Dench, Judi 1934–

(Dame Judi Dench)

PERSONAL

Full name, Judith Olivia Dench; born December 9, 1934, in York, North Yorkshire, England; daughter of Reginald Arthur (a doctor) and Eleanora Olave (maiden name, Jones) Dench; sister of Jeffery Dench (an actor); married Michael Williams (an actor), February 5, 1971 (died January 11, 2001); children: Tara Cressida Frances Williams (also known as Finty Williams; an actress). Education: Trained for the stage at Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art (also known as the Central School of Speech and Drama). Religion: Society of Friends (Quakers). Avocational Interests: Painting, drawing, sewing, swimming.

Addresses: Agent—Victoria Belfrage, Julian Belfrage and Associates, 14 New Burlington St., London W1S 3BQ, England. Manager—Gene Parseghian, Untitled Entertainment, 331 North Maple Dr., 3rd Floor, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

Career: Actress. Old Vic Company, London, member of company, 1957–61; Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, associate member, beginning 1969; Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, member. Campaign to Protect Rural England, founding member of Surrey chapter.

Awards, Honors: Film Award, outstanding newcomer to leading film roles, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1966, for Four in the Morning; London Critics Award, best actress, Variety Club of Great Britain, 1967, for The Promise; Guild of Directors Award, best actress, 1967, and Film Award, best television actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1968, both for Talking to a Stranger; Laurence Olivier Award, actress of the year, Society of West End Theatre, 1977, for Macbeth; Laurence Olivier Award, best actress, 1978, for The Comedy of Errors; honorary doctorates, University of York, 1978, University of Warwick, 1980, University of Birmingham, 1989, Lough-borough University of Technology, 1991, Open University, 1992, University of London, 1994, University of Leeds, 2002, and Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama; decorated officer, Order of the British Empire, 1980, elevated to dame commander, 1988; Evening Standard Award and Plays and Players Award, both best actress, Laurence Olivier Award and Variety Club of Great Britain Award, both actress of the year, all 1980, for Juno and the Paycock; Television Award nomination, best actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1980, for Macbeth, On Giant's Shoulders, and A Village Wooing; Television Award, best actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1982, for The Cherry Orchard, A Fine Romance, and Going Gently; London Critics Circle Theatre Award, best actress, and Evening Standard Award, both 1982, for A Kind of Alaska and The Importance of Being Earnest; Plays and Players Award, best actress, 1983, for The Importance of Being Earnest; Broadcasting Press Guild Award, best actress, 1982, Television Award nominations, best light entertainment performance, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1983, 1984, and Television Award, best light entertainment performance, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1985, all for A Fine Romance; Laurence Olivier Award and Plays and Players Award, both best actress, 1983, for Pack of Lies; Television Award nomination, best actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1984, for Saigon: Year of the Cat; Annual CableACE Award, best actress, National Cable Television Association, 1985, for Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill; Film Award nomination, best supporting actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1986, for Wetherby; Film Award, best supporting actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1987, for A Room with a View; Laurence Olivier Award, actress of the year, Evening Standard Award, London Critics Circle Theatre Award, and Drama Award, all best actress, 1987, for Antony and Cleopatra; Annual CableACE Award, best actress in a theatrical special, 1987, for The Browning Version; Film Award nomination, best supporting actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1988, for 84 Charing Cross Road; American Cinema Editors Award, 1988, for Ghosts; Film Award nomination, best supporting actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1989, for A Handful of Dust; Television Award nomination, best actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1990, for Behaving Badly; Laurence Olivier Awards, best actress and best actress in a musical, both 1996, for A Little Night Music; Laurence Olivier Award, est actress, 1996, for Absolute Hell; Patricia Rother-more Award for lifetime achievement, Evening Standard Awards, 1997; Film Award, best actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts Scotland Awards, 1997, Academy Award nomination, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, Film Award, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Chicago Film Critics Association Award, Film Award, London Critics Circle, and Online Film Critics Society Award, all best actress, Golden Globe Award, best supporting actress in a motion picture, and Golden Satellite Award, best actress in a motion picture drama, International Press Academy, all 1998, all for Mrs. Brown; London Critics Circle Theatre Award, 1997, Laurence Olivier Award nomination, best actress, 1998, and Antoinette Perry Award, best actress in a play, and Drama Desk Award nomination, 1999, all for Amy's View; Television Award nomination, best comedy performance, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1998, for As Time Goes By; Academy Award, National Society of Film Critics Award, Film Award, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award, and Chlotrudis Award nomination, all best supporting actress, Golden Globe Award nomination, best supporting actress in a motion picture, and Screen Actors Guild Award (with others), outstanding cast performance, all 1999, for Shakespeare in Love; Laurence Olivier Award nomination, best actress, 1999, for Filumena; named British entertainment personality of the year, Variety Club of Great Britain, 1999; Benjamin Franklin Medal, 2000; Television Award, best actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Golden Globe Award, Emmy Award nomination, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, all best actress in a miniseries or movie, and American Comedy Award nomination, funniest actress in a television special, all 2001, for The Last of the Blonde Bombshells; ShoWest Award, supporting actress of the year, National Association of Theatre Owners, 2001; academy fellowship, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 2001; New York Film Critics Award, best actress, 2001, Golden Globe Award and Golden Satellite Award nomination, International Press Academy, both best actress in a motion picture drama, 2002, Academy Award nomination, Film Award, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, and Audience Award nomination, European Film Awards, all best actress, 2002, and London Critics Circle Film Award, British actress of the year, 2002, all for Iris; Academy Award nomination, Film Award nomination, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Golden Satellite Award nomination, all best supporting actress, Golden Globe Award nomination, best support-ing actress in a motion picture, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination (with others), outstanding cast performance, 2001, and Film Actress Award, Variety Club Showbusiness Awards, 2002, all for Chocolat; Film Award nomination, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, both best supporting actress, 2002, for The Shipping News; honorary Litt.D., Trinity College, 2003; Special Laurence Olivier Award, outstanding contribution to British theatre, 2004; Laurence Olivier Award nomination, best supporting actress, 2005, for All's Well That Ends Well; Audience Award nomination (with Maggie Smith), best actress, European Film Awards, 2005, for Ladies in Lavender; Taormina Arte Award, Taormina International Film Festival, 2004; Golden Satellite Award nomination, best actress in a motion picture comedy or musical, National Board of Review Award (with others), best ensemble performance, British Independent Film Award nomination, best actress, all 2005, Academy Award nomination, Film Award nomination, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, and Broadcast Film Critics Association Award nomination, all best actress, and Golden Globe Award nomination, best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy, all 2006, all for Mrs. Henderson Presents; voted best British actress of all time, Sky TV poll, 2005; decorated Companion of Honour, 2005; Interactive Achievement Award, outstanding female character performance, Academy of Interactive arts and Sciences, 2005, for GoldenEye: Rogue Agent; Evening Standard Award, Plays and Players Award, and Drama Award, all for Other Places; Critics Circle Award, for "outstanding service to the arts;" Gold Medal, Elsie Fogarty Prize, and William Poel Memorial Prize, all from Central School of Speech and Drama.

