Judi Dench

Dame Judi Dench
Dench at the 2007 BAFTAs.
Born	Judith Olivia Dench 9 December 1934 (1934-12-09) (age 76)[1][clarification needed] York, England, United Kingdom
Occupation	Actress, author[2]
Years active	1957–present
Spouse	Michael Williams(1971–2001; widowed)
Children	Finty Williams

Film Awards
Academy Awards
1998	Best Supporting Actress
British Academy Film Awards
1997, 2001	Best Actress
1986, 1988, 1998	Best Supporting Actress
1965	Best Leading Newcomer
Golden Globe Awards
1997	Best Actress - Drama
Screen Actors Guild Awards
2000	Best Supporting Actress
1998	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA (born 9 December 1934) is an English film, stage and television actress.

Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. She branched into film work, and won a BAFTA Award as Most Promising Newcomer; however, most of her work during this period was in theatre. Not generally known as a singer, she drew strong reviews for her leading role in the musical Cabaret in 1968.

During the next two decades, she established herself as one of the most significant British theatre performers, working for the National Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company. In television, she achieved success during this period, in the series A Fine Romance from 1981 until 1984 and in 1992 began a continuing role in the television romantic comedy series As Time Goes By.

Her film appearances were infrequent until she was cast as M in GoldenEye (1995), a role she has played in each James Bond film since. She received several notable film awards for her role as Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown (1997), and has since been acclaimed for her work in such films as Shakespeare in Love (1998), Chocolat (2000), Iris (2001), Mrs Henderson Presents (2005) and Notes on a Scandal (2006), and the television production The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2001).

Dench has received many award nominations for her acting in theatre, film and television; her awards include ten BAFTAs, seven Laurence Olivier Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award. In June 2011, she received a fellowship from the British Film Institute (BFI).^[3]

She was married to actor Michael Williams from 1971 until his death in 2001. They are the parents of actress Finty Williams.

Personal life

Dench was born in Heworth, York, England, the daughter of Eleanora Olave (née Jones), a native of Dublin, and Reginald Arthur Dench, a doctor who met Judi's mother while studying medicine at Trinity College, Dublin.^[4] Dench was raised a Methodist until at age 13 she attended The Mount School, a Quaker Independent Secondary school in York, and became a Quaker.^[5][6] Her brothers, one of whom is actor Jeffery Dench, were born in Tyldesley, Lancashire.^[5][6] Notable relatives also include her niece, Emma Dench, a Roman historian and professor previously at Birkbeck, University of London, and currently at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.^[7]

In 1971, Dench married British actor Michael Williams and they had their only child, Tara Cressida Frances Williams, known professionally as Finty Williams, on 24 September 1972.

Dench and her husband starred together in several stage productions, and the Bob Larbey British television sitcom, A Fine Romance (1981–84). Michael Williams died from lung cancer in 2001, aged 65.

Career

In Britain, Dench has developed a reputation as one of the greatest actresses of the post-war period, primarily through her work in theatre, which has been her forte throughout her career. She has more than once been named number one in polls for Britain's best actress.^[8][9]

Early years

Through her parents, Dench had regular contact with the theatre. Her father, a physician, was also the GP for the York Theatre, and her mother was its wardrobe mistress.^[10] Actors often stayed in the Dench household. During these years, Judi was involved on a non-professional basis in the first three productions of the modern revival of the York Mystery Plays in the 1950s. In 1957, in one of the last productions in which she appeared during this period, she played the role of the Virgin Mary, performed on a fixed stage in the Museum Gardens.^[11] Though she initially trained as a set designer, she became interested in drama school as her brother Jeff attended the Central School of Speech and Drama.^[10] She applied and was accepted, where she was a classmate of Vanessa Redgrave, graduating with a first class degree in drama and four acting prizes, one being the Gold Medal as Outstanding Student.^[10]

In September 1957, she made her first professional stage appearance with the Old Vic Company, at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, as Ophelia in Hamlet, then her London debut in the same production at the Old Vic. She remained a member of the company for four seasons, 1957–1961, her roles including Katherine in Henry V in 1958 (which was also her New York debut), and as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet in October 1960, directed and designed by Franco Zeffirelli. During this period, she toured the United States and Canada, and appeared in Yugoslavia and at the Edinburgh Festival.

