Emma Walton Hamilton

Emma Walton-Hamilton
Born	Emma Katherine Walton (1962-11-27) 27 November 1962 London, England, UK
Nationality	British
Other names	Emma Walton-Hamilton (pen name)
Occupation(s)	Children’s author, editor, actress, educator, arts and literacy advocate, artistic director
Spouse	Steve Hamilton
Children	2
Parent(s)	Julie Andrews Tony Walton (biological) Blake Edwards (stepfather)
Website	www.emmawaltonhamilton.com

Emma Walton-Hamilton (born Emma Katherine Walton; 27 November 1962) is a British actress, theatrical director and author of children's books. She is currently an instructor in the MFA program at SUNY-Stony Brook Southampton.

Early and personal life

Walton was born in London. Her parents are British actress and singer Julie Andrews and Tony Walton, a British set designer and costume designer. Her godmothers were actress Carol Burnett and Svetlana Beriosova, prima ballerina of The Royal Ballet; her godfather was British actor Vic Oliver. Her childhood was spent between London and Los Angeles, California, where her mother was one of the most important film actresses in Hollywood. She attended UCLA Lab School, according to her mother. In 1967, her parents divorced, and two years later her mother married film director Blake Edwards, who became her stepfather.

In 1991, she married actor/director Steve Hamilton. They have two children: Sam (born 18 October 1996) and Hope (born 17 August 2003), and live in Sag Harbor, New York.

Career

She briefly appeared as a child in Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain (1966), sitting on Hitchcock's knee in his trademark cameo appearance (her mother had a leading role in the film).

From 1983 to 1991, she had a few bit parts in films and television.

In 1991, she, her husband, and veteran British-American actress Sybil Christopher founded the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, New York. This independent non-profit theatre is still in operation as of 2015. Walton-Hamilton was the theatre's Artistic co-Director and Director of Education and Programming for Young Audiences for 17 years.

In 2000, she began writing books for children in collaboration with her mother, starting with Dumpy the Dumptruck. They wrote 13 "Dumpy" books, of which 12 were illustrated by her father Tony Walton, who had remained friends with her mother despite their divorce. Walton-Hamilton and Andrews have co-written 31 children's books, including the "Dumpy" books, The Great American Mousical (2006), also illustrated by Walton, two "Bonnie Boadicea" novels for middle schoolers, The Very Fairy Princess (2010) and 11 "Very Fairy" sequels, and two unrelated novels. They have also co-edited two anthologies of poetry and songs, and one of Wisdom From Mothers and Children. The spoken-word version of Julie Andrews' Collection Of Poems, Songs, And Lullabies won a 2011 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

Walton-Hamilton and Andrews collaborated with Kate Dawson, Jodi Glucksman, and Barbara Buck-Aronica on Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project (2012), a book with accompanying CD.

Walton-Hamilton has also written Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment (2009).

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1983	Curse of the Pink Panther	Angry Hooker	As Emma Walton
1984	Micki + Maude	Maude's Nurse	As Emma Walton
1986	A Fine Mess	First Extra	As Emma Walton
	That's Life!	Kate Fairchild	As Emma Walton
1987	Blind Date	Muggette #1	As Emma Walton
1991	Switch	Fur Protestor	As Emma Walton

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	The Bill	Natasha's Sister	As Emma Walton 1 Episode: "Old Friends"
1995	Great Performances	Herself	As Emma Walton 1 Episode: "Julie Andrews: Back on Broadway"
2012	Today	Herself - Guest	As Emma Walton 1 Episode: "Episode dated 4 October 2012"
2007-2012	Rachael Ray	Herself	4 Episodes: "A Dame of a Mystery Taster" (2007), as Emma Walton "Episode #4.39" (2009), as Emma Walton "Julie Andrews & Nick Cannon" (2011) "Julie Andrews and Holiday Decorating" (2012)

Publications

• Dumpy the Dumptruck (2000)
• Dumpy at School (2000)
• Dumpy and His Pals (2001)
• Dumpy Saves Christmas (2001)
• Dumpy's Friends on the Farm (2001)
• Dumpy and the Big Storm (2002)
• Dumpy and the Firefighters (2003)
• Simeon's Gift (2003)
• Dragon: Hound of Honor (2004)
• Dumpy to the Rescue! (2004)
• Dumpy's Apple Shop (2004)
• Dumpy's Happy Holiday (2004)
• Dumpy's Extra-Busy Day (2006)
• Dumpy's Valentine (2006)
• The Great American Mousical (2006)
• Thanks To You: Wisdom From Mothers and Children (2007)
• Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies (2009)
• Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment (2009)
• Little Bo in Italy: The Continued Adventures of Bonnie Boadicea (2010)
• The Very Fairy Princess (2010)
• Julie Andrews' Treasury for All Seasons: Poems and Songs to Celebrate the Year (2012)
• Little Bo In London: The Ultimate Adventure of Bonnie Boadicea (2012)
• Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project (2012)
• The Very Fairy Princess: A Very Fairy Christmas (2012)
• The Very Fairy Princess: Here Comes the Flower Girl! (2012)
• The Very Fairy Princess: A Christmas Reader (2012)
• The Very Fairy Princess: A Fairy Merry Christmas (2012)
• The Very Fairy Princess: and the Sparkly Wedding Surprise (2012)
• The Very Fairy Princess: Follows Her Heart (2013)
• The Very Fairy Princess: Sparkles In the Snow (2013)
• The Very Fairy Princess: Teacher's Pet (2013)
• The Very Fairy Princess: Graduation Girl! (2014)
• The Very Fairy Princess: Makes the Grade (2014)
• The Very Fairy Princess: A Spooky, Sparkly Halloween (2015)

Awards

• Three Time #1 Bestseller
• Parents Choice Gold Medal
• Living Now Silver Medal
• IPPY Book Awards Silver Medal
• Grammy Award, Best Spoken Word Album for Children

External links

• Personal Website
• Emma Walton Hamilton at IMDb
• Springen, Karen. "How To Keep Kids Turning Pages". Newsweek. Interview retrieved from the "Julie Andrews Biography" page on http://www.julieandrewsonline.com.