britain, and Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years (2019), about her life in America after 1963 – the documentary promises to be a tearjerker.

‘Fans will be reminded with this documentary that Julie’s life was not always easy as she was abused by her stepfather, her mother was an alcoholic, and she had to support her family financially starting at a young age as a performer,’ said the source.

‘Her early years were dark, and I think that is why she has worked so hard to have a happy, comfortable life. When you grow up with so much pain, it takes a lot of effort to shake that.’

Then there were the two big heartbreaks that followed, one of which threatened to derail her entire career.

‘One of the hardest things she had to do in her entire life was have throat surgery in 1997 to take out non-cancerous lesions,’ said our source.

‘The surgery left scar tissue that hurt her voice, which is so sad as she had a four-octave range. That really broke her heart, to lose her voice, because it was her magic, it was her identity and her joy. After she found out she could no longer sing well, she became incredibly depressed and felt an extreme loss. It really was a tragedy.’

And she had plans for her voice that will never come to fruition. 

‘She made money from the malpractice lawsuit, but it did not make a dent in what she lost from work, and it just took so much away from her,’ added the source.

‘She had planned to sing for many more decades, it made her happy, she wanted to be on stage as she loved doing Victor/Victoria on Broadway, it was her favorite role, so to lose that was horrific.’ She starred in both the 1982 movie version and the ’90s Broadway version of Victor/Victoria.

Andrews previously revealed how the surgery plunged her into depression. ‘When I woke up from an operation to remove a cyst on my vocal cord, my singing voice was gone,’ she told AARP. ‘I went into a depression. It felt like I’d lost my identity.’

Then there was the loss of her great love, Breakfast At Tiffany’s director Blake Edwards, who died in 2010 at the age of 88. Andrews and Edwards were wed from 1969 until his death.

Speaking to Oprah Daily she once described him as ‘the most charismatic, mercurial gentleman I’d ever encountered,’ and compared their relationship to a ‘wild roller-coaster ride.’

‘He was the love of her life,’ our source said. ‘They fit really well, were together for over 40 years, so she misses him a lot. He was playful and fun, and made her laugh, and that cannot be replaced.’

But Andrews is not plagued by loneliness, as she still has her family around her. ‘Julie is very close to her grandchildren, she is delighted they are all doing so well. Many of them work in theater and films, and she helps guide them. That fulfills her these days,’ said our source.

The actress gained recognition when she made her film debut in the 1964 movie Mary Poppins alongside Dick Van Dyke.

The Disney film raked in positive reviews and critical acclaim upon its release, and earned Andrews her first Oscar for Best Actress. 

In 1965, she took on another leading role in The Sound Of Music, which also garnered her an Oscar nomination.

During the Academy Awards, the movie picked up a handful of honors, including Best Picture and Best Director for Robert Wise.

The actress appeared in other projects such as Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Darling Lili (1970) and Victor/Victoria (1982).

In 2001, she played Queen Clarisse Renaldi in The Princess Diaries, before reprising her role three years later in its sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.

Last year, the actress notably won Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance during the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys. She did not attend in person.

Our News Outlet had contacted representatives for Andrews for comment.