Latest news with #JulieAndrews
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Legendary actor who starred alongside Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman looks unrecognizable on rare outing
A legendary actor who has worked with numerous A-listers over the years was spotted on a rare outing in Los Angeles this week. The star has 162 acting credits to his name thus far - and has appeared alongside celebrities such as Julie Andrews, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Richard Gere and Tim Allen. The Emmy winner, 88, has taken on roles in beloved films such as Pretty Woman, American Gigolo and The Princess Diaries franchise. He has also portrayed characters in hit shows throughout his decades-long career including Chicago Hope and Last Man Standing. The star began has career in the 1960s and is also known for his close friendship with late director Garry Marshall - who passed away in 2016. So can you guess who he is? It's Hector Elizondo! The actor was seen briefly stepping out and kept it casual in a long-sleeved green shirt and gray sweatpants. The actor was born in December 1936 in New York City and grew up on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. He later attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Arts and Performing Arts - and also played multiple sports as a teenager, such as baseball and basketball. Hector additionally studied dance at the Ballet Arts Company at the venue Carnegie Hall before also taking on roles in plays, including Steambath. Aside from the stage, Elizondo appeared on the screen by taking on minor parts in projects throughout the 60s to the mid-70s. He then landed the role of Abraham Rodriguez in the sitcom titled Popi for a total of 11 episodes. Hector later made appearances in other television shows such as The Rockford Files and The Dain Curse. In 1980, he landed the role of Detective Joe Sunday in the movie American Gigolo alongside Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. Throughout the early 80s, Elizondo also starred in other films such as Young Doctors In Love and The Flamingo Kid. Hector began has career in the 1960s and is also known for his close friendship with late director Garry Marshall - who passed away in 2016 For 14 episodes, he portrayed D.A. Jesse Steinberg in the show Foley Square from 1985-1986. He gained more recognition when he played hotel manager Barney Thompson in Pretty Woman (1990) - which was directed by Garry Marshall. The film also starred Julia Roberts, Richard Gere and Jason Alexander. Based on his performance, Elizondo notably garnered a Golden Globe nomination the following year. The romantic comedy was also a box office success, and raked in $463.4 million on a budget of $14 million. During the 90s, Hector continued to take on parts in both TV and movie projects - such as Beverly Hills Cop III (1994). That same year, he began to take on a big role in the medical drama series Chicago Hope as Dr. Phillip Waters. He played the character for a total of 141 episodes - and his performance also earned him an Emmy win for Best Supporting Actor in 1997. In 2001, Hector starred opposite Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews in the Disney movie The Princess Diaries. He played the character of security guard Joe - a role he would reprise in the 2004 sequel Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Other projects he has taken on roles in include Monk, Grey's Anatomy and Last Man Standing - where he played El Alzate from 2011-2021. His last acting credit was in 2023 when he reprised his role as Monk's psychiatrist Dr. Neven Bell in the TV movie Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie. Elizondo is also known for appearing in 18 movies directed by Garry Marshall aside from Pretty Woman and The Princess Diaries franchise, such as Runaway Bride (1999), Raising Helen (2004), Valentine's Day (2010) and New Year's Eve (2011). During a past interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Hector opened up about their 'beautiful friendship.' At one point, the actor had recalled, 'When I asked him about my character in Pretty Woman, hotel manager Barnard Thompson, he said something brilliant. 'He said, "Play the guy that you'd like to work for," and he walked away. That was it. That's how he directs. If you need coaxing, he's there to coax you. He gives you a certain kind of confidence. It makes the day easy.' The star also gushed about how crews 'loved' Marshall and explained, 'If it's your birthday you're going to get a birthday cake. And he loves parades. So during a movie, there's a parade. 'Every department has to compete against the others - there are judges and they give out ribbons. You wear funny hats. That's Garry Marshall. Someone once said, "Garry doesn't make a movie; Garry throws a movie."' And while talking to Variety in 2016, Elizondo further discussed having the chance to work with the late filmmaker. 'Movie stars loved working with him. He made them comfortable. They felt safe. The first act of love is listening. He loved actors.' He also talked about his time starring on The Princess Diaries and said, 'Garry loved Annie Hathaway's smarts and work ethic. If he started at 7, she was there 5 minutes early, ready to roll. 'Julie Andrews made Anne sit next to her and look at the monitor as they rewound the scenes. She was mentoring her on the set.' He continued, 'That's what terrific people do; they pass the baton. Garry liked people who would be part of the solution, not part of the problem.' In regards to what he is most proud of with his career thus far, Hector previously told the Television Academy Foundation: 'I didn't change my name...' Elizondo later explained, 'Also, I was theater-trained. I did repertory theater, I studied. No one ever gave me anything for free. 'You have to put in the time, the sweat. Nowhere is it written that you're going to be successful. And I've reminded kids to redefine success.' The actor added, 'Just put one foot in front of the other. Remind yourself that it's a lot of hard work and be prepared when you're called.'
