A Celebration Of Dame Judi Dench On Her 80th Birthday

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2014-12-09

A celebration of Dame Judi Dench (first presented as M in GoldenEye (1995)), a hugely talented British actress and one of the finest actresses of all time.

With this special page, From Sweden with Love would like to celebrate Dame Judi Dench on her birthday.

"Dear Judi, happy birthday and much love from Sweden."

About Judi Dench:
Dame Judi Dench was born 1934 in York, North Yorkshire. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Since playing Ophelia in Hamlet at The Old Vic Theatre 55 years ago, Dame Judi has garnered wide popular and critical admiration for a career marked by outstanding performances in both classical and contemporary roles. She has won numerous major awards – including one Oscar®, ten BAFTA awards and a record six Laurence Olivier awards – for work on both stage and screen. In recognition of her many achievements, she received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1970, became a DBE (Dame of the British Empire) in 1988, and in 2005 was awarded a Companion of Honour.

Her distinguished list of film credits includes iconic performances as Queen Victoria in Mrs Brown, for which she won a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award, and Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare In Love, for which she received an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has also been lauded for her roles in Chocolat, Iris, Mrs Henderson Presents and Notes on a Scandal, and she is known internationally for her role as ‘M’ in seven James Bond films: GoldenEye (1995) (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002), Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008) and Skyfall (2012) (2012).

In 2011, we saw her in the worldwide success of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, in which Dame Judi starred, directed by John Madden. Other recent credits include Jane Eyre, directed by Cary Fukunaga, and My Week with Marilyn, directed by Simon Curtis.

Dame Judi is also revered for her television roles, most recently starring as Miss Matty in the BBC’s critically acclaimed “Cranford”, for which she received Best Actress nominations at the BAFTA Awards, the Golden Globes and the Emmy Awards, and the subsequent “Return to Cranford”, for which she was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

Dame Judi’s achievements on screen are mirrored by her celebrated career on stage. She has won Laurence Olivier Awards for “Macbeth” and “Juno and the Paycock” for the RSC, “Pack of Lies” at the London Lyric, and “Anthony and Cleopatra”, “Absolute Hell”, and “A Little Night Music” - all at the National Theatre. Her performance in “Amy’s View”, directed by Richard Eyre, brought her a Critics Circle Award and an Olivier Award Nomination in London, followed by a Tony Award for Best Actress when the play transferred to Broadway.

Other theatre credits include: “The Royal Family”, directed by Peter Hall; “The Breath of Life”, directed by Howard Davies and co-starring Dame Maggie Smith; “All’s Well That Ends Well”, for the RSC; “Hay Fever”, directed by Peter Hall; “The Merry Wives of Windsor”, for the RSC; “Madame de Sade”, directed by Michael Grandage for The Donmar West End and Peter Hall’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Rose Theatre, Kingston.

From March to June 2013, Dame Judi starred in Peter and Alice alongside Ben Whishaw at the Noël Coward Theatre (formerly known as the Albery Theatre) in London.

Editor's note:
Prior to Dame Judi's casting as M in GoldenEye, the role was played by Bernard Lee in 11 films (from Dr. No to Moonraker) and by Robert Brown in 4 films (from Octopussy to Licence to Kill).

Photo above:
Dame Judi Dench in a scene as "M" from Skyfall. Photo by Francois Duhamel. © 2012 Danjaq, LLC, United Artists Corporation and Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.

For more information about Dame Judi Dench, check out her profile on IMDB:

www.imdb.com/name/nm0001132/

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A Celebration Of Dame Judi Dench On Her 80th Birthday

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