Julie Walters, seriously funny - Lucy Ellis

Julie Walters has worked with some of the greatest and most diverse actors and directors of our time. From her Oscar-nominated film debut alongside Michael Caine in "Educating Rita", to her role as London madam Cynthia Payne in "Personal Services" and her appearance in the internationally acclaimed "Billy Elliot", she is one of Britain's finest actresses. She is also famed for her enduring collaboration with comedienne and close friend Victoria Wood in sketches such as "Acorn Antiques". This biography traces her life from a poor Catholic upbringing in Birmingham and her decision to leave a secure job as a nurse to pursue a career in the arts, through a romance with fellow actor Pete Postlethwaite, a period of heavy drinking and her marriage, to the tragic diagnosis of her daughter's leukaemia, when she put her career on hold to nurse her. She has now returned to both the small and big screens and has been introduced to a new generation of fans as Mrs Weasley in the Harry Potter films.