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Judi Dench

Judi Dench

Highest Rated: 100% A Room With a View (1986)

Lowest Rated: 8% Doogal (2006)

Birthday: Dec 9, 1934

Birthplace: York, North Yorkshire, England, UK

One of the most celebrated actresses of her generation, British national treasure Judi Dench spent the first half of her career treading the boards with various prestigious theatre companies before venturing into Hollywood with award-winning roles in "Mrs Brown" (1997), "Shakespeare in Love" (1998) and "Iris" (2001). Born in the English county of Yorkshire in 1934, Judi Dench studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama and landed her first professional gig in 1957 playing Ophelia in an Old Vic production of "Hamlet." Dench spent the next four years further honing her craft with the company before moving on to the Playhouse theatres in Nottingham and Oxford and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Dench established herself as a Shakespearean great during her decade-spanning stint with the latter, but still found the time to simultaneously pursue a screen career, too. After making her feature film debut in thriller "The Third Secret" (1964), she won the first two of her many BAFTAs for turns in kitchen sink drama "Four in the Morning" (1965) and Rashomon-esque anthology piece "Talking to a Stranger" (BBC2, 1966), appeared in crime movies "He Who Rides a Tiger" (1965) and "Dead Cert" (1974) and starred in Harold Pinter's "Langrishe, Go Down" (BBC2, 1978) and Emmy-winning biopic "On Giant's Shoulders" (BBC2, 1979). Dench became more of a British TV regular during the 1980s, with memorable roles including Aunt Sadie in Nancy Mitford adaptation "Love in a Cold Climate" (ITV, 1980), Madame Ranevsky in Chekhov play "The Cherry Orchard" (BBC1, 1981) and translator Laura Dalton in "A Fine Romance" (ITV, 1981-84), a sitcom in which she starred alongside real-life husband Michael Williams. Following an 11-year absence, Dench returned to the film world to play novelist Eleanor Lavish in Merchant Ivory production "A Room with a View" (1985) and head back to her Yorkshire roots for acclaimed mystery "Wetherby" (1985). She went on to narrate Derek Jarman drama "The Angelic Conversation" (1987), appear as Mrs Beaver in Evelyn Waugh's "A Handful of Dust" (1988) and play Mistress Quickly in "Henry V" (1989) in which she forged a long-standing working relationship with director Kenneth Branagh. After impressing as a newly-single housewife in miniseries "Behaving Badly" (Channel 4, 1989) and starring alongside Geoffrey Palmer as two reunited lovers in gentle sitcom "As Time Goes By" (BBC1, 1992-2005), Dench appeared as Richard E. Grant's mother in rom-com "Jack and Sarah" (1995) and was cast as boss M in Pierce Brosnan's first James Bond outing "Goldeneye" (1995), going on to reprise the role in every 007 movie up until "Skyfall" (2012). But the Hollywood phase of her career truly began when she portrayed Queen Victoria in historical biopic "Mrs Brown" (1997). Dench received significant Oscar buzz for her performance but was only rewarded by the Academy a year later for her eight-minute supporting role as Queen Elizabeth I in "Shakespeare in Love" (1998). Dench consolidated her awards darling status with the parts of eccentric landlady Armande in "Chocolat" (2000), saxophone-playing widower Elizabeth in "The Last of the Blonde Bombshells" (HBO, 2000) and dementia-stricken novelist Iris Murdoch in biopic "Iris" (2001), also picking up a Tony Award for her turn in "Amy's View." After adding "The Shipping News" (2001) and "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2002) to her filmography, Dench made a few surprising detours, voicing a cow in animation "Home on the Range" (2004) and appearing alongside Vin Diesel in sci-fi spin-off "The Chronicles of Riddick" (2004). But she soon returned to more familiar fare, co-starring with fellow Dame Maggie Smith in "Ladies in Lavender" (2004), playing Catherine de Bourgh in Joe Wright's take on "Pride and Prejudice" (2005) and starring as a theatre-loving socialite in "Mrs Henderson Presents" (2005). Dench received several awards nominations for her quietly menacing turn opposite Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal" (2006), assumed the role of Miss Matilda Jenkins in period dramedy "Cranford" (BBC1, 2007) and showcased her musical talents as costume designer Lilli in "Nine" (2009). Dench remained just as prolific as she approached her eighties, showing up as Mrs. Fairfax in "Jane Eyre" (2011), portraying real-life figures Annie Hoover in "J. Edgar" (2011) and Sybil Thorndike in "My Week with Marilyn" (2011) and leading a cast of British acting veterans in "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (2012). After starring as an Irishwoman determined to find the son she was forced to put up for adoption in "Philomena" (2013), Dench charmed audiences as the tortoise-owning widow in Roald Dahl adaptation "Esio Trot" (BBC One, 2014), appeared as time-manipulating Miss Esmeralda Avocet in fantasy "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" (2016) and added "The Hollow Crown" (BBC Two, 2016) and "All Is Lost" (2018) to her list of Shakespeare-themed works. She also appeared in a string of other period dramas, including "Murder on the Orient Express" (2017), "Tulip Fever" (2017) and "Victoria & Abdul" (2017), once again portraying Queen Victoria in the latter. Dench then turned TV presenter for a documentary exploring her passion for trees before playing a spy in "Red Joan" (2018), headmistress in "Six Minutes to Midnight" (2019) and the wise Old Deuteronomy in Tom Hooper's much talked-about adaptation of Broadway musical "Cats" (2019).

