Anecdotes

Julie gave friend Sharon Tate a copy of Thomas Hardy's novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" with the inscription "For my Hardy heroine" (Julie had recently become a Thomas Hardy heroine in Loin de la foule déchaînée (1967)). Sharon gave the novel to her husband Roman Polanski shortly before her death. When Polanski later made the film Tess (1979) he dedicated it "For Sharon".

Julie discovered she wanted to become an actress when, at age nine, she snuck out of her Paris boarding school and spent the day with a complete stranger who was an aspiring actor.

Accompanied her long-time lover Warren Beatty on a trip to Russia which inspired him to write his Oscar-winning epic Reds (1981) which ultimately took him 13 years to write. Beatty had always planned to have Christie play the role of Louise Bryant, but when Reds (1981) began filming several years after the couple's breakup, Christie turned down the role and Beatty gave it to Diane Keaton. However, Beatty dedicated the film to Christie by hinting to her in his best director Oscar acceptance speech. "For Jules" can also be seen in the final credits of the film.

The infamous dinner-party scene in Shampoo (1975) was completely improvised by Julie and Warren Beatty, much to the surprise of the rest of the cast and director Hal Ashby.

Was considered as the first "Bond Girl" for James Bond 007 contre Dr. No (1962). She was not chosen because she was considered to be too flat-chested by the producers.

Fluent in English, French, and Italian.

Was the producers first choice to play Presidential widow Liz Cassidy, a role modeled on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, in L'empire du Grec (1978). Despite being offered a $1 million fee, she turned it down, and the role was played by Jacqueline Bisset.

Former co-owner of Katira Productions, along with boyfriend Warren Beatty (named after Beatty's parents Kathlyn and Ira.).

In an April 29, 1966 Life Magazine cover story, Christie named Sidney Lumet as the only American among a list of directors she'd like to work with. Twenty years later, she got her wish, appearing in the Lumet-directed Les coulisses du pouvoir (1986).

Robert Altman said of her, "She's my incandescent, melancholy, strong, gold-hearted, sphinx-like, stainless steel little soldier.".

Turned down the role of Lara in Le docteur Jivago (1965) at the time the most coveted role in Hollywood, several times before finally accepting.

Married boyfriend of 28 years Duncan Campbell. (novembre 2007)

Producer Joseph Janni, who produced four of Christie's earliest pictures (Billy le menteur (1963), Darling chérie (1965), Loin de la foule déchaînée (1967), and À la recherche de Grégory (1969)) and generally is credited, along with director John Schlesinger, in launching her career, created a complex tax shelter for Christie to insulate her earnings from the prohibitively high British tax rate during the 1960s. When the UK Inland Revenue finally investigated the tax shelter many years later, Inland Revenue officials declared it was one of the most complicated tax-avoidance scheme it had come across. Christie herself was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Turned down the role of Laura Fischer, Paul Newman's girlfriend, in Le verdict (1982). Subsequently, Charlotte Rampling was cast in the role.

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.".

Director David Lean nicknamed her 'sunflower' for her beautiful personality and director John Schlesinger nicknamed her 'Trilby' after the 19th century novel about a lovable bohemian.

Great admirer of Princess Diana of Wales and was extremely affected by her 1997 death.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Greatest Movie Stars (#91).

Close friends with actresses Shirley MacLaine, Goldie Hawn and Faye Dunaway.

Lived with Warren Beatty from 1967 to 1974.

Had a secret half-sister named June Christie (1934-2005), from her father's affair with a teenage Indian peasant girl who worked on the tea estate he managed in Chabua, Assam. Julie has never spoken publicly of her half-sister's existence and reportedly did not want to know June.

Appears in five Oscar Best Picture nominees: Darling chérie (1965), Le docteur Jivago (1965), Nashville (1975), Le ciel peut attendre (1978) and Neverland (2004). The first two of these were released in the same year.

Directors she works with often enjoy working with her so much that they use her several times: Robert Altman in John McCabe (1971) and Nashville (1975); John Schlesinger in Billy le menteur (1963), Darling chérie (1965), Loin de la foule déchaînée (1967) and Tables séparées (1983); Nicolas Roeg directed her in Ne vous retournez pas (1973) and was cinematographer on Loin de la foule déchaînée (1967), Fahrenheit 451 (1966) and Petulia (1968) and lover Warren Beatty used her in Shampoo (1975) and Le ciel peut attendre (1978).

Lived with Don Bessant, a lithographer and art teacher, from December 1962 to May 1967. After that they continued to date off-and-on until about 1972.

Julie's father ran a tea plantation in India, where she grew up.

She now lives in Ojai, California with her long-time companion, the journalist Duncan Campbell of the Manchester (UK) Guardian. (août 2006)

She reluctantly agreed to star in writer-director Sarah Polley's debut feature-film Loin d'elle (2006) after many months of persuasion. Christie, who had acted previously with Polley, liked her script, but -- like Polley -- is ambivalent about her acting career. She finally capitulated and her brilliant performance in the film, which debuted at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and is due to be released in the United States in the Spring of 2007, has generated buzz predicting that the film likely will bring Christie her fourth Best Actress Oscar nomination.