She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in December 1961 playing Anya in The Cherry Orchard at the Aldwych Theatre in London, and made her Stratford-upon-Avon debut in April 1962 as Isabella in Measure for Measure. She subsequently spent seasons in repertory both with the Nottingham Playhouse from January 1963 (including a West African tour as Lady Macbeth for the British Council), and with the Oxford Playhouse Company from April 1964. That same year, she made her film debut in The Third Secret.

Prominence

In 1968, she was offered the role of Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret. As Sheridan Morley later reported: "At first she thought they were joking. She had never done a musical and she has an unusual croaky voice which sounds as if she has a permanent cold. So frightened was she of singing in public that she auditioned from the wings, leaving the pianists alone on stage".^[12] But when it opened at the Palace Theatre in February 1968, Frank Marcus, reviewing for Plays and Players, commented that: "She sings well. The title song in particular is projected with great feeling."

After a long run in Cabaret, she rejoined the RSC making numerous appearances with the company in Stratford and London for nearly twenty years, winning several best actress awards. Among her roles with the RSC, she was the Duchess in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi in 1971. In the Stratford 1976 season, and then at the Aldwych in 1977, she gave two comedy performances, first in Trevor Nunn's musical staging of The Comedy of Errors as Adriana, then partnered with Donald Sinden as Beatrice and Benedick in John Barton's "British Raj" revival of Much Ado About Nothing. As Bernard Levin wrote in The Sunday Times: "...demonstrating once more that she is a comic actress of consummate skill, perhaps the very best we have."^[13]

One of her most notable achievements with the RSC was her performance as Lady Macbeth in 1976. Nunn's acclaimed production of Macbeth was first staged with a minimalist design at The Other Place theatre in Stratford. Its small round stage focused attention on the psychological dynamics of the characters, and both Ian McKellen in the title role, and Dench, received exceptionally favourable notices. "If this is not great acting I don't know what is", wrote Michael Billington in The Guardian. "It will astonish me if the performance is matched by any in this actress's generation", commented J C Trewin in The Lady. The production transferred to London, opening at the Donmar Warehouse in September 1977, and was adapted for television, later released on VHS and DVD. Dench won the SWET Best Actress Award in 1977.

In 1989, she was cast as Pru Forrest, the long-time silent wife of Tom Forrest, in the BBC soap opera The Archers on its 10,000th edition.^[14]

She had a romantic role in the BBC television film Langrishe, Go Down (1978), with Jeremy Irons and a screenplay by Harold Pinter from the Aidan Higgins novel, directed by David Jones, in which she played one of three spinster sisters living in a fading Irish mansion in the Waterford countryside.

Dench made her debut as a director in 1988 with the Renaissance Theatre Company's touring season, Renaissance Shakespeare on the Road, co-produced with the Birmingham Rep, and ending with a three month repertory programme at the Phoenix Theatre in London. Dench's contribution was a staging of Much Ado About Nothing, set in the Napoleonic era, which starred Kenneth Branagh and Samantha Bond as Benedick and Beatrice.

She has made numerous appearances in the West End including the role of Miss Trant in the 1974 musical version of The Good Companions at Her Majesty's Theatre. In 1981, Dench was due to play the title role of Grizabella in the original production of Cats, but was forced to pull out due to a torn Achilles tendon, leaving Elaine Paige to play the role.^[15] She has acted with the National Theatre in London where, in September 1995, she played Desiree Armfeldt in a major revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, for which she won an Olivier Award.

Popular success

In 1995, she took over the role of M (James Bond's boss) with the James Bond film series, starting with GoldenEye replacing Robert Brown. She has appeared in six James Bond films, including Casino Royale (2006) and its direct sequel Quantum of Solace (2008), making her the longest-running current cast member of the series.