Highest rated movies

100% 85% A Room With a View
98% 89% Henry V
95% 89% Hamlet
94% 90% Casino Royale 92% 86% Skyfall
92% 80% Shakespeare in Love
92% 79% Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown
91% 89% Philomena

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Quintessentially British Self - 2022
36% 53% Allelujah Mary Moss (Character) - 2022
33% 71% Off the Rails Diana (Character) - 2021
86% 92% Belfast Granny (Character) $9.2M 2021
36% 47% Six Minutes to Midnight Miss Rocholl (Character) $132.5K 2020
27% 30% Blithe Spirit Madame Arcati (Character) $281.9K 2020
8% 20% Artemis Fowl Commander Root (Character) - 2020
19% 53% Cats Old Deuteronomy (Character) $27.2M 2019
30% 56% Red Joan Joan (Character) $1.6M 2018
72% 66% All Is True Anne Hathaway (Character) $1.2M 2018
98% 78% Nothing Like a Dame Self $858.9K 2018
No Score Yet No Score Yet Nothing Like a Dame Unknown (Character) - 2018
60% 54% Murder on the Orient Express Princess Natalia Dragomiroff (Character) $101.5M 2017
66% 68% Victoria & Abdul Queen Victoria (Character) $22.2M 2017
10% 42% Tulip Fever Abbess (Character) $2.4M 2017
64% 60% Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Miss Avocet (Character) $87.2M 2016
66% 59% The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Evelyn Greenslade (Character) $33.0M 2015
No Score Yet 72% Esio Trot Mrs Silver (Character) - 2015
No Score Yet No Score Yet Muse of Fire Unknown (Character) - 2013
91% 89% Philomena Philomena Lee (Character) $37.7M 2013
100% 86% Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 Self - 2012
60% 67% Stars in Shorts Mary (Character) - 2012
92% 86% Skyfall M (Character) $304.4M 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet Angelina Ballerina: The Shining Star Trophy Miss Lilly (Voice) - 2011
78% 78% The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Evelyn Greenslade (Character) $46.4M 2011
83% 71% My Week With Marilyn Sybil Thorndike (Character) $85.3K 2011
43% 44% J. Edgar Annie Hoover (Character) $37.3M 2011
86% 76% Jane Eyre Mrs. Fairfax (Character) $11.2M 2011
No Score Yet No Score Yet Corrections Unknown (Character) - 2011
39% 37% Nine Lilli (Character) $19.7M 2009
44% 40% Rage Mona Carvell (Character) - 2009
64% 58% Quantum of Solace M (Character) $168.4M 2008
88% 83% Notes on a Scandal Barbara Covett (Character) $17.5M 2006
94% 90% Casino Royale M (Character) $167.0M 2006
8% 22% Doogal Narrator $7.6M 2006
No Score Yet No Score Yet Angelina Ballerina - All Dancers on Deck Unknown (Character) - 2006
68% 72% Mrs. Henderson Presents Laura Henderson (Character) $11.0M 2005
87% 89% Pride & Prejudice Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Character) $38.4M 2005
64% 66% Ladies in Lavender Ursula Widdington (Character) $6.8M 2004
52% 29% Home on the Range Mrs. Calloway (Voice) - 2004
29% 65% The Chronicles of Riddick Aereon (Character) $57.6M 2004
No Score Yet 100% Peace One Day Unknown (Character) - 2004
82% 59% Bugs! Narrator $16.7M 2003
55% 41% Die Another Day M (Character) $160.2M 2002
57% 72% The Importance of Being Earnest Lady Bracknell (Character) $8.4M 2002
54% 61% The Shipping News Agnis Hamm (Character) $11.4M 2001
79% 73% Iris Iris Murdoch (Character) $5.6M 2001
No Score Yet 78% The Last of the Blonde Bombshells Elizabeth (Character) - 2000
63% 83% Chocolat Amande Voizin (Character) $165.5K 2000
92% 88% Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport Narrator $374.6K 2000
51% 49% The World Is Not Enough M (Character) $126.9M 1999
65% 76% Tea With Mussolini Arabella (Character) $14.4M 1999
92% 80% Shakespeare in Love Queen Elizabeth (Character) $100.2M 1998
No Score Yet 62% The Bear Narrator - 1998
92% 79% Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown Queen Victoria (Character) $9.2M 1997
57% 53% Tomorrow Never Dies M (Character) $145.0M 1997
95% 89% Hamlet Hecuba (Character) $4.4M 1996
80% 83% GoldenEye M (Character) $106.0M 1995
74% 79% Jack & Sarah Margaret (Character) $114.8K 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet Absolute Hell Christine Foskett (Character) - 1991
No Score Yet No Score Yet Can You Hear Me Thinking? Anne (Character) - 1990
98% 89% Henry V Mistress Quickly (Character) $10.2M 1989
83% 46% A Handful of Dust Mrs. Beaver (Character) $1.6M 1988
86% 81% 84 Charing Cross Road Nora Doel (Character) $572.7K 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Ghosts Mrs. Alving (Character) - 1986
100% 85% A Room With a View Eleanor Lavish, a novelist (Character) $12.0M 1986
No Score Yet 48% The Angelic Conversation Narrator - 1985
67% 46% Wetherby Marcia Pilborough (Character) $1.1M 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill Dorrie Edgehill (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Saigon: Year of the Cat Barbara Dean (Character) - 1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet On Giant's Shoulders Hazel Wiles (Character) - 1979
No Score Yet 69% A Performance of Macbeth Unknown (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet No Score Yet Langrishe Go Down Imogen Langrishe (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dead Cert Laura Davidson (Character) - 1974
No Score Yet 55% A Midsummer Night's Dream Titania (Character) - 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet Four in the Morning Wife (Character) - 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet He Who Rides a Tiger Joanne (Character) - 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Cherry Orchard Anya (Character) - 1962