CREDITS

Stage Appearances:

First fairy, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Old Vic Company, London, 1957.

Ophelia, Hamlet, Old Vic Company, Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, England, 1957, then Old Vic Theatre, London, 1957.

Maria, Twelfth Night, Old Vic Company, 1957–58, then Broadway Theatre, New York City, 1958–59.

Katherine, Henry V, Old Vic Company, Broadway Theatre, 1958–59.

Anne Page, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Old Vic Company, 1959.

Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Old Vic Company, 1959–61.

Hermia, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Old Vic Company, 1960.

Romeo and Juliet, Paladino d'Argentino, Venice, Italy, 1961.

Anya, The Cherry Orchard, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, London, 1961.

Dorcas Bellboys, A Penny for a Song, Aldwych Theatre, 1962.

Isabella, Measure for Measure, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1962.

Titania, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1962.

Josefa Lautenay, A Shot in the Dark, Lyric Theatre, London, 1963.

Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham, England, 1963.

Anna, The Twelfth Hour, Oxford Playhouse Company, Oxford, England, 1964.

Irina, The Three Sisters, Oxford Playhouse Company, 1964.

Amanda, Private Lives, Nottingham Playhouse, 1965.

Dol Common, The Alchemist, Oxford Playhouse Company, 1965.

Isabella, Measure for Measure, Nottingham Playhouse, 1965.

Jacqueline, The Firescreen, Oxford Playhouse Company, 1965.

Jeannette, Romeo and Jeanette, Oxford Playhouse Company, 1965.

Barbara, The Astrakhan Coat, Nottingham Playhouse, 1966.

Title role (Joan of Arc), St. Joan, Nottingham Playhouse, 1966.

Sila, The Rules of the Game, Oxford Playhouse, 1966.

Lika, The Promise, Oxford Playhouse, 1966, then Fortune Theatre, London, 1967.

