'Blessed' Julie Andrews gets lifetime achievement award in Venice

The 76th Venice Film Festival - Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement ceremony - Venice, Italy, September 2, 2019 - Julie Andrews poses with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

VENICE, Italy (Reuters) - Julie Andrews, the star of much-loved movies "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music", said on Monday she was "blessed" to have had a long, illustrious cinema career as she was awarded a lifetime achievement award at the Venice Film Festival.

The 83-year-old, who won an Oscar in 1965 for playing the strict but kind-hearted nanny Mary Poppins, held up and kissed the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award to an applauding audience.

"I consider myself so blessed to have spent a large part of my professional life in the cinema arts," she said.

The 76th Venice Film Festival - Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement ceremony - Venice, Italy, September 2, 2019 - Julie Andrews smiles before receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

"I still marvel at the fact that I was the lucky girl who was asked to play those wonderful roles."

Andrews began her career as a child actress on the London West End before heading to Broadway.

"Mary Poppins" turned her into an international star, and she has gone on to feature in movies such as "Victor/Victoria" and "The Princess Diaries", and most recently lent her voice to 2018 blockbuster "Aquaman".

The 76th Venice Film Festival - Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement ceremony - Venice, Italy, September 2, 2019 - Julie Andrews kisses the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

(Reporting by Helena Williams Editing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian/Mark Heinrich)

The 76th Venice Film Festival - Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement ceremony - Venice, Italy, September 2, 2019 - Julie Andrews speaks with Venice Biennale President Paolo Baratta after receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

The 76th Venice Film Festival - Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement ceremony - Venice, Italy, September 2, 2019 - Julie Andrews poses with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award next to Venice Biennale President Paolo Baratta. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

The 76th Venice Film Festival - Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement ceremony - Venice, Italy, September 2, 2019 - Julie Andrews gestures next to Italian director Luca Guadagnino as they arrive for a ceremony. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

The 76th Venice Film Festival - Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement - Venice, Italy, September 2, 2019 - Julie Andrews arrives in Venice. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw