Early life

Christie was born on 14 April 1940 at Singlijan Tea Estate, Chabua, Assam, British India, the elder child of Rosemary (née Ramsden), a painter, and Francis "Frank" St. John Christie. Her father ran the tea plantation where she was raised. She has a younger brother, Clive, and an older (now deceased) half-sister, June, from her father's relationship with an Indian woman, who worked as a tea picker on his plantation. Frank and Rosemary Christie separated when Julie was a child.

She was baptised in the Church of England and studied as a boarder at the independent Convent of Our Lady school in St. Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, after being expelled from another convent school for telling a risqué joke that reached a wider audience than originally anticipated. After being asked to leave the Convent of Our Lady as well, she later attended Wycombe Court School, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, during which time she lived with a foster mother from the age of six.

After her parents' divorce, Christie spent time with her mother in rural Wales. As a teenager at the all-girls' Wycombe Court School, she played "the Dauphin" in a production of Shaw's Saint Joan. She later studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Career

Christie made her professional stage debut in 1957, and her first screen roles were on British television. Her big break came in the 1961 BBC serial A for Andromeda. She was a contender for the role of Honey Rider in the first James Bond film, Dr. No, but producer Albert R. Broccoli reportedly thought her breasts were too small.

In 1962, Christie appeared in feature films with co-starring roles in a pair of comedies for Independent Artists: Crooks Anonymous and The Fast Lady. Her breakthrough role, however, was as Liz, the friend and would-be lover of the eponymous character played by Tom Courtenay in Billy Liar (1963), which earned her a BAFTA Award nomination. The director, John Schlesinger, had cast Christie only after another actress dropped out of the film.

Life magazine hailed 1965 as "The Year of Julie Christie" when the young actress became known internationally for her role as an amoral model in Darling, directed by Schlesinger. Christie, who had obtained the lead role after the casting of Shirley MacLaine fell through, won numerous accolades for her performance, including the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Christie starred in two other films released in 1965, first appearing as Daisy Battles in Young Cassidy, a biopic of Irish playwright Seán O'Casey, co-directed by Jack Cardiff and (uncredited) John Ford. Her last film of the year was David Lean's Doctor Zhivago, adapted from the epic/romance novel by Boris Pasternak. The film was a box office smash, and Christie's role as Lara Antipova would become her most famous. As of 2016, Doctor Zhivago is the 8th highest-grossing film of all time, adjusted for inflation.

In 1966, Christie played a dual role in François Truffaut's adaptation of the Ray Bradbury novel Fahrenheit 451, where she starred opposite Oskar Werner. Later, she played Thomas Hardy's heroine Bathsheba Everdene in Schlesinger's Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), and the title role, Petulia Danner, in Richard Lester's Petulia (1968), opposite George C. Scott.

Christie's persona as the "swinging 60s British bird" she had embodied in Billy Liar and Darling was further cemented by her appearance in the documentary Tonite Let's All Make Love in London. In 1967, Time magazine said of her: "What Julie Christie wears has more real impact on fashion than all the clothes of the ten best-dressed women combined."

In 1971, Christie co-starred with Alan Bates in Joseph Losey's romantic drama The Go-Between, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. She earned a second Best Actress Oscar nomination the same year for her role as a brothel madame in Robert Altman's postmodern western McCabe & Mrs. Miller. The film marked the first of three collaborations between Christie and Warren Beatty, who described her as "the most beautiful and at the same time the most nervous person I had ever known." The two had a high-profile but intermittent relationship between 1967 and 1974. After the relationship ended, they worked together again in the hit comedies Shampoo (1975) and Heaven Can Wait (1978). Her other films during the decade were Nicolas Roeg's controversial thriller Don't Look Now (1973), in which she had a graphic sex scene with Donald Sutherland, and the science-fiction/horror film Demon Seed (1977), based on the novel of the same name by Dean Koontz and directed by Donald Cammell.

Having moved to Los Angeles in 1967 ("I was there because of a lot of American boyfriends") Christie returned to the United Kingdom in 1977, where she lived on a farm in Wales. In 1979, she was a member of the jury at the 29th Berlin International Film Festival. Never a prolific actress, even at the height of her fame and bankability, Christie turned down many high-caliber film roles, including Anne of the Thousand Days, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Nicholas and Alexandra, and Reds, all of which earned Oscar nominations for the actresses who eventually played them.