Sally Bowles, Cabaret, Palace Theatre, London, 1968.

Bianca, Women Beware Women, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1969.

Hermione and Perdita, The Winter's Tale, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, 1970–71.

Viola, Twelfth Night, Royal Shakespeare Company, Ald-wych Theatre, 1970–71.

Barbara Undershaft, Major Barbara, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, 1970–71.

Grace Harkaway, London Assurance, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, 1970–71, later New Theatre, London, 1972.

Title role, The Duchess of Malfi, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1971.

First fieldmouse, a brave stoat, and Mother Rabbit, Toad of Toad Hall, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1971.

Portia, The Merchant of Venice, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1971.

Content to Whisper, Theatre Royal, York, England, 1973.

Vilma, The Wolf, Apollo Theatre, then Queen's Theatre, later New London Theatre, all London, 1973.

Miss Trant, The Good Companions, Her Majesty's Theatre, London, 1974.

Nurse, Too True to Be Good, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, then Globe Theatre, London, 1975.

Sophie Fullgarney, The Gay Lord Quex, Albery Theatre, London, 1975.

Regan, King Lear, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1976.

Adriana, The Comedy of Errors, Royal Shakespeare Company, Fair Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1976–77, then Aldwych Theatre, 1977–78.

Beatrice, Much Ado about Nothing, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, 1977–78.

Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Aldwych Theatre, 1977–78.

Lona Hessel, Pillars of the Community, Aldwych Theatre, 1977–78.

Millament, The Way of the World, Aldwych Theatre, 1977–78.

Imogen, Cymbeline, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1979.

Juno and the Paycock, Aldwych Theatre, 1980–81.

Deborah, A Kind of Alaska, 1982.

Lady Bracknell, The Importance of Being Earnest, Royal National Theatre Company, Lyttelton Theatre, London, 1982.

Barbara Jackson, Pack of Lies, Lyric Theatre, 1983.

Title role, Mother Courage, Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Theatre, London, 1984–85.

Amy O'Connell, Waste, Royal Shakespeare Company, Pit Theatre, London, 1985, then Lyric Theatre, 1985.

Mr. and Mrs. Nobody, Garrick Theatre, London, 1987.

Cleopatra, Antony and Cleopatra, Royal National Theatre Company, Olivier Theatre, London, 1987–88.

Sarah Eldridge, Entertaining Strangers, National Theatre Company, Cottesloe Theatre, London, 1987–88.

Gertrude, Hamlet, National Theatre Company, Olivier Theatre, 1989.

Visitor, Star Quality, Richmond Theatre, London, 1989.

Madame Ranyevskaya, The Cherry Orchard, Aldwych Theatre, 1989–90.

Bessie Burgess, The Plough and the Stars, Young Vic Theatre, London, 1991–92.

Louise Rafi, The Sea, Royal National Theatre, Lyttelton Theatre, 1991–92.

Coriolanus, Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, England, 1992.

The Gift of the Gorgon, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1992–93.

The Seagull, Royal National Theatre, 1994.

Desiree Armfeldts, A Little Night Music, Royal National Theatre, 1995.

Absolute Hell, Royal National Theatre, Lyttelton Theatre, 1995.

Esme Allen, Amy's View, Royal National Theatre Company, Lyttelton Theatre, 1997, then Aldwych Theatre, 1998, later Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City, 1999.

Title role, Filumena, Peter Hall Company, Piccadilly Theatre, London, 1998.

Fanny Cavendish, The Royal Family, Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, 2001.

Angela Beale, The Breath of Life, Theatre Royal Hay-market, 2002.

Voice of giantess, Into the Woods, Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 2002.

Countess, All's Well that Ends Well, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 2003–2004, then Gielgud Theatre, London, 2004.

Judith Bliss, Hay Fever, Theatre Royal Haymarket, 2006.

Appeared as Juliet in Measure for Measure, Phebe in As You Like It, Cynthia in The Double Dealer, Cecily Cardew in The Importance of Being Earnest, and Kate Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer, all Old Vic Company; also appeared in Going Gently, and Other Places, Royal National Theatre; performer for benefits and tributes.

Stage Appearances; Major Tours:

Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Nottingham Playhouse, West African cities, 1963.

Viola, Twelfth Night, Nottingham Playhouse, West African cities, 1963.

Viola, Twelfth Night, Australian cities, 1970, then Japanese cities, 1972.

Toured with Royal Shakespeare Company in Scotland, 1957–61, in U.S. and Canadian cities, and in cities formerly part of Yugoslavia.