She has won multiple awards for performances on the London stage, including a record six Laurence Olivier Awards. She also won the Tony Award for her 1999 Broadway performance in the role of Esme Allen in David Hare's Amy's View. She has taken on the role of Director for a number of stage productions. Dench won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as Elizabeth I in the film Shakespeare in Love.

Judi Dench has frequently appeared with her close friend Geoffrey Palmer. They co-starred in the series As Time Goes By, where she played Jean Pargetter, becoming Jean Hardcastle after she married Lionel Hardcastle. The program spanned nine seasons. They also worked together on the films Mrs. Brown and Tomorrow Never Dies, both filmed in 1997. Dench has also lent her distinctive voice to many animated characters, narrations, and various other voice work. She plays the role of "Miss Lilly" in the children's animated series Angelina Ballerina (alongside her daughter, Finty Williams, as the voice of Angelina) and as Mrs. Calloway in the Disney animated film Home on the Range. She has narrated various classical music recordings (notably Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Britten's Canticles-The Heart of the Matter), and has appeared in numerous BBC radio broadcasts as well as commercials. Her many television appearances include lead roles in the series A Fine Romance and As Time Goes By. In the United States, As Time Goes By has been repeated on PBS and on BBC America.

Recent years

Dench returned to the West End stage in April 2006 in Hay Fever alongside Peter Bowles, Belinda Lang and Kim Medcalf. She finished off 2006 with the role of Mistress Quickly in the RSC's new musical The Merry Wives, a version of The Merry Wives of Windsor.^[16]

Dench's more recent film career has garnered six Academy Award nominations in nine years for Mrs. Brown in 1997; her Oscar-winning turn as Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love in 1998; for Chocolat in 2000; for the lead role of writer Iris Murdoch in Iris in 2001 (with Kate Winslet playing her as a younger woman); for Mrs Henderson Presents (a romanticised history of the Windmill Theatre) in 2005; and for 2006's Notes on a Scandal, a film for which she received critical acclaim, including Golden Globe, Academy Award, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild nominations.

In 2007, the BBC issued The Judi Dench Collection, DVDs of eight television dramas: Talking to a Stranger quartet (1966), Keep an Eye on Amélie (1973), The Cherry Orchard (1981), Going Gently (1981), Ghosts (with Kenneth Branagh and Michael Gambon, 1987), Make and Break (with Robert Hardy, 1987), Can You Hear Me Thinking? (co-starring with her husband, Michael Williams, 1990) and Absolute Hell (1991).^[17]

Dench, as Miss Matty Jenkins, co-starred with Eileen Atkins, Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton and Francesca Annis, in the BBC One five-part series Cranford. The series began transmission in the UK in November 2007, and on the BBC's U.S. producing partner station WGBH (PBS Boston) in spring 2008.

Dench became the voice for the narration for the updated Walt Disney World Epcot attraction Spaceship Earth in February 2008.

In February 2008, she was named as the first official patron of the York Youth Mysteries 2008, a project to allow young people to explore the York Mystery Plays through dance, film-making and circus. This culminated on 21 June with a day of city centre performances in York.

She worked on the 22nd Bond adventure Quantum of Solace and reprised her role as M.

She is interested in horse racing and in partnership with her chauffeur Bryan Agar owns a four-year-old horse, "Smokey Oakey", who won the 2008 Brigadier Gerard Stakes.^[18]

She returned to the West End from 13 March – 23 May 2009, playing Madame de Merteuil in Yukio Mishima's Madame De Sade, directed by Michael Grandage as part of the Donmar season at Wyndham's Theatre. A year later, Dench renewed her collaboration with Sir Peter Hall at the Rose Theatre in Kingston upon Thames in A Midsummer Night's Dream which opened in February 2010, when she played Titania as Elizabeth I of England in her later years: Queen of the Forest of Arden. On 31 July 2010, Dame Judi performed Send in the Clowns at a special celebratory Promenade Concert from The Royal Albert Hall as part of the Proms Season, in honour of composer Stephen Sondheim's 80th Birthday, the entire concert in honour of his music.^[19][20]

