Billy Liar, Doctor Zhivago, Shampoo
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During the 1960s, Julie Christie was part of what many considered to be a British invasion in Hollywood movies. She became one of the biggest stars in film during this time, and remained a constant for decades to come. Though she hasn’t appeared in many films or television shows over the past decade, Christie’s career speaks for itself. With a slew of award nominations (as well as wins) to her name, Christie is considered by many to be one of the finest actresses of her generation.
Christie was born in what was then known as British India on April 14, 1940 but spent much of her childhood in England where she attended school. Christie then moved to Wales with her mother, and appeared on stage for the first time that sparked an interest in acting. Christie’s stage career started to blossom, and she was acting professionally as a teenager, and it was only a matter of time before that would translate into work with the cameras rolling.
Christie’s first on-screen role came in 1961 when she appeared in an episode of the series “Call Oxbridge 2000”, as well as several episodes of “A for Andromeda”. The following year continued Christie’s breakout as she appeared in multiple movies including “Crooks Anonymous” and “The Fast Lady”. She remained very busy the rest of the decade, as well, having performances in “Billy Liar” and “Young Cassidy”.
In 1965, Christie starred in the film “Darling” that earned her an Oscar nomination for best actress. Christie beat out the likes of Julie Andres and Samantha Eggar to take home the award, and in that same year starred in the hit film “Doctor Zhivago”. “For me, being nominated is just a bit terrifying because I think, ‘Oh God, I hope I never have to get up and say anything,” Christie admitted.
“I think the most dangerous thing is that everything has been turned into a consumer activity, and all this (publicity) is pure market,” Christie said when reflecting on her wins. “I think, ‘What are you doing, people?’ The only thing you seem to think about is awards. I don’t think there’s anything bad about awards. Saying ‘Jolly well done’ to people is one thing, but turning it into a huge market is another.”
For the rest of the decade, Christie added roles in films such as “Fahrenheit 451” and “Petulia”. Christie wasn’t quite as busy during the 1970s, but did add several memorable roles. In 1971 she starred in “The Go-Between” and “McCabe & Mrs. Miller”, the latter of which landed Christie her second Oscar nomination. This was then followed up with films like “Heaven Can Wait”, “Shampoo” and “Demon Seed”.
The 1980s saw a handful of films for Christie such as “The Gold Diggers”, “Miss Mary” and “Power”. This was followed up by 1990s roles including “Hamlet” and “Afterglow”, which earned Christie a third Oscar nomination. Christie added another nomination in the 2000s with “Away from Her”, and though she didn’t win an Oscar for these two roles, she still did receive various awards.
Other 2000s films for Christie included “Troy”, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and “Finding Neverland”. More recently, she’s played the grandmother in “Red Riding Hood” and starred in “The Company You Keep” in 2012 for her most recent acting role. Since then, Christie has popped up just once, becoming the narrator for the 2018 film “The Bookshop” that starred Emily Mortimer.
Looking back at her career, Christie says that she never embraced the celebrity lifestyle. “I see stardom very clearly as a construct that’s been created in order to sell things,” she said. “I regret that I wasn’t the kind of person who could enjoy celebrity (status). It embarrassed me too much…Early on, I found the attention completely embarrassing. I’d cringe if I saw my picture on the cover of a magazine.”
That doesn’t mean that Christie hasn’t enjoyed attention during her life, though. “I was born with a need to be the center of attention,” she said. “And, of course, you’re the center of the world when you’re acting.”
These days, Christie isn’t interested in acting so much as she is with farming. More specifically, Christie cares for sheep in Wales these days. “Hollywood was against everything I had been brought up to appreciate,” Christie said. “My late mother Rosemary was wise and frugal, quite austere. She was conscious about the environment, even in those days…The world of celebrity didn’t mean a single thing to my mom. Her attitude filtered down to me, which is why I take all the celeb stuff with a pinch of salt.”
Christie will also be the first to admit that she didn’t do well with the money that she earned during her career. “I had some great earning years but it just went through my fingers,” she said. “The truth is that I had no real idea at the time of my biggest successes or what was really happening…I realized then that you can choose your own spotlight. Whenever I hear anyone complaining about the strains and stresses of fame I always think, ‘You can stay at home if you don’t like it.’”
As for her future, Christie doesn’t anticipate a lot of film roles down the road. “I can’t think that far ahead,” she said. The plan, for now, is “I want a dog…I want to be static enough in one place to have a dog.” “I think being a hippie was the most alluring thing,” Christie continued. “But I got famous so early,a nd you can’t be famous and be a hippie. I was constantly dabbling but it was interfering with my being famous. I’m a very conflicted personality.’
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