Stage Director:

Look Back in Anger, Renaissance Theatre Company, Coliseum Theatre, London, 1989.

The Boys from Syracuse, Open Air Theatre, London, 1991.

Also directed Romeo and Juliet, Open Air Theatre; As You Like It and Much Ado about Nothing, both Renaissance Theatre Company; and Macbeth, Central School of Speech and Drama, London.

Film Appearances:

(Uncredited) Miss Humphries, The Third Secret, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1964.

Wife, Four in the Morning, West One Film Producers, 1965.

Joanne, He Who Rides a Tiger, Sigma, 1966.

Sally, A Study in Terror (also known as Fog and Sherlock Holmes Grosster Fall), Columbia, 1966.

Titania, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Eagle, 1969.

Katherine, Luther, American Film Theatre, 1974.

Laura Davidson, Dead Cert, United Artists, 1974.

Narrator, Nela, 1980.

Marcia Pilborough, Wetherby, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/ United Artists, 1985.

Narrator, The Angelic Conversation, British Film Institute, 1985.

Miss Eleanor Lavish, A Room With a View, Cinecom, 1986.

Nora Doel, 84 Charing Cross Road, Columbia, 1987.

Mrs. Beaver, A Handful of Dust, New Line Cinema, 1988.

Mistress Quickly, Henry V, Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1989.

Margaret, Jack and Sarah, Gramercy, 1994.

A Little Night Music, 1995.

M, GoldenEye, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1995.

Hecuba, Hamlet (also known as William Shakespeare's Hamlet), Columbia, 1996.

Queen Victoria, Mrs. Brown (also known as Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown), Miramax, 1996.

Harriet Hawthorne, After Murder Park, 1997.

M, Tomorrow Never Dies, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1997.

Arabella Delancey, Tea with Mussolini (also known as Un te con Mussolini), Universal, 1998.

M, The World Is Not Enough (also known as Bond 19, Bond 2000, Death Waits for No Man, Fire and Ice, Pressure Point, and T.W.I.N.E.), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1998.

Queen Elizabeth I, Shakespeare in Love, Miramax, 1998.

Armande Voizin, Chocolat, Miramax, 2000.

Narrator, Into the Arms of Strangers (documentary; also known as Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport), Warner Bros., 2000.

Iris Murdoch, Iris, Miramax/Paramount, 2001.

Agnis Hamm, The Shipping News (also known as Noeuds et denouements), Miramax, 2001.

Lady Bracknell, The Importance of Being Earnest (also known as L'importance d'etre constant), Miramax, 2002.

M, Die Another Day (also known as D.A.D.), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 2002.

Narrator, Bugs! (documentary short film; also known as Bugs! 3D), Giant Screen Bugs/SK Films, 2003.

Voice of Mrs. Calloway, Home on the Range (animated), Buena Vista, 2004.

Aereon, The Chronicles of Riddick (also released as The Chronicles of Riddick: The Director's Cut), Universal, 2004.

Ursula Widdington, Ladies in Lavender, Roadside Attractions, 2005.

Laura Henderson, Mrs. Henderson Presents, Weinstein Company, 2005.

Lady Catherine de Bourg, Pride & Prejudice (also known as Orgullo y prejuicio, Orgulho & Precon-ceito, Stolthet och foerdom, and Ylpeys & ennak-koluulo), Focus Features, 2005.

Narrator, Doogal (animated), Weinstein Company, 2006.

Barbara Covett, Notes on a Scandal, Fox Searchlight, 2006.

Television Appearances; Series:

Storyteller, Jackanory, BBC1, 1968.

Jean Mary Pargeter Hardcastle, As Time Goes By, PBS, 1992–95, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005.

Voice of Miss Lilly, Angelina Ballerina (animated), PBS, 2001.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Title role, Hilda Lessways, BBC, 1959.

Princess Katherine, An Age of Kings, BBC, 1960.

Terry Stevens, Talking to a Stranger, BBC-2, 1966.

Aunt Sadie, Lady Alconleigh, Love in a Cold Climate, Thames, 1980, later broadcast on Masterpiece Theatre, PBS, 1982.

Herself, Playing Shakespeare, London Weekend Television, 1984.

Dorrie Edgehill, Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill (also known as Star Quality: Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill), BBC, 1985, later broadcast on Masterpiece Theatre, PBS, 1988.

Aba, The Torch, BBC, 1990.

Voice of George Eliot, Middlemarch, PBS, 1994.