Public life

Dench was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1970^[21] and promoted to Dame Commander of the order in 1988.^[22] She was appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2005.^[23] In June 2011, she became a fellow of the British Film Institute (BFI).^[3]

Dench is a patron of The Leaveners, Friends School Saffron Walden and the Archway Theatre, Horley, UK. She became president of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London in 2006,^[24] taking over from Sir John Mills, and is also president of the Questors Theatre. In May 2006, she became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She was also patron of Ovingdean Hall School, a special day and boarding school for the deaf and hard of hearing in Brighton, which closed in 2010,^[25] and Vice President of The Little Foundation.

Dench is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. In 1996, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (D.Univ) from Surrey University^[26] and in 2000-2001 she received an Honorary DLitt from Durham University.^[27] In July 2000, she was awarded a Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) by Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, where she actively supported their Drama School at the Gateway Theatre on Elm Row.^{[citation needed]} On 24 June 2008, she was honoured by the University of St Andrews, receiving the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) at the university's graduation ceremony.^[28]

Dench has worked with the non-governmental indigenous organisation, Survival International, campaigning in the defence of the tribal people, the Bushmen of Botswana and the Arhuaco of Colombia. She made a small supporting video saying the Bushmen are victims of tyranny, greed and racism.^[29][30]

On 22 July 2010, Dench was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt) by Nottingham Trent University.^[31]

Dr Hadwen Trust announced on 15 January 2011 that Dench had become a patron of the trust joining existing high profile personalities, Joanna Lumley and David Shepherd.^[32]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1964	Third Secret, TheThe Third Secret	Miss Humphries
1965	Four in the Morning	Wife[33]	BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles
1965	Study in Terror, AA Study in Terror	Sally
1965	He Who Rides a Tiger	Joanne
1968	Midsummer Night's Dream, AA Midsummer Night's Dream	Titania
1973	Luther	Katherine
1974	Dead Cert	Laura Davidson
1978	Langrishe, Go Down	Imogen Langrishe	BBC television film
1985	Angelic Conversation, TheThe Angelic Conversation	Narrator
1985	Wetherby	Marcia Pilborough	Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1985	Room with a View, AA Room with a View	Eleanor Lavish	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1987	84 Charing Cross Road	Nora Doel	Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1988	Handful of Dust, AA Handful of Dust	Mrs. Beaver	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1989	Henry V	Mistress Quickly
1989	Behaving Badly	Bridget Mayor	Channel 4 television serial Nominated — British Academy Television Award for Best Actress
1995	Jack and Sarah	Margaret
1995	GoldenEye	M
1996	Hamlet	Hecuba
1997	Mrs. Brown	Queen Victoria	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actress in a Film Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actress of the Year Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
1997	Tomorrow Never Dies	M
1998	Shakespeare in Love	Queen Elizabeth I	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
1999	Tea with Mussolini	Arabella
1999	World Is Not Enough, TheThe World Is Not Enough	M
2000	Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport	Narrator	Documentary
2000	Last of the Blonde Bombshells, TheThe Last of the Blonde Bombshells	Elizabeth	British Academy Television Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2000	Chocolat	Armande Voizin	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
2001	Iris	Iris Murdoch	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actress of the Year Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
2001	Shipping News, TheThe Shipping News	Agnis Hamm	Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
2002	The Importance of Being Earnest	Lady Bracknell
2002	Die Another Day	M
2002–05	Angelina Ballerina	Miss Lilly	Voice role
2003	Bugs!	Narrator	Short subject
2004	Home on the Range	Mrs. Caloway	Voice role
2004	Chronicles of Riddick, TheThe Chronicles of Riddick	Aereon
2004	Ladies in Lavender	Ursula Widdington
2005	Pride & Prejudice	Lady Catherine de Bourgh
2005	Mrs Henderson Presents	Mrs. Laura Henderson	St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated — British Independent Film Award for Best Actress Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated — London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actress of the Year Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2006	Magic Roundabout, TheThe Magic Roundabout	Narrator
2006	Casino Royale	M	Nominated — National Movie Award for Best Actress
2006	Notes on a Scandal	Barbara Covett	British Independent Film Award for Best Actress Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated — London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Nominated — London Film Critics' Circle for British Actress of the Year Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
2007	Go Inside to Greet the Light	Narrator
2007, 2009	Cranford	Miss Matty	Nominated — British Academy Television Award for Best Actress Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
2008	Quantum of Solace	M
2009	Rage	Mona Carvell
2009	Nine	Liliane La Fleur	Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
2011	Jane Eyre	Mrs. Fairfax
2011	Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides	Noblewoman	Cameo
2011	My Week with Marilyn	Dame Sybil Thorndike	Post-production
2011	J. Edgar	Anna Marie	Post-production
2012	The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel	Evelyn	Filming
2012	Skyfall	M	Filming