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet RHS Chelsea Flower Show Guest 2024
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Graham Norton Show Guest 2012-2015 2017-2021 2023
No Score Yet No Score Yet Louis Theroux Interviews Guest 2022
No Score Yet 61% Late Night With Seth Meyers Guest 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Who Do You Think You Are? Self 2021
89% 98% Staged Dame Judi (Character) 2020
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Talk Guest 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Ellen DeGeneres Show Guest 2017
No Score Yet 19% The Late Late Show With James Corden Guest 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet Great Performances Unknown (Character),
Guest
2014 2016
98% 82% The Hollow Crown Cecily (Character) 2016
No Score Yet 44% The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Guest 2015
No Score Yet No Score Yet My Generation Guest 2013
No Score Yet 95% Vicious Judi Dench (Guest Star) 2013
No Score Yet No Score Yet Simon Schama's Shakespeare and Us Unknown (Character) 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet Masterpiece Classic Unknown (Character) 2008 2010
No Score Yet No Score Yet Return to Cranford on Masterpiece Matilda "Matty" Jenkyns (Character) 2007 2009
No Score Yet No Score Yet As Time Goes By Jean (Character) 1992-1998 2000 2002 2005
No Score Yet No Score Yet As Time Goes By Reunion Special Unknown (Character) 2005
No Score Yet No Score Yet Angelina Ballerina Miss Lilly (Voice) 2002-2003
No Score Yet No Score Yet Behaving Badly Bridget Mayor (Character) 1989