In the 1980s, Christie appeared in non-mainstream films such as The Return of the Soldier (1982) and Heat and Dust (1983). She had a major supporting role in Sidney Lumet's Power (1986) alongside Richard Gere, Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington, but other than that, Christie avoided large budget films. In 1988, she starred in the television film Dadah Is Death, based on the Barlow and Chambers execution, as Barlow's mother Barbara, who desperately fought to save her son from being hanged for drug trafficking in Malaysia.

In 1996, after a somewhat lengthy absence from the screen, Christie co-starred in the fantasy adventure film DragonHeart, and appeared as Gertrude in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. Her next critically acclaimed role was the unhappy wife in Alan Rudolph's 1997 domestic comedy-drama Afterglow, which gained her a third Oscar nomination. Also in 1997, she received the British Academy's highest honour, the BAFTA Fellowship.

In 2004, Christie made a brief cameo appearance in the third Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, playing Madam Rosmerta. That same year, she also appeared in two other high-profile films: Wolfgang Petersen's Troy and Marc Forster's Finding Neverland, playing the mother of Brad Pitt and Kate Winslet, respectively. The latter performance earned Christie a BAFTA nomination as supporting actress in film.

Christie portrayed the female lead in Away from Her, a film about a long-married Canadian couple coping with the wife's Alzheimer's disease. Based on the Alice Munro short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain", the movie was the first feature film directed by Christie's sometime co-star, Canadian actress Sarah Polley. She took the role, she says, only because Polley is her friend. Polley has said Christie liked the script but initially turned it down as she was ambivalent about acting. It took several months of persuasion by Polley before Christie finally accepted the role.

In July 2006 she was a member of the jury at the 28th Moscow International Film Festival. Debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2006 as part of the TIFF's Gala showcase, Away from Her drew rave reviews from the trade press, including The Hollywood Reporter, and the four Toronto dailies. The critics singled out the performances of Christie and her co-star, Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent, and Polley's direction. Christie's performance generated Oscar buzz, leading the distributor, Lions Gate Entertainment, to buy the film at the festival to release the film in 2007 to build momentum during the awards season.

On 5 December 2007, she won the Best Actress Award from the National Board of Review for her performance in Away from Her. She also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role and the Genie Award for Best Actress for the same film. On 22 January 2008, Christie received her fourth Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the 80th Academy Awards. She appeared at the ceremony wearing a pin calling for the closure of the prison in Guantanamo Bay.

In 2008, Christie narrated Uncontacted Tribes, a short film for the British-based charity Survival International, featuring previously unseen footage of remote and endangered peoples. She has been a long-standing supporter of the charity, and in February 2008, was named as its first 'Ambassador'. She appeared in a segment of the 2008 film, New York, I Love You, written by Anthony Minghella, directed by Shekhar Kapur and co-starring Shia LaBeouf, as well as in Glorious 39, about a British family at the start of World War II.

In 2011, Christie played a "sexy, bohemian" version of the grandmother role in Catherine Hardwicke's gothic retelling of Red Riding Hood. Her most recent role was in the political thriller The Company You Keep (2012), where she co-starred with Robert Redford and Sam Elliot.

Personal life

In the early 1960s, Christie dated actor Terence Stamp. She was engaged to Don Bessant, a lithographer and art teacher, in 1965, before dating actor Warren Beatty for several years. She is married to The Guardian journalist Duncan Campbell; they have lived together since 1979, but the date they wed is disputed. In January 2008, several news outlets reported that the couple had quietly married in India two months earlier, in November 2007, which Christie called "nonsense", adding, "I have been married for a few years. Don't believe what you read in the papers."

In the late 1960s, her advisers adopted a very complex scheme in an attempt to reduce her tax liability, giving rise to the leading case of Black Nominees Ltd v Nicol (Inspector of Taxes). The case was heard by Templeman J (who later became Lord Templeman), who gave judgment in favour of the Inland Revenue, ruling that the scheme was ineffective.