She has also lent her likeness and voice for the role of M in James Bond video games:

• Everything or Nothing
• GoldenEye: Rogue Agent
• Quantum of Solace
• GoldenEye 007
• Blood Stone

Theatre work

Source: "Judi Dench: With a Crack in her Voice" by John Miller

As an actress

St Mary's Abbey 1957 York Mystery Plays - Virgin Mary Old Vic Company 1957 Hamlet - Ophelia Measure for Measure - Juliet A Midsummer Night's Dream - First Fairy 1958 Twelfth Night - Maria (also USA tour) Henry V - Katharine (also USA tour) 1959 The Double Dealer - Cynthia As You Like It - Phebe The Importance of Being Earnest - Cecily The Merry Wives of Windsor - Anne Page 1960 Richard II - Queen Romeo and Juliet - Juliet (also Venice Festival) She Stoops to Conquer - Kate Hardcastle A Midsummer Night's Dream - Hermia Also walk-on roles in King Lear and Henry VI (Parts 1 and 2) Royal Shakespeare Company RSC 1961 The Cherry Orchard - Anya, Aldwych Theatre 1962 Measure for Measure - Isabella, Stratford A Midsummer Night's Dream - Titania, Stratford A Penny for a Song - Dorcas Bellboys, Aldwych Nottingham Playhouse Company 1963 Macbeth - Lady Macbeth (also West Africa tour) Twelfth Night - Viola (also West Africa tour) A Shot in the Dark - Josefa Lautenay, Lyric Theatre The Oxford Playhouse Company 1964 Three Sisters - Irina The Twelfth Hour - Anna 1965 The Alchemist - Dol Common Romeo and Jeannette - Jeannette The Firescreen - Jacqueline Nottingham Playhouse Company 1965 Measure for Measure - Isabella Private Lives - Amanda 1966 The Country Wife - Margery Pinchwife The Astrakhan Coat - Barbara St Joan - Joan Oxford Playhouse Company 1966 The Promise - Lika The Rules of the Game - Silia 1967 The Promise - Lika, Fortune Theatre Palace Theatre 1968 Cabaret - Sally Bowles

