THE CAST OF MARY POPPINS: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

PEOPLE

 

The Cast of Mary Poppins: Where Are They Now?

It’s been 60 years since Mary Poppins first lifted audiences up and away in 1964. See where the cast has been since the beloved nanny said farewell

By Chiara Kim  Published on December 13, 2024 07:30AM EST

 

Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Matthew Garber, Karen Dotrice "Mary Poppins" 1964 Disney

 

Mary Poppins stands the test of time.

 

Premiering on Aug. 27, 1964, the family film captured hearts as magical nanny Mary Poppins, played by Julie Andrews, embarked on a whimsical adventure alongside Dick Van Dyke's Bert to bring two children and their parents together. The heartwarming movie nabbed five Oscars, including a Best Actress win for Andrews, Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Chim Chim Cher-ee” by the Sherman Brothers, Richard and Robert.

 

Much of the film’s charm comes from its ultra-talented, multi-hyphenate cast — many of whom have had illustrious careers beyond the film.

 

In honor of the 60th anniversary, ABC News Studios recently released a documentary called The Untold Story of Mary Poppins: A Special Edition of 20/20.

 

Here, find out what the cast has been up to since the film premiered.

 

Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins

 

The famed actress' role as the titular character propelled her to international stardom and earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. She played a magical nanny who transported her charges (and the audience) on an adventure to unite them with their parents. Along the way, Andrews caught the audience’s ear with songs like “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “A Spoonful of Sugar.”

 

More than 70 years into her career, the prolific actress, 89, continues to captivate audiences. In 1965, she had a Golden Globe-winning turn as Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music. She was nominated for the 1966 Best Actress Academy Award for her work in the film and was nominated again in 1983 for Victor/Victoria. She also earned an Emmy for her variety show, The Julie Andrews Hour (1972-1973). She appeared to a new generation as the Queen of Genovia in The Princess Diaries series and as the voice of Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton.

 

The legendary actress told PEOPLE in 2017 the advice she would give her younger self: “What I know now is that there’s always something more to learn, because you never stop really,” Andrews said. “What I know now is to remain curious and that nothing is wasted. Nothing you do in life is wasted.”

 

The Disney Legend was married to Tony Walton from 1959 to 1968. She wed Blake Edwards in 1969 and remained married to him until his death in 2010.

 

She was recognized for her services to the performing arts by Queen Elizabeth II, who made Andrews a dame in 2000.

 

Dick Van Dyke as Bert

 

Dick Van Dyke played Bert, the chimney sweep who joined Mary Poppins and the kids on their traipse. He swept audiences off their feet with the song “Chim Chim Cher-ee.” He also took on the role of Mr. Dawes Sr., Mr. Banks’ boss at the bank. He told PEOPLE in 2011 that the film “was special.”

 

"I loved working with kids. You do a lot of clowning and get to know them,” he said. He recently revealed that he “wept” when the Sherman brothers first played him the music from the film because it was “the most beautiful thing” he had ever heard.

 

Van Dyke, 99, has had a noteworthy career since his stint in Mary Poppins. Other than continuing work on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966), for which he won several Emmys, Van Dyke starred in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and Dick Tracy (1990). He played Dr. Mark Sloan in Diagnosis Murder between 1993 and 2001 and was featured in a villain role in Night at the Museum (2006). Van Dyke returned to the Mary Poppins universe in 2019 to join Emily Blunt in Mary Poppins Returns. He was inducted in 1998 as a Disney Legend and has won a Tony, a Grammy, a People’s Choice Award and a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement honor.

 

The revered actor told Deadline, “I always loved what I was doing. If it had felt like work, I probably would have stopped it a long time ago.”

 

Off-screen, Van Dyke married Margie Willet before becoming big in Hollywood. The couple shared four children — Carrie Beth, Barry, Chris and Stacy. After splitting from Willet in 1984, the actor spent almost 35 years with his companion Michelle Triola until her death in 2009. Since 2012, he has been married to makeup artist Arlene Silver.

 

Glynis Johns as Mrs. Banks

 

The late actress played Winifred Banks, the oft-distracted mother of Jane and Michael, and sang the song “Sister Suffragette” in the film.

 

The Disney Legend’s six-decade career featured many on-stage performances, as she originated roles in six Broadway musicals between 1952 and 1989. Her performance in the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music (1973) won her a Tony Award, per Playbill. She acted in the 1960s' Batman television series and appeared in Cheers and Murder, She Wrote in the 1980s.

 

More recently, she acted in While You Were Sleeping (1995) alongside Sandra Bullock and Superstar (1999) as Molly Shannon’s character’s grandmother.

 

“I’ve been working at something ever since I was born I think,” Johns told ABC7 when she turned 100 in 2023.

 

Johns was married four times: to Anthony Forwood from 1942 to 1948; to David Ramsay Foster from 1952 to 1956; to Cecil Peter Lamont Henderson from 1960 to 1962; and to Elliott Arnold from 1964 to 1973, according to IMBb. She had a son, Gareth Forwood, who died in 2007 at the age of 62. 

 

Johns died at the beginning of 2024, shortly after turning 100. She told ABC7 that turning 100 didn’t make a difference for her: “Well, I looked very good for every age.”

 

David Tomlinson as Mr. Banks

 

The late actor played the employer of Mary Poppins and the strict and unyielding father of Michael and Jane, the two kids in the film. Eventually, the serious dad embraces the ways of the magical nanny and rebuilds his relationship with his kids, culminating in the sweet song “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.”

 

While best known for his role in Mary Poppins, the Disney Legend worked across media, from film to stage, per IMDb. According to the Walt Disney Archives, he returned to Disney following Mary Poppins to play an evil character in The Love Bug (1969) and a professor of magic in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Throughout his career, he worked in more than 50 films.

 

Tomlinson died in 2000.

 

Karen Dotrice as Jane Banks

 

The actress, 69, played Jane Banks, the daughter of Mr. Banks and one of the charges under Mary Poppins’ care. She sang “The Perfect Nanny” alongside Matthew Garber, who played her brother, to implore their dad for a kind nanny, and was featured in “Chim Chim Cher-ee” with Garber, Van Dyke and Andrews.

 

The actress is known for other films as well, including Mary Poppins Returns (2018) and The Gnome-Mobile (1967), according to IMDb. She has been featured in various TV shows, including an English show called Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), and played Desdemona in Broadway’s Othello before retiring in the early 1980s, per the Walt Disney Archives. She was named a Disney Legend in 2004.

 

Per IMDb, Dotrice was married to Alex Hyde-White from 1986 to 1992 before marrying Ned Nalle in 1994 and having two children with him.

 

Matthew Garber as Michael Banks

 

Matthew Garber played Michael Banks, Mr. Banks' son who inadvertently caused a bank run at his father’s workplace and participated in Mary Poppins' antics. He sang “The Perfect Nanny” with his onscreen sister Karen Dotrice, as well as “Chim Chim Cher-ee” with Dotrice, Van Dyke and Andrews.

 

According to IMBd, Garber also acted alongside Dotrice in The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963) and The Gnome-Mobile (1967). He died in 1977 at age 21 after contracting hepatitis, per IMDb. He was posthumously named a Disney Legend in 2004.