Narrator, The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century (also known as 1914–1918), PBS, 1996.

Herself, 30 Years of Billy Connolly, 1998.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Barbara Dean, Saigon: Year of the Cat, Thames, 1983.

Millie Crocker-Harris, The Browning Version, BBC, 1985.

Bridget Mayor, Behaving Badly, Channel 4, 1988.

Anne Harris, Can You Hear Me Thinking?, BBC America, 1990.

Christine Foskett, Absolute Hell, 1991, then WNET (New York City), 1996.

Elizabeth, The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, HBO, 2000.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Katherine, "Luther," Play of the Month, BBC, 1965.

Elizabeth Moris, "Days to Come," Play of the Month, BBC, 1966.

Imogen Langrishe, "Langrishe, Go Down," BBC-2 Play of the Week, BBC-2, 1978.

Adriana, "The Comedy of Errors," BBC Television Shakespeare, BBC-2, 1978.

Hazel Wiles, On Giant's Shoulders, PBS, 1979.

Lady Macbeth, "Macbeth," BBC Television Shakespeare, BBC-2, 1979.

Madame Ranevskaya, The Cherry Orchard, 1980.

Nurse, "Going Gently," Playhouse, BBC-2, 1981.

"On Approval," Play of the Month, BBC, c. 1982.

Mrs. Alving, Ghosts, BBC America, 1986.

Cleopatra, Antony and Cleopatra, c. 1987.

An Audience with Victoria Wood, ITV, 1988.

(As Dame Judi Dench) Coral Browne: Caviar for the General, 1989.

Adriana, The Comedy of Errors (also known as Shakespeare Festival: The Comedy of Errors), Arts and Entertainment, 1990.

Look Back in Anger (broadcast of 1989 stage production), Bravo, 1993.

Herself, Westminster Abbey (also known as The Abbey), PBS, 1995.

Desiree Armfeldts, "Hey Mr. Producer!" (also known as "Hey Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh"), Great Performances, PBS, 1998.

Broadway '99: Launching the Tony Awards, PBS, 1999.

Judi Dench: A BAFTA Tribute, BBC, 2002.

Richard Rodgers: Some Enchanted Evening, 2002.

Bond Girls Are Forever, AMC, 2002.

Premiere Bond: Die Another Day, ITV, 2002.

Best Ever Bond, ITV1, 2002.

Billy Connolly: A BAFTA Salute, BBC, 2002.

James Bond: A BAFTA Salute, BBC, 2002.

"Iris Murdoch: Strange Love," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 2002.

(In archive footage) The Unforgettable Joan Sims, 2002.

The Funny Ladies of British Comedy, PBS, 2004.

Interviewee, The Chronicles of Riddick: The Lowdown, Sci-Fi Channel, 2004.

Iris Murdoch (in archive footage), La marato 2005, 2005.

Appeared in Major Barbara and in other specials.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Anna, "Treviso Dam," The Four Just Men, ITV, 1960.

Elena Collins, "Made for Each Other," Z Cars, BBC, 1963.

Charlotte Revel, "Dishonoured Bones," Detective, BBC, 1964.

Gwyneth Evans, "Safety Man," The Troubleshooters (also known as Mogul), BBC, 1965.

Storyteller, Jackanory BBC1, 1978.

Laura Dalton, "A Trip to the Dentist," A Fine Romance, PBS, 1982.

Laura Dalton, "A Romantic Meal," A Fine Romance, PBS, 1984.

Laura Dalton, "Happy Ever After?," A Fine Romance, PBS, 1984.

Aspel & Company, ITV, 1988.

Good Morning Britain (also known as TV-am), ITV, 1988.

Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 1998.

The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1999, 2001.

Changing Stages, PBS, 2001.

Cat burglar (in archive footage), "Z Cars," After They Were Famous, ITV, 2002.

Parkinson, BBC, 2002, 2003, 2004.

Today (also known as NBC News Today and The Today Show), NBC, 2004.

The Film Programme (also known as Film 2005), BBC, 2005.

The Charlie Rose Show, PBS, 2005.

Herself, "Sir Peter Hall: Parts 1 & 2," The South Bank Show, ITV, 2005.

Six O'clock News (also known as BBC News at Six O'clock), BBC, 2006.

Also appeared in episodes of The Morecambe and Wise Show and Neighbours.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

The 70th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1998.

The 71st Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1999.

Presenter, The 53rd Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1999.

Presenter, The 72nd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2000.

The 73rd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2001.

The Orange British Academy Film Awards, E! Entertainment Television, 2002.

