dr. Z and the women

i was recently approached to write a guest post by the marvelous Tara of Nothing Elegant, and am thrilled to be part of her blog! if you haven't already been there, you really must go, and if you're coming from there and have never been here, then welcome!

so, i have devised a double decker dames post concerning two beautiful and talented actresses (Geraldine Chaplin and Julie Christie), who starred in the wintery masterpiece Dr Zhivago (1965) (which, incidentally, was the movie my parents saw on their first date) (...'course, their divorced now, but that's beside the point). you'll find Julie's post here, and Gerladine's over there! without further ado...

Julie Frances Christie was born in Assam, India in 1941. her father ran a tea plantation in what was then a part of the British empire, and her mother was a Welsh painter. her parents divorced when she was young and Julie moved to rural Wales with her mother. as a teenager, Christie finished her studies in Paris where she first had a taste of the bohemian, and became enamoured with the artist's way of life.

Christie's role in Dr. Zhivago coincides with the beginning of her international recognition, having been known in the United Kingdom since her breakout role in a 1961 BBC sci-fi series called A for Andromeda.

[doesn't she look so much like Robin Wright Penn here?!]

highlights of Julie's early film career include Darling(1965), for which she won an Academy award for Best Actress, Francois Truffaut's Farenheit 451 (1966), and Far from the Maddening Crowd(1967), opposite a young and surprisingly handsome Terrance Stamp, who had been Christie's lover before she became famous.

in 1967, Christie moved to Hollywood, where she began a high profile, seven year relationship with actor Warren Beatty. Beatty once described Christie as "the most beautiful and at the same time the most nervous person I had ever known." at the height of her career Julie stepped away from the limelight (and many hold her affair with Beatty responsible). she began turning down pivotal roles that would take other actresses to the Academy Awards. in the mid 1970s, her affair with Beatty came to an end, but the two remained close friends and worked together in Shampoo (1975) and Heaven Can Wait (1978).

Christie moved back to the UK where she became a champion for animal rights and nuclear disarmament. later career highlights include a renaissance of sorts in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996), and an absolutely superb-go-and-see-it-if-you-haven't-already-'cause-you'll-love-her performance in Away From Her (2006).

inducting Julie Christie into the Hall of Dames was only a matter of time. i mean the woman has inspired love songs by famous rock idols, and she hangs out with Shirley MacLaine, Faye Dunaway and Catherine Deneuve (!) what i wouldn't give to be invited to that dinner party!

if you've enjoyed this post (or even if you haven't), please pop by Tara's blog to read the companion piece on Julie's Zhivago costar Geraldine Chaplin (yes, Charlie's daughter). thanks so much for coming by!