She is also active in various causes, including animal rights, environmental protection, and the anti-nuclear power movement and is also a Patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, as well as Reprieve, and CFS/ME charity Action for ME.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1961	Call Oxbridge 2000	Ann	episode: Episode #1.3
	A for Andromeda	Christine Andromeda	6 episodes
1962	Crooks Anonymous	Babette LaVern
	Fast Lady, TheThe Fast Lady	Claire Chingford
	The Andromeda Breakthrough	Andromeda	episode: Cold Front (uncredited)
1963	Billy Liar	Liz	Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best British Actress
	The Saint	Judith Northwade	episode: Judith
	ITV Play of the Week	Betty Whitehead	episode: J.B. Priestley Season #3: Dangerous Corner
1965	Young Cassidy	Daisy Battles
	Darling	Diana Scott	Academy Award for Best Actress BAFTA Award for Best British Actress Laurel Award for Top Female Dramatic Performance New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Moscow International Film Festival - Diploma National Board of Review Award for Best Actress (joint with Doctor Zhivago) Silver Goddess for Best Foreign Actress Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
	Doctor Zhivago	Lara Antipova	David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress (tied with Elizabeth Taylor for The Taming of the Shrew) National Board of Review Award for Best Actress (joint with Darling) Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best British Actress (joint with Fahrenheit 451)
1966	Fahrenheit 451	Clarisse Linda Montag	Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best British Actress (joint with Doctor Zhivago)
1967	Far from the Madding Crowd	Bathsheba Everdene
1968	Petulia	Petulia Danner
1969	In Search of Gregory	Catherine Morelli
1971	Go-Between, TheThe Go-Between	Marian - Lady Trimingham	Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
	McCabe & Mrs. Miller	Constance Miller	Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress
1973	Don't Look Now	Laura Baxter	Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
1975	Shampoo	Jackie Shawn	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
	Nashville	Herself
1977	Demon Seed	Susan Harris	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress
1978	Heaven Can Wait	Betty Logan
1981	Memoirs of a Survivor	'D'	Fantasporto International Fantasy Film Award for Best Actress
1982	Return of the Soldier, TheThe Return of the Soldier	Kitty Baldry
	Les quarantièmes rugissants	Catherine Dantec
1983	Heat and Dust	Anne
	Gold Diggers, TheThe Gold Diggers	Ruby
	Separate Tables	Mrs. Shankland	(TV movie) Nominated—CableACE Award for Best Actress in a Theatrical or Non-Musical Program
1986	Champagne amer	Betty Rivière
	Power	Ellen Freeman
	Miss Mary	Mary Mulligan	Havana Film Festival Award for Best Actress
	Sins of the Fathers	Charlotte Deutz	(TV miniseries)
1988	Dadah Is Death	Barbara Barlow	(TV movie)
1990	Fools of Fortune	Mrs. Quinton
1992	Railway Station Man, TheThe Railway Station Man	Helen Cuffe	(TV movie)
1996	Dragonheart	Queen Aislinn
	Hamlet	Gertrude
	Karaoke	Lady Ruth Balmer	episode: Wednesday episode: Friday
1997	Afterglow	Phyllis Mann	Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble Cast Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress San Sebastián International Film Festival Award for Best Actress Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
2000	Miracle Maker, TheThe Miracle Maker	Rachael	(voice)
2001	Belphegor, Phantom of the Louvre	Glenda Spender
	No Such Thing	Dr. Anna
2002	I'm with Lucy	Dori
	Snapshots	Narma
2004	Troy	Thetis
	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Madam Rosmerta
	Finding Neverland	Mrs. Emma du Maurier	Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2005	Secret Life of Words, TheThe Secret Life of Words	Inge
2006	Away from Her	Fiona Anderson	Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Actress Defying Age and Ageism Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Actress Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Bravest Performance Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Dublin Film Critics' Circle Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Iowa Film Critics Award for Best Actress London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actress of the Year National Board of Review Award for Best Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress New York Film Critics Online Award for Best Actress Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated—Detroit Film Critics Society for Best Actress Nominated—Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress Nominated—Gransito Movie Award for Best Actress Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama Nominated—St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
2008	New York, I Love You	Isabelle	segment: Shekhar Kapur
2009	Glorious 39	Elizabeth
2011	Red Riding Hood	Grandmother
2012	The Company You Keep	Mimi Lurie

Theatre

Year	Show	Location
1957	Frinton Repertory of Essex	RSC
1964	The Comedy of Errors	Broadway
1973	Uncle Vanya	Chichester Festival Theatre (and on tour, Bath, Oxford, Richmond and Guildford)
1997	Suzanna Andler	Wyndhams Theatre & Theatre Clywd
1995	Old Times	Royal Court Theatre
2007	Cries From The Heart

[ Source: Wikipedia ]