The 74th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2002.

Presenter, The Laurence Olivier Awards 2003, 2003.

(As Dame Judi Dench) 2nd Irish Film and Television Awards, IFTN, 2004.

The Evening Standard British Film Awards, ITV3, 2005.

The 78th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2006.

Television Appearances; Other:

Also appeared in Emile, Feydeau Farces, The Funambulists, Make and Break, Marching Song, Parade's End, Pink String and Sealing Wax, and A Village Wooing.

Television Work; Series:

Performer of title theme song, A Fine Romance, PBS, 1981.

Television Work; Specials:

Director, Look Back in Anger, Thames, 1989.

Radio Appearances:

Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing? (solo show), BBC Radio Four, 1989.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

Narrator, J. R. R. T.: A Film Portrait of J. R. R. Tolkien, 1996.

Highly Classified: The World of 007, 1997.

M, Shaken and Stirred on Ice, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists Home Video, 2003.

Voice of M, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (video game; also known as Everything or Nothing), Electronic Arts, 2004.

Voice of M, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (video game), Electronic Arts, 2004.

Albums:

Member of King's Singers, Kids' Stuff, His Master's Voice/EMI, 1986.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, Deutsche Grammophon, 1994.

Taped Readings; Reader:

Silas Marner, 1988.

Contributor, The Importance of Being Earnest, Trafalgar Square, 1995.

The Ultimate Fairy Tale Collection, Trafalgar Square, 1995.

"Penguin English Verse: The Victorians," Penguin English Verse: The Sixteenth Century, the Seventeenth Century, the Eighteenth Century, the Romantics, the Victorians, the Early Twentieth Century, Vol. 12, Penguin Highbridge Audio, 1996.

Lark Rise to Candleford, Penguin Highbridge Audio, 1996.

Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, Trafalgar Square, 1997.

Contributor, Pooh Goes Visiting: And Other Stories, Trafalgar Square, 1998.

The Winnie-the-Pooh Gift Pack, Trafalgar Square, 1998.

Lady Chatterley's Lover, Media Books, 1999.

Shakespeare: His Life and Work, by Richard Hampton and David Weston, Audio Partners, 2000.

Henry V, by William Shakespeare, Naxos, 2001.

WRITINGS

Nonfiction:

(With Nigel Rideout) First Steps Towards an Acting Career, A. and C. Black, 1996.

(With Patsy Rodenburg) The Actor Speaks: Voice and the Performer, St. Martin's Press, 2000.

Also author of Judi Dench: A Great Deal of Laughter. Contributor of forewords to Who's Who in Shakespeare, by Robin May, Taplinger, 1972, Directors' Theatre, by Judith Cook, Harrap, 1974, and Shakespeare for Dummies, by John Doyle and Ray Lischner, IDG Books Worldwide, 1999.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 3: Actors and Actresses, 4th edition, St. James Press, 2000.

Miller, John, Judi Dench: With a Crack in Her Voice, Welcome Rain Publishers, 2000.

Miller, John, editor, Darling Judi: A Celebration of Judi Dench, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004.

Newsmakers 1999, Issue 4, Gale, 1999.

Periodicals:

Advocate, February 5, 2002, pp. 50-51.

Biography, March, 2002, pp. 86-89.

Daily Express, March 27, 2003, p. 16.

Economist, November 16, 2002, pp. 84-85.

Entertainment Weekly, March 1, 1999, p. 49; January 11, 2001, p. 48; February 23, 2001, p. 60; February 22, 2002, p. 44; February 10, 2006, p. 36.

Guardian, April 13, 2004.

Independent, December 9, 2004, pp. 12-13.

Interview, March, 2002, p. 105.

London Theatre News, August, 1997, pp. 1, 10.

Newsweek, April 26, 1999, p. 68; January 9, 2006, p. 63.

New Yorker, January 21, 2002, p. 58.

Parade, March 24, 2002, p. 26.

Premiere, December, 2005, p. 200.

USA Today, May 7, 1999, p. 3E.

Variety, February 16, 1998, pp. 63-64; December 13, 1999, pp. 86-87; December 20, 1999, p. 76.

Electronic:

Judi Dench Official Site, http://www.djdchronology.com, June 19, 2006.

Other:

Judi Dench: A BAFTA Tribute (television special), BBC, 2002.