Is currently active in nuclear disarmament and animal rights. (2004)

On March 31, 1979, a 22-month-old boy drowned in a 2-ft. duck pond on her farm in New Town, North Wales. The infant's parents, Jonathan and Leslie Heale, were live-in caretakers of the property. Christie attempted to resuscitate him but arrived too late. A coroner marked it an accidental death.

Future long-term lover Warren Beatty first espied Christie at the 1966 Royal Command Performance of the film Vivre libre (1966) in London, which he attended with his then-girlfriend, Leslie Caron. Caron and Beatty were situated near Chrstie in the reception line for Queen Elizabeth II, and Beatty first saw Christie in person when he turned to watch the Queen shake hands with her. Beatty inveigled his friend Richard Sylbert, who was production designer on Christie's film Petulia (1968), to tell her to call him. She did, he flew up to the San Francisco location of the Petulia (1968) shoot and, after a rocky start, they became lovers. She made her first public appearance with Beatty at a sneak preview of Bonnie et Clyde (1967) for the Hollywood elite. It took them several months to rid themselves of their then-current lovers before they came together in a committed relationship, although they usually maintained separate households for the length of their long romance. Most of those who knew them said they shared a passion for the truth. Beatty told his friends he had asked Christie to marry him, but she refused as she did not want children. Christie believed in monogamy, but Beatty felt that as long as they weren't married, he could engage in multiple affairs as long as he remained loyal to her. Eventually, Christie tired of his womanizing and their relationship ended after seven years. His longest and most lasting relationship until he married Annette Bening, the mother of his four children, Beatty considered Christie his wife and told the press in 1971 that he would pay her alimony if they split up, if she wanted it. They did, but she didn't. When Beatty was awarded the Irving Thalberg Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in the year 2000, Christie was one of the friends and co-workers who appeared in a film tribute to her former lover.

Friends with actresses Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson.

Al Pacino's favorite actress.

Close friends with actress Goldie Hawn. The two women were introduced by Warren Beatty in the late 1960s. Beatty and Christie came to consider Goldie as family, and she co-starred with them in Shampoo (1975). Hawn also introduced Christie to yoga, which she still practices today.

Ranked #9 in FHM magazine's '100 sexiest women of all time'.

Turned down the role of Louise Bryant in her former lover Warren Beatty's Reds (1981) as she thought the role should be played by an American. Beatty's then-lover Diane Keaton won a Best Actress Academy Award nomination playing the role.

Ranked #34 in Celebrity Skin's 50 Sexiest Starlets of All Time.

Turned down the leads in On achève bien les chevaux (1969), Anne des mille jours (1969), Nicolas et Alexandra (1971), and Reds (1981), all roles that won the actresses who eventually played them Best Actress Academy Award nominations.

Became very close with director Robert Altman while filming John McCabe (1971). (Ironically, her lover and co-star Warren Beatty did not get along with Altman, primarily due to his use of overlapping dialog.) She later appeared as herself in Altman's 1975 classic Nashville (1975) and received an Oscar nomination starring in the Altman-produced L'amour... et après (1997), directed by Altman protégé Alan Rudolph. The two remained very close until Altman's death in 2006.

Brother Clive Christie is a professor of SouthEast Asian studies at Hull University.

One of her first roles was playing young Anne Frank in a London theatrical production of "The Diary of Anne Frank".

Has played the mother of two Defense Against the Dark Arts professors from the "Harry Potter" series. In Hamlet (1996), she plays the mother of Kenneth Branagh, who went on to play "Gilderoy Lockhart". In Cœur de dragon (1996), she plays mother to David Thewlis, who plays "Remus Lupin". Christie herself also appears in the third film, with Thewlis.

Variety Club of Great Britain film Actress Award for 1965 for her performance in Darling chérie (1965).

Was Charlton Heston's first choice as co-star Le seigneur de la guerre (1965), according to Heston's published diaries "Charlton Heston: The Actor's Life; Journals 1956-1976". She was vetoed by the studio because her fee was too high, much to Heston's consternation, who believed she was about to become a major star. He was proved right at the end of 1965, the year that "The War Lord" was released.

Her romance with Terence Stamp has been said to have inspired The Kinks "Waterloo Sunset", hence the line "Terry met Julie" in the song. However in a 2004 interview, lead singer Ray Davies, who penned the song, denied this, saying: "No, Terry and Julie were real people. I couldn't write for stars." Stamp later turned down the role of Guy Montag in Fahrenheit 451 (1966) because of his complicated emotions over co-starring with Christie, backing out of the role on the pretext of Julie receiving top billing. Oskar Werner subsequently played Montag. A year later, Stamp had overcome his insecurities and agreed to co-star with Christie in Loin de la foule déchaînée (1967).

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#26). (1995)

Release of the book, "Julie Christie" by Anthony Hayward. (2000)

Lives in East London with her husband, the journalist Duncan Campbell. (mars 2008)

Joined 160 people to sign an advertisement which ran in The Times (London) urging the legalization of marijuana. (1992)

Favorite filmmaker is Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

She lived with investigative journalist Duncan Campbell from 1979 before their wedding in 2008.