RSC 1969 The Winter's Tale - Hermione and Perdita, Stratford Women Beware Women - Bianca, Stratford Twelfth Night - Viola, Stratford 1970 London Assurance - Grace Harkaway, Aldwych Major Barbara - Barbara Undershaft, Aldwych 1971 The Merchant of Venice - Portia, Stratford The Duchess of Malfi - Duchess, Stratford Toad of Toad Hall - Fielfmouse, Stoat and Mother Rabbit, Stratford No Company 1973 Context to Whisper - Aurelia, Royal, York Fanfare - Royal Opera House (with Laurence Olivier) The Wolf - Vilma, Oxford Playhouse (also at Apollo, Queen's & New London) West End 1974 The Good Companions - Miss Trant, Her Majesty's 1975 The Gay Lord Quex - Sophy Fullgarney, Albery RSC 1975 Too True to Be Good - Sweetie Simpkins, Aldwych 1976 Much Ado About Nothing - Beatrice, Stratford Macbeth - Lady Macbeth, Stratford (also Donmar Warehouse and Young Vic) The Comedy of Errors - Adriana, Stratford King Lear - Regan, Stratford 1977 Pillars of the Community - Lona Hessel, Aldwych 1978 The Way of the World - Millamant, Aldwych 1979 Cymbeline - Imogen, Stratford 1980 Juno and the Paycock - Juno Boyle, Aldwych No Company 1981 A Village Wooing - Young Woman, New End National Theatre 1982 The Importance of Being Earnest - Lady Bracknell, Lyttelton A Kind of Alaska - Deborah, Cottesloe 1983 Pack of Lies - Barbara Jackson, Lyric RSC 1984 Mother Courage - Mother Courage, Barbican Waste Amy O'Connell, Barbican and Lyric West End 1986 Mr and Mrs Nobody - Carrie Pooter, Garrick

National Theatre 1987 Antony and Cleopatra - Cleopatra, Olivier Entertaining Strangers - Sarah Eldridge, Cottesloe 1989 Hamlet - Gertrude, Olivier RSC The Cherry Orchard - Ranevskaya, Aldwych 1991 The Plough and the Stars - Bessie Burgess, Young Vic National Theatre 1991 The Sea - Mrs Rafi, Lyttelton 1992 Coriolanus - Volumnia, Chichester Royal Shakespeare Company 1992 The Gift of the Gorgon - Helen Damson, Barbican and Wyndham's National Theatre 1994 The Seagull - Arkadina, Olivier 1995 Absolute Hell - Christine Foskett, Lyttelton A Little Night Music - Desirée Armfeldt, Olivier 1997 Amy's View - Esmé, Lyttelton 1998 Amy's View - Esmé, Aldwych West End and Broadway 1998 Filumena - Filumena, Piccadilly 1999 Amy's View - Esmé, Barrymore, New York 2001 The Royal Family - Fanny Cavendish, Theatre Royal Haymarket 2002 The Breath of Life - Frances, Theatre Royal Haymarket RSC 2003 All's Well That Ends Well - The Countess, Stratford and Gielgud West End 2006 Hay Fever - Judith Bliss, Theatre Royal Haymarket RSC 2006 The Merry Wives - The Musical - Mistress Quickly, Stratford Donmar Warehouse 2009 Madame de Sade - Madame de Montreuil, Donmar at Wyndham's Rose Theatre, Kingston 2010 A Midsummer Night's Dream - Titania (as Elizabeth I, Queen of the Forest of Arden) Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park 2010 Into The Woods - Stephen Sondheim - Voice of The Giant

As a director

• 1988 - Much Ado About Nothing, Renaissance Theatre Company
• 1989 - Look Back in Anger - Renaissance Theatre Company
• 1989 - Macbeth - Central School of Speech and Drama
• 1991 - The Boy from Syracuse, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
• 1993 - Romeo and Juliet, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Discography

• Cabaret (1968), Original London cast album CBS (1973)
• The Good Companions (1974), Original London cast recording (1974)
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (1995); from Felix Mendelssohn as Recitant. Conducted by Seiji Ozawa
• A Little Night Music (1995) by Stephen Sondheim, Royal National Theatre Cast
• Nine (2009) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Awards and nominations

Theatre

Awards

• 1977: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Revival – Macbeth
• 1980: Evening Standard Award for Best Actress – Juno and the Paycock
• 1980: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Revival – Juno and the Paycock
• 1982: Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress – The Importance of Being Earnest and A Kind of Alaska
• 1982: Evening Standard Award for Best Actress – The Importance of Being Earnest and A Kind of Alaska
• 1984: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a New Play – Pack of Lies
• 1987: Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress – Antony and Cleopatra
• 1987: Evening Standard Award for Best Actress – Antony and Cleopatra
• 1987: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress – Antony and Cleopatra
• 1996: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress – Absolute Hell
• 1996: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Entertainment – A Little Night Music
• 1997: Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress – Amy's View
• 1999: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play – Amy's View
• 2004: Laurence Olivier Award: Special Award for Outstanding Contributions to British Theatre

