Judi Dench

Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress celebrated for her extensive work across stage, television, and film. Throughout a career spanning seven decades, she has earned numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy Television Awards, six British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), and seven Olivier Awards.

Dench was born in the Heworth area of York to an English father, who worked as a doctor, and an Irish mother, who served as a wardrobe mistress at the York Theatre Royal. Raised in an environment closely tied to the theatre, she attended the Mount School, a Quaker independent secondary school, and became a Quaker. She gained early acting experience on a non-professional basis in the York Mystery Plays during the 1950s. Although she initially trained as a set designer, she pursued acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, graduating with four acting prizes, including the Gold Medal for Outstanding Student.

In September 1957, Dench made her professional stage debut with the Old Vic Company as Ophelia in Hamlet, subsequently making her London and New York debuts with the company. Over the following decades, she established herself as a leading British theatrical performer, appearing regularly with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre Company. Her notable early stage portrayals include Katherine in Henry V, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Sally Bowles in the 1968 musical Cabaret, and Lady Macbeth in Trevor Nunn's acclaimed 1976 production of Macbeth.

Dench made her film debut in The Third Secret (1964) and earned early screen accolades, including a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Four in the Morning (1965) and a BAFTA Best Actress Award for the television drama Talking to a Stranger (1966). She built a prolific television career, starring alongside her husband Michael Williams in the romantic comedy series A Fine Romance from 1981 to 1984, and later starring in the long-running comedy As Time Goes By from 1992 to 2005.

Her international popularity expanded significantly in 1995 when she was cast as M in the James Bond film GoldenEye, becoming the first woman to portray the character. She played M across eight films in the franchise, ending with a cameo in Spectre (2015). Dench took her first leading film role as Queen Victoria in Mrs Brown (1997), earning a BAFTA Award and her first Academy Award nomination. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love (1998).

An eight-time Oscar nominee, Dench received additional Academy Award nominations for her roles in Chocolat (2000), Iris (2001), Mrs Henderson Presents (2005), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Philomena (2013), and Belfast (2021). She has also been recognized with several major honorary tributes, including the BAFTA Fellowship, the British Film Institute Fellowship, and the Society of London Theatre Special Award.