DENCH, Judi

Nationality: British. Born: Judith Olivia Dench, York, England, 9 December 1934. Family: Married Michael Williams, 5 February 1971; children: Tara Cressida Frances. Education: Attended the Mount School, York; trained for the stage at the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. Career: Stage debut, Old Vic Theatre, London, 1957; Broadway debut, 1958; actress, Old Vic Company, 1957–60; joined Royal Shakespeare Company, 1961; film debut, 1964; musical debut, in Cabaret, 1968; made record 100 appearances as Cleopatra with National Theatre, 1987; debut as director, Renaissance Theatre Company, 1988; appeared on TV series: Talking to a Stranger TV series, 1966; played Laura, A Fine Romance TV series (also singer: title theme), 1981; played Jean Mary Pargetter/Jean Hardcastle, As Time Goes By TV series, 1992. Awards: Paladino d'Argentino Award, Venice Festival, 1961, for Romeo and Juliet; British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for most outstanding newcomer to film, 1965, for Four in the Morning; BAFTA award for best television actress and Guild of Directors award for best actress, both 1967, for Talking to a Stranger; Variety London Critics best actress award, 1967, for The Promise; Order of the British Empire, 1970; Laurence Olivier Award for actress of the year, Society of West End Theatre (SWET), 1977, for Macbeth; Doctor of Letters, Warwick University, 1978, and York University, 1983; Laurence Olivier Award for actress of the year, 1980; New Standard Drama Award for best actress, 1980; Plays and Players Award for best actress, and Variety Club actress of the year, all for Juno and the Paycock; BAFTA award for best television actress, 1981, for Going Gently, A Fine Romance, and The Cherry Orchard; Plays and Players award for best actress, and New Standard Drama Award for best actress, 1983, both for The Importance of Being Earnest; Laurence Olivier Award for actress of the year, 1983, and Plays and Players award for best actress, both for Pack of Lies; New Standard Drama Award for best actress, 1983, for A Kind of Alaska; BAFTA award for best supporting actress, 1986, for A Room with a View; Laurence Olivier Award for actress of the year, 1987, and Drama magazine award, both for Antony and Cleopatra; BAFTA award for best supporting actress, 1988, for A Handful of Dust; named Dame Commander of the British Empire, 1988; American Cinema Editors (ACE) Award, c. 1988, for Ghosts; BAFTA award for best lead actress, Chicago Film Critics Association Award for best actress, Golden Globe award for best actress in a dramatic motion picture, and Golden Satellite Award for best actress in a dramatic motion picture, all 1998, for Mrs. Brown; National Society of Film Critics Award for best supporting actress, 1998, Academy Award for best supporting actress, 1999, and BAFTA award for best supporting actress, 1999, and Screen Actors Guild award for outstanding performance by a cast (with others), 1999, all for Shakespeare in Love; Tony Award for best actress, 1999, for Amy's View.Agent: Julian Belfrage Associates, 46 Albemarle Street, London W1X 4PP, England.

Films as Actress:

1964

The Third Secret (Crichton) [uncredited]

1965

A Study in Terror (Sherlock Holmes Grosster Fall and Fog) (Hill) (as Sally)

1966

He Who Rides a Tiger (Crichton) (as Joanne); Four in the Morning (Simmons) (as Wife); Days to Come (Bridges—for TV) (as Elizebeth)

1968

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Hall) (as Titania)

1973

Luther (Green) (as Katherine)

1974

Dead Cert (Richardson) (as Laura Davidson)

1978

The Comedy of Errors (Casson and Nunn—for TV) (as Adriana)

1979

On Giant's Shoulders (Simmons—for TV) (as Hazel Wiles); Macbeth (Nunn—for TV) (as Lady Macbeth)

1980

Love in a Cold Climate (McWhinnie) (mini, for TV) (as Aunt Sadie [Lady Alconleigh])

1983

Saigon: Year of the Cat (Frears—for TV) (as Barbara Dean)

1984

Playing Shakespeare (Barton) (mini, for TV) (as Herself)

1985

Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill (Millar—for TV) (as Dorrie Edgehill); The Browning Version (Simpson—for TV) (as Millie Crocker-Harris); Wetherby (Hare) (as Marcia Pilborough)

1986

A Room with a View (Ivory) (as Miss Lavish); Ghosts (Moshinsky—for TV) (as Mrs. Alving); 84 Charing Cross Road (Jones) (as Nora Doel)

1988

A Handful of Dust (Sturridge) (as Mrs. Beaver); Behaving Badly (Tucker—for TV) (as Bridget)

1989

Henry V (Branagh) (as Mistress Quickly)

1990

Can You Hear Me Thinking? (Morahan—for TV) (as Anne)