Television

Awards

• 1967: BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress - Talking to a Stranger^[34]
• 1982: British Television Academy Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance - A Fine Romance, Going Gently and The Cherry Orchard
• 1982: Broadcast Press Guild Award for Best Actress - A Fine Romance
• 1985: British Television Academy Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance - A Fine Romance
• 2001: British Academy Television Award for Best Actress - The Last of the Blonde Bombshells
• 2001: Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film - The Last of the Blonde Bombshells

Nominations

• 1983: British Television Academy Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance - A Fine Romance
• 1984: British Academy Television Award for Best Actress - Saigon: Year of the Cat
• 1984: British Television Academy Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance - A Fine Romance
• 1990: British Academy Television Award for Best Actress - Behaving Badly
• 1998: British Television Academy Award for Best Comedy Performance - As Time Goes By
• 2001: American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Performer in a TV Special - The Last of the Blonde Bombshells
• 2001: Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or a Movie - The Last of the Blonde Bombshells
• 2001: Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie - The Last of the Blonde Bombshells
• 2008: British Academy Television Award for Best Actress - Cranford
• 2008: Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or a Movie - Cranford
• 2008: Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film - Cranford
• 2008: Satellite Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film - Cranford
• 2010: Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or a Movie - Return to Cranford

References

1. ^ "Researcha". Web.researcha.com. http://web.researcha.com/iccquery/detail/?did=9120727&c=uk. Retrieved 4 September 2011. 
2. ^ "'And Furthermore' Description" at WHSmith web site
3. ^ ^{a b} "Dame Judi Dench receives BFI fellowship" 23 June 2011, BBC News
4. ^ Staff writers (6 September 2002). "The Importance of Dame Judi". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/uk/2000/newsmakers/2241129.stm. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Michael Billington (12 September 2005). "Please God, not retirement". The Guardian (UK). http://film.guardian.co.uk/oscars2006/story/0,,1699880,00.html. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Michael Billington (23 March 1998). "Judi Dench: Nothing like the Dame". The Guardian (UK). http://film.guardian.co.uk/Feature_Story/Guardian/0,,44053,00.html. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
7. ^ "Emma Dench". Harvard Magazine. March–April 2010. http://harvardmagazine.com/2010/03/emma-dench. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
8. ^ "Hopkins and Dench named best British actors". The Guardian (UK). 18 August 2005. http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,12589,1551503,00.html. Retrieved 2006-12-29. 
9. ^ "Connery and Dench Top Legend Poll". Time Out Group. 25 February 2005. http://www.timeout.com/film/news/303/connery-and-dench-top-legend-poll.html. Retrieved 2006-12-29. 
10. ^ ^{a b c} "Judy Dench bio at TalkTalk.com". http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/judi-dench/biography/61?page=1. 
11. ^ "Dame Judi speaks up for Mystery Plays". HoldTheFrontPage.co.uk. 18 September 2003. http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/CAMPAIGNS/2003/09sep/030918judi.shtml. Retrieved 2006-12-29. 
12. ^ Sheridan Morley (1986). The great stage stars: distinguished theatrical careers of the past and present. London: Angus & Robertson. ISBN 978-020714970-2. 
13. ^ Robert Tanitch (2007). London stage in the 20th century. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-190495074-5. 
14. ^ "The Archers Backstage". BBC Online. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/archers/backstage/14000.shtml. Retrieved 6 August 2010. 
15. ^ Staff writers (15 January 2002). "Record-breaking Cats bows out". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/showbiz/1761508.stm. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