The Age
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
This film used to make Austria cringe. Now it brings in $1.8b
Residents used to wince when tourists asked directions to movie locations. Sixty years later, the city is embracing hordes of TikTokers channelling their inner Julie Andrews.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
This film used to make Austria cringe. Now it brings in $1.8b
Residents used to wince when tourists asked directions to movie locations. Sixty years later, the city is embracing hordes of TikTokers channelling their inner Julie Andrews.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
How a cringing Austria came to embrace ‘The Sound of Music'
The film draws more than 350,000 tourists a year, pumping millions into hotels, bus tours, strudel stands and gift shops stocked with marionette goats. It's estimated to contribute well over €1 billion ($1.8 billion) to the regional economy. But the city's conversion from reluctant star to musical mecca didn't happen overnight. It has had to find a balance between preserving its baroque dignity and leaning into the twirling optimism that has defined it for generations of visitors. On a walking tour through the Old Town, I follow Igor, a whip-smart guide with a dry wit and a bottomless well of trivia. As we pass the fountain in Residenzplatz, where Maria sang I Have Confidence, he hits his stride. 'At this point,' he says, pausing for effect, 'I must tell you something important. We do not eat schnitzel with noodles, this is not Austria.' He shrugs. 'And please no French fries. You have it with erdapfelsalat [potato salad].' Julie Andrews, who turns 90 this year, remains the brightest star to shine over Salzburg. Her Maria didn't just conquer the von Trapps – she conquered the world. Still, Salzburg isn't only Maria's city. Mozart, of course, still looms – his birthplace lovingly preserved, his likeness on everything from chocolates to shampoo. He may have composed more than 600 works and changed music forever, but in the battle for Salzburg's most requested soundtrack, Edelweiss is giving Eine kleine Nachtmusik a real run. On the Sound of Music official coach tour, our guide 'Big Dave' – a gruff but rather camp Englishman – points to the Alps. 'Those mountains they climb at the end?' he says. 'They lead to Germany, not Switzerland. You wouldn't go that way.' He chuckles. 'Not unless you were mad … or Maria.' The group, a mix of Americans, Brits, Koreans, Australians and Indians, laughs in unison. One of them starts singing Sixteen Going on Seventeen. Another joins in. It's off-key, unfiltered, unhinged and completely perfect. We end up in Mondsee – a quaint, pastel-painted village a short drive from Salzburg, where the film's iconic wedding scene was shot. The Basilica of St Michael, where Maria walked down the aisle in her satin gown, is every bit as grand in real life. Across the square, I wander into a gift shop and give in completely. I buy a marionette goat – a nod to The Lonely Goatherd, obviously – a Julie Andrews postcard and an original copy of The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, Maria von Trapp's autobiography. The book is more religious and rugged than the film, but somehow just as inspiring. The real Maria was steel wrapped in sincerity. That afternoon, in Salzburg's famed Marionette Theatre, I watch the entire story play out with tiny wooden figures. It shouldn't work – and yet it does. There's something fragile and beautiful about seeing strings lift these little characters skyward as they sing of confidence, courage and farewell. The puppets take their final bow. I quietly wipe a tear. The next day by the famous lake where Maria and the children fell out of the boat, I meet Peter Husty, chief curator at the Salzburg Museum. He tells me a new museum will open near Hellbrunn Palace next year, just steps from where the famous gazebo, in which Liesl and Rolf serenaded each other, now stands. 'There have been ideas for a museum for 25 years,' he says. 'But we're official and serious – we're not a private, commercial thing. It's not going to be an excuse for a gift shop.' The museum aims to tell two stories: the Hollywood legend, and the Austrian reality. 'People come for Julie Andrews, but they often don't know there was a real Maria von Trapp,' he explains. 'The family's story is a mirror of 20th-century Austrian history – monarchy, war, loss and emigration.' Husty has spent years buying and begging from extensive private collections, including global film posters, soundtracks and rare memorabilia. 'We won't make it a cinema – we'll tell stories, show objects, backstage photos. It's a cultural history.' For Husty, the film's impact is still striking. 'Every time I see a group rush to the gazebo, singing, I say it's like a pilgrimage,' he laughs. When he curated the first local exhibition of the film in 2011, he even changed the carillon in Mozart Square to play Edelweiss. Tourists looked up, singing. Salzburgers called the museum asking, 'What the hell is that music?' And that, really, is the point. The Sound of Music has never been about historical accuracy. It's about the refusal to be cynical. It believes that music can heal, that family can triumph, and that confidence can be sung into being. Today, in a world spinning faster and more frantically than ever, The Sound of Music remains a gentle act of resistance. It reminds us that optimism isn't naive. It's necessary. Loading And Salzburg, after all these years, has come to understand that being the backdrop to a myth – even one dressed in curtain fabric – can be a privilege. Especially when that myth still makes people sing, weep and twirl. As I leave, the bells of the cathedral ring out across the cobbled streets. I think of Julie. And I think maybe – just maybe – the beginning is still a very good place to start.