1991

Absolute Hell (Page—for TV) (as Christine Foskett)

1995

Jack and Sarah (Sullivan) (as Margaret); GoldenEye (Campbell) (as M)

1996

Hamlet (Branagh) (as Hecuba)

1997

Tomorrow Never Dies (Spottiswoode) (as M); After Murder Park (Birkin) (as Harriet Hawthorne); Mrs. Brown (Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown) (Madden) (as Queen Victoria)

1998

Shakespeare in Love (Madden) (as Queen Elizabeth); Hey Mr. Producer!: The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh (Hey Mr. Producer) (as Desiree "Send In The Clowns")

1999

Tea with Mussolini (Un Te con Mussolini) (Zeffirelli) (as Arabella); The World Is Not Enough (Apted) (as M)

2000

Chocolat (Hallström) (as Armande); The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (for TV)

Films as Director:

1989

Look Back in Anger (for TV)

Publications

By DENCH: books—

Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing? (one-woman radio play), Radio 4, 1989

Contributor, First Steps Towards an Acting Career, edited by Nigel Rideout, London, 1996.

Contributor, Shakespeare for Dummies, edited by John Doyle and Ray Lischner, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1999.

By DENCH: articles—

Grant, Steve, "All Change at Victoria," in Time Out (London), no. 1407, 6 August 1997.

On DENCH: books—

Jacobs, Gerald, Judi Dench: A Great Deal of Laughter, London, 1986.

Miller, John, Judi Dench: With a Crack in Her Voice, New York, 1999.

On DENCH: articles—

New York Times, 28 January 1990.

New Republic, 4 August 1997.

Daily Telegraph, 21 August 1997.

Arizona Republic, 2 May 1999.

Christian Science Monitor, 7 May 1999.

Washington Times, 21 May 1999.

When she won the 1999 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Shakespeare in Love, it was widely felt that Dame Judi Dench had finally gotten her due. A Best Actress Oscar had eluded the British star of stage and screen two years earlier for her highly praised performance in Mrs. Brown. Hollywood was quick to pay its debts, and by 1999 Dench was firmly ensconced in the Hollywood pantheon.

Like so many British stars of her generation, Judi Dench earned her acting stripes performing the classics on the British stage. At age 36, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth. Eighteen years later, the British monarch bestowed on Dench a Damehood. Always rather slow on the uptake, Hollywood suddenly sat up and took notice, and Dench began to be cast in films such as A Room with a View, A Handful of Dust, Hamlet, and Tea with Mussolini. But it was her arch portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love that catapulted 65-year-old Dame Judi to movie stardom.

On stage, Dench has appeared in Shakespearean roles and musicals—she was the original Sally Bowles in Cabaret. She has been equally at home on the small screen, and her ongoing star turn in the Britcom, As Time Goes By, has been popular on both sides of the Atlantic. Her film career, however, was surprisingly sporadic before the mid-1980s.

During the 1960s, she appeared in A Midsummer Night's Dream as a kittenish and sexy Titania, as well in a horror film called A Study in Terror. The first film in which most American audiences saw Dench was the Merchant-Ivory favorite, A Room with a View, where Dench's subtle comic stage timing rounded out a brilliant supporting cast that included Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliot, and Simon Callow. Dench's supporting role as Anthony Hopkins' loving wife in cult favorite 84 Charing Cross Road earned Dench more recognition among American audiences. But it wasn't until the 1990s that Judi Dench made her mark in film history.

In a brilliant bit of casting, Dench played the spymaster M in two James Bond pictures, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough. But it was her sympathetic portrayal of the steely yet lovelorn Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown that gave Dench the opportunity to display her acting skills to the larger film public. As director Peter Hall described the actress, "She's five foot nothing, and yet she's got sex and wit, wit and sex."

The Oscar-nominated turn led to two more popular films—Tea with Mussolini and Shakespeare in Love. In Franco Zefferelli's evocative look at his childhood, Dench joined Joan Plowright and Maggie Smith as one of the "Scorpioni," the eccentric, colorful, and strong-willed expatriate women of his youth. But it was Dench's acerbic evocation of Elizabeth I that earned the 65-year-old actress the Oscar that many felt had long been denied her.

Now on the movie A-list in her mid-sixties, Dench may bask in her newfound cinematic popularity, even as she continues to enjoy her forays into every conceivable acting arena (winning a 1999 Tony Award for Amy's View)—proving that she is indeed one of acting's true and rare virtuosi.

—Victoria Price