16. ^ "Merry Wives – The Musical". Royal Shakespeare Company. http://www.rsc.org.uk/WhatsOn/3537.aspx. Retrieved 2006-12-29. 
17. ^ Philip Fisher (2007). "Reviews: Absolute Hell". British Theatre Guide. http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/DVD-jdenchabshell-rev.htm. 
18. ^ "Dame Judi Dench lands Brigadier Gerard Stakes with Smokey Oakey". The Evening Standard. UK. 29 May 2008. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/article-23488432-details/Dame+Judi+Dench+lands+Brigadier+Gerard+Stakes+with+Smokey+Oakey/article.do. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
19. ^ White, Lesley (2010-02-14). "Peter and Judi play a Tug of Love". The Sunday Times (UK). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article7021949.ece. 
20. ^ "About the Rose". The Rose Theatre. http://www.rosetheatrekingston.org/about-us. Retrieved 2009-10-22. 
21. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45117. p. 6374. 5 June 1970.
22. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51171. p. 7. 31 December 1987.
23. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57665. p. 4. 11 June 2005.
24. ^ "Dench is appointed Mountview president". The Stage (London): p. 6. 2006-03-30. ISSN 0038-9099. 
25. ^ http://www.ovingdeanhallschool.org.uk/
26. ^ "Doctor of the University". http://portal.surrey.ac.uk/calendar/hongrads/01doctor.jsp. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
27. ^ "MINUTES of UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM SENATE, 15 May 2001", dur.ac.uk, 15 May 2001. Accessed 27 July 2011
28. ^ "Distinguished actress to be honoured by University". University of St Andrews. 21 May 2008. http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/Title,21556,en.html. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
29. ^ "Journalists need to leave the Stone Age". The Independent (UK). 2006-01-23. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/journalists-need-to-leave-the-stone-age-524213.html. Retrieved 2009-07-18. 
30. ^ "News & Media". Survival International. http://www.survival-international.org/news/video. Retrieved 2009-07-18. ^{[dead link]}
31. ^ "Stars of stage and screen among honorary graduates of Nottingham Trent University". Ntu.ac.uk. http://www.ntu.ac.uk/apps/news/98814-15/Stars_of_stage_and_screen_among_honorary_graduates_of_Nottingham_Trent_University.aspx. Retrieved 4 September 2011. 
32. ^ ""Dame Judi Dench announced as Patron of the Dr Hadwen Trust"". Drhadwentrust.org. 15 January 2011. http://www.drhadwentrust.org/smartweb/latest-news/news-and-views/post/26-dame-judi-dench-announced-as-patron-of-the-dr-hadwen-trust. Retrieved 4 September 2011. 
33. ^ Called Judy by her husband in the film, but imdb refers to the character by this name.
34. ^ British Theatre Guide review

Further reading

• Dench, Judi. And Furthermore. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2010. ISBN 9780297859673.
• Lavery, Alison (ed.). The Judi Dench Handbook. Emereo, 2010. ISBN 9781742446592.
• Miller, John (ed.). Darling Judi: A Celebration of Judi Dench. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004. ISBN 0-297-84791-0.
• Trowbridge, Simon. The Company: A Biographical Dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Oxford: Editions Albert Creed, 2010. ISBN 9780955983023.
• Herbert, Ian; Christine Baxter and Robert E. Finlay (1981). Who's Who in the Theatre (17th ed.). Detroit: Gale. ISBN 0273017179. 
• Billington, Michael (1993). One Night Stands: A critic's view of British theatre from 1971-1991. London: Nick Hern Books. ISBN 1854591851. 

External links

• Judi Dench Biography
• Judi Dench at the Internet Movie Database
• Judi Dench at the Internet Broadway Database
• Judi Dench at AllRovi
• Judi Dench at the Royal Shakespeare Company performance database
• As Time Goes By Central website
• Judi Dench on Acting Regal
• University of Bristol Theatre Collection, University of Bristol
• The Company: A Biographical Dictionary of the RSC: Online database

Persondata
Name	Dench, Judi
Alternative names	Dench, Judith Olivia
Short description	English actress
Date of birth	9 December 1934
Place of birth	York, North Yorkshire, England, UK
Date of death
Place of death