The Age
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
How a cringing Austria came to embrace ‘The Sound of Music'
The film draws more than 350,000 tourists a year, pumping millions into hotels, bus tours, strudel stands and gift shops stocked with marionette goats. It's estimated to contribute well over €1 billion ($1.8 billion) to the regional economy. But the city's conversion from reluctant star to musical mecca didn't happen overnight. It has had to find a balance between preserving its baroque dignity and leaning into the twirling optimism that has defined it for generations of visitors. On a walking tour through the Old Town, I follow Igor, a whip-smart guide with a dry wit and a bottomless well of trivia. As we pass the fountain in Residenzplatz, where Maria sang I Have Confidence, he hits his stride. 'At this point,' he says, pausing for effect, 'I must tell you something important. We do not eat schnitzel with noodles, this is not Austria.' He shrugs. 'And please no French fries. You have it with erdapfelsalat [potato salad].' Julie Andrews, who turns 90 this year, remains the brightest star to shine over Salzburg. Her Maria didn't just conquer the von Trapps – she conquered the world. Still, Salzburg isn't only Maria's city. Mozart, of course, still looms – his birthplace lovingly preserved, his likeness on everything from chocolates to shampoo. He may have composed more than 600 works and changed music forever, but in the battle for Salzburg's most requested soundtrack, Edelweiss is giving Eine kleine Nachtmusik a real run. On the Sound of Music official coach tour, our guide 'Big Dave' – a gruff but rather camp Englishman – points to the Alps. 'Those mountains they climb at the end?' he says. 'They lead to Germany, not Switzerland. You wouldn't go that way.' He chuckles. 'Not unless you were mad … or Maria.' The group, a mix of Americans, Brits, Koreans, Australians and Indians, laughs in unison. One of them starts singing Sixteen Going on Seventeen. Another joins in. It's off-key, unfiltered, unhinged and completely perfect. We end up in Mondsee – a quaint, pastel-painted village a short drive from Salzburg, where the film's iconic wedding scene was shot. The Basilica of St Michael, where Maria walked down the aisle in her satin gown, is every bit as grand in real life. Across the square, I wander into a gift shop and give in completely. I buy a marionette goat – a nod to The Lonely Goatherd, obviously – a Julie Andrews postcard and an original copy of The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, Maria von Trapp's autobiography. The book is more religious and rugged than the film, but somehow just as inspiring. The real Maria was steel wrapped in sincerity. That afternoon, in Salzburg's famed Marionette Theatre, I watch the entire story play out with tiny wooden figures. It shouldn't work – and yet it does. There's something fragile and beautiful about seeing strings lift these little characters skyward as they sing of confidence, courage and farewell. The puppets take their final bow. I quietly wipe a tear. The next day by the famous lake where Maria and the children fell out of the boat, I meet Peter Husty, chief curator at the Salzburg Museum. He tells me a new museum will open near Hellbrunn Palace next year, just steps from where the famous gazebo, in which Liesl and Rolf serenaded each other, now stands. 'There have been ideas for a museum for 25 years,' he says. 'But we're official and serious – we're not a private, commercial thing. It's not going to be an excuse for a gift shop.' The museum aims to tell two stories: the Hollywood legend, and the Austrian reality. 'People come for Julie Andrews, but they often don't know there was a real Maria von Trapp,' he explains. 'The family's story is a mirror of 20th-century Austrian history – monarchy, war, loss and emigration.' Husty has spent years buying and begging from extensive private collections, including global film posters, soundtracks and rare memorabilia. 'We won't make it a cinema – we'll tell stories, show objects, backstage photos. It's a cultural history.' For Husty, the film's impact is still striking. 'Every time I see a group rush to the gazebo, singing, I say it's like a pilgrimage,' he laughs. When he curated the first local exhibition of the film in 2011, he even changed the carillon in Mozart Square to play Edelweiss. Tourists looked up, singing. Salzburgers called the museum asking, 'What the hell is that music?' And that, really, is the point. The Sound of Music has never been about historical accuracy. It's about the refusal to be cynical. It believes that music can heal, that family can triumph, and that confidence can be sung into being. Today, in a world spinning faster and more frantically than ever, The Sound of Music remains a gentle act of resistance. It reminds us that optimism isn't naive. It's necessary. Loading And Salzburg, after all these years, has come to understand that being the backdrop to a myth – even one dressed in curtain fabric – can be a privilege. Especially when that myth still makes people sing, weep and twirl. As I leave, the bells of the cathedral ring out across the cobbled streets. I think of Julie. And I think maybe – just maybe – the beginning is still a very good place to start.
