When SHE was 16 going on 17! Rare black and white photos capture a teenage Julie Andrews singing, dancing, and relaxing at home - 14 years before The Sound of Music

  • Old black and white photographs show the now 84-year-old star at home in 1951
  • She's pictured practicing her singing, piano, and dancing
  • The star is also seen performing on the BBC, going through her clothes, and pouring some tea
  • She is shown with her pianist mother and vaudevillian performer stepfather, the latter of whom she has described as abusive 

Retro photographs capture Julia Andrews when she was just 16 — the same age as Liesl from The Sound of Music.

The endearing images from 1951 show the now-84-year-old actress over a decade before she found fame with the 1964 film Mary Poppins, back when she was just a child herself.

The black and white photos offer a peak into her normal — but picture-perfect —life growing up, from her time spent with her mother and stepfather to moments spent practicing music. 

Flashback: Retro photographs capture Julia Andrews when she was just 16 in 1951

Flashback: Retro photographs capture Julia Andrews when she was just 16 in 1951

That voice! The star was already a performer, and is seen practicing her singing

That voice! The star was already a performer, and is seen practicing her singing

Going on 17: The teen, who was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, is seen playing with figure on her vanity table

Going on 17: The teen, who was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, is seen playing with figure on her vanity table

On her way: Julie, pictured at a piano, had already performed for the King at the London Palladium three years before this snap was taken

On her way: Julie, pictured at a piano, had already performed for the King at the London Palladium three years before this snap was taken

Wicked childhood: Despite the happy shots, Julie has described a troubled childhood, with her parents divorcing and her mother remarrying an abusive stepdad

Wicked childhood: Despite the happy shots, Julie has described a troubled childhood, with her parents divorcing and her mother remarrying an abusive stepdad

Superstar: It was still more than a decade before she'd earn fame with 1964's Mary Poppins

Superstar: It was still more than a decade before she'd earn fame with 1964's Mary Poppins

Julie was born in 1935 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England. Her mother, Barbara Ward Wells, was married to teacher Ted Wells, but conceived Julie in an affair with a family friend — something Julie didn't know until she was 14, when she met the man at a party.

'My mother was terribly important to me, and I know how much I yearned for her in my youth…but I don't think I truly trusted her,' she told the New York Times

Barbara divorced Ted Wells and remarried Ted Andrews in 1943, giving Julie the last name she'd find fame with.

Theirs was a musical household, and Barbara, a pianist, and Ted Andrews, a vaudevillian performer, contributed to the war efforts by entertaining the troops through the Entertainments National Service Association.

In the photos from 1951, Julie can be seen practicing her talents, both by marking up music at a piano and by singing.

Family of performers: She's seen practicing with her mother Barbara Ward Wells and her stepfather Ted Andrews

Family of performers: She's seen practicing with her mother Barbara Ward Wells and her stepfather Ted Andrews

Rags to riches: Their home was modest, and Julie has spoken about growing up poor

Rags to riches: Their home was modest, and Julie has spoken about growing up poor

Necessities: Julie, seen pouring tea, now travels with her own tea kettle

Necessities: Julie, seen pouring tea, now travels with her own tea kettle

Cashing in: Though mega-fame was still several years off, Julie was already becoming a major breadwinner in the family

Cashing in: Though mega-fame was still several years off, Julie was already becoming a major breadwinner in the family

Chops: Julie is seen performing on the BBC, something she did for several years

Chops: Julie is seen performing on the BBC, something she did for several years

Coming later: Julie was 29 when she filmed The Sound of Music (pictured), in which she played the lead role of Maria

Coming later: Julie was 29 when she filmed The Sound of Music (pictured), in which she played the lead role of Maria 

Yikes... Julie, pictured riding a bike, learned when she was 14 that the man she though was her biological father really wasn't

Yikes... Julie, pictured riding a bike, learned when she was 14 that the man she though was her biological father really wasn't

One shot even shows the talented vocalist singing with live orchestra at the BBC.

More photos show her with her mother, stepfather Ted Andrews, riding bikes with a small child that might be a younger brother, and reading a book to another little one.

She's also seen dancing, pouring tea, and going through her clothes, holding up a plaid dress in what appears to be her childhood bedroom.

The home appears to be quite modest, and Julie has spoken about being poor while growing up.

In fact, despite the idyllic family life the photos seem to portray, the star has been candid about having a rough childhood.

In addition to the tumult of having divorced parents in the 1940s, she has said that her new stepfather, Ted Andrews, was an alcoholic, and tried twice to climb into bed with her.

In her 2008 autobiography Home, she recalled putting a lock on her door to keep him out. 

Good with kids: Julie is pictured reading on the sofa with a little boy who is likely her brother

Good with kids: Julie is pictured reading on the sofa with a little boy who is likely her brother

Waiting for it... Not long after these pictures were taken, though, her life would change dramatically

Waiting for it... Not long after these pictures were taken, though, her life would change dramatically

Beauty: A smiling Julie is pictured in a long sleeve dress walking through the front door

Beauty: A smiling Julie is pictured in a long sleeve dress walking through the front door

Serious stuff: Julie lived much of the time with her mother and stepfather, though her stepfather was an alcoholic whom she had to lock out of her bedroom

Serious stuff: Julie lived much of the time with her mother and stepfather, though her stepfather was an alcoholic whom she had to lock out of her bedroom

Musical: In addition to having a stunning voice, Julie also showed off her talents for playing music and dancing

Musical: In addition to having a stunning voice, Julie also showed off her talents for playing music and dancing

On Broadway: A few years after this photo was taken, in 1954, she'd star as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady

On Broadway: A few years after this photo was taken, in 1954, she'd star as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady

Icon: Julie is pictured in September at the Venice Film Festival

Icon: Julie is pictured in September at the Venice Film Festival

Not long after these pictures were taken, though, her life would change dramatically.

Julie was already working toward making a career in performing. In 1948, when she was just 13, she became the youngest solo performer ever in a Royal Command Variety Performance, where she performed at the London Palladium in front of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. 

She appeared on the BBC and in shows on the West End, and in 1952 — shortly after these snaps were taken — she voiced a character in the Italian animated movie The Singing Princess.

Then, just before turning 19 in 1954, she starred as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady on Broadway. 

Later, she achieved superstar status thanks to starring roles in 1964's Mary Poppins, 1965's The Sound of Music, and 1967's Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Other top credits over the years have included 1982's Victor Victoria and 2001's The Princess Diaries, and she's won an Academy Awards for Best Actress, five Golden Globe awards, three Grammys, two Emmys, and a BAFTA.

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