Judi Dench Biography

Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, (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 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.

Over 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 continued to play in James Bond films through to Skyfall (2012). 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), the television production The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2001), and Skyfall (2012).

Dench has received many award nominations for her acting in theatre, film and television; her awards include eleven BAFTAs, (including the Bafta Fellowship in 2001) seven Laurence Olivier Awards, (including the Society's Special Award) 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). 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 Olive (née Jones), a native of Dublin, and Reginald Arthur Dench, a doctor who met Judi's mother while studying medicine at Trinity College, Dublin. Dench attended the Mount School, a Quaker independent secondary school in York, and became a Quaker. Her brothers, one of whom is actor Jeffery Dench, were born in Tyldesley, Lancashire. 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. On 5 February 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. In early 2012, Dench discussed her macular degeneration, with one eye "dry" and the other "wet", for which she has been treated with injections into the eye. She said that she needs someone to read scripts to her.

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.

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. Actors often stayed in the Dench household. During these years, Judi Dench 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. 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. 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.

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 Playhouse in Nottingham from January 1963 (including a West African tour as Lady Macbeth for the British Council), and with the Playhouse Company in Oxford 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". 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." 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.

Dench was nominated for a BAFTA for her role as Hazel Wiles in the 1979 BBC drama On Giant's Shoulders. 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. 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. 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, Dench took over the role of M (James Bond's boss) in the James Bond film series, starting with GoldenEye, replacing Robert Brown.

In 1997, Dench appeared in her first starring role as late monarch Queen Victoria in John Madden's teleplay Mrs. Brown which depicts Victoria's relationship with her personal servant and favourite John Brown, played by Billy Connolly. Filmed with the intention of being shown on BBC One and on WGBH's Masterpiece Theatre, it was eventually acquired by Miramax mogul Harvey Weinstein, who felt the drama film should receive a theatrical release after seeing it and took it from the BBC to US cinemas. Released to generally positive reviews and unexpected commercial success, going on to earn more than $13 million worldwide, the film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. For her performance, Dench garnered universal acclaim by critics and was awarded her fourth BAFTA and first Best Actress nomination at the 70th Academy Awards. In 2011, while accepting a British Film Institute Award in London, Dench commented that the project launched her Hollywood career and joked that "it was thanks to Harvey, whose name I have had tattooed on my bum ever since."

Dench's other film of 1997 was Roger Spottiswoode's Tomorrow Never Dies, her second film in the James Bond series. The spy film follows Bond, played by Brosnan, as he tries to stop a media mogul from engineering world events and starting World War III. Shot in France, Thailand, Germany, the United Kingdom, Vietnam and the South China Sea, it performed well at the box office and earned a Golden Globe nomination despite mixed reviews. In 1999, Dench 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.

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). 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.

2001"2005

In January 2001, Dench's husband Michael Williams died from lung cancer. The actress went to Nova Scotia, Canada, almost immediately after Williams's funeral to begin production on Lasse Hallström's drama film The Shipping News, a therapy she later credited as her rescue: "People, friends, kept saying, 'You are not facing up to it; you need to face up to it,' and maybe they were right, but I felt I was " in the acting. Grief supplies you with an enormous amount of energy. I needed to use that up." In between, Dench finished work on Richard Eyre's film Iris (2001), in which she portrayed novelist Iris Murdoch. Dench shared her role with Kate Winslet, both actresses portraying Murdoch at different phases of her life. Each of them was nominated for an Academy Award the following year, earning Dench her fourth nomination within five years. In addition, she was awarded both an ALFS Award and the Best Leading Actress Award at the 55th British Academy Film Awards.

Following Iris, Dench immediately returned to Canada to finish The Shipping News alongside Kevin Spacey and Julianne Moore. Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by E. Annie Proulx, the drama revolves around a quiet and introspective typesetter (Spacey) who, after the death of his daughter's mother, moves to Newfoundland along with his daughter and his aunt, played by Dench, in hopes of starting his life anew in the small town where she grew up. The film earned mixed reviews from critics, and was financially unsuccessful, taking in just US$24 million worldwide with a budget of US$35 million. Dench however, received BAFTA and SAG Award nominations for her performance.

In 2002, Dench was cast opposite Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon in Oliver Parker's The Importance of Being Earnest, a comedy about mistaken identity set in English high society during the Victorian Era. Based on Oscar Wilde's classic comedy of manners of the same name, she portrayed Lady Bracknell, a role she had repeatedly played before, including a stint at the Royal National Theatre in 1982. Dench shared the character with her daughter Finty, who portrayed the same character at a younger age. The film was released to lukewarm reactions by critics " who called it "breezy entertainment, helped by an impressive cast", but felt that it also suffered "from some peculiar directorial choices" " and earned just US$17.3 million during its limited release. Dench's other film of 2002 was Die Another Day, the twentieth installment in the James Bond series. The Lee Tamahori"directed spy film marked her fourth appearance as MI6 head M and the franchise's last performance by Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Die Another Day received generally mixed reviews by critics who praised Tamahori's work on the film, but claimed the plot was damaged by excessive use of CGI. Regardless, it became the highest-grossing James Bond film up to that time.

In 2004, Dench appeared as Aereon, an ambassador of the Elemental race who helps uncover the mysterious past of Richard B. Riddick, played by Vin Diesel, in David Twohy's science fiction sequel The Chronicles of Riddick. Selected by Diesel, who prompted writers to re-create the character to fit a female persona because he wanted to work with the actress, Dench called filming "tremendous fun," though she "had absolutely no idea what was going on in the plot." A mediocre box office success, the film was largely panned by critics. In his review of the film, James Berardinelli from ReelViews remarked that he felt that Dench's character served nothing more "a useful purpose than to give [her] an opportunity to appear in a science fiction movie."

She followed Riddick with a more traditional role in Charles Dance's period drama Ladies in Lavender, also starring friend Maggie Smith. In the film, Dench plays one half of a sister duo and takes it upon herself to nurse a washed up stranger to health, eventually finding herself falling for a man many decades younger than she. The specialty release garnered positive reviews from critics, with Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times calling it "perfectly sweet and civilized [and] a pleasure to watch Smith and Dench together; their acting is so natural it could be breathing." Also in 2004, Dench provided her voice for several smaller projects. In Walt Disney's Home on the Range, she along with Roseanne Barr and Jennifer Tilly voiced a mismatched trio of dairy cows who must capture an infamous cattle rustler, for his bounty, in order to save their idyllic farm from foreclosure. The film became a lukewarm critical and commercial success for Disney.

A major hit for Dench came with Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice, a 2005 adaptation of the novel by Jane Austen, also starring Keira Knightley and Donald Sutherland. Wright persuaded Dench to join the cast as Lady Catherine de Bourgh by writing her a letter that read "I love it when you play a bitch. Please come and be a bitch for me." Dench had only one week available to shoot her scenes, forcing Wright to make them his first days of filming. With both a worldwide gross of over US$121 million and several Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, the film became a critical and commercial success.

2006"2010

Dench in her role as M was the only cast member carried through from the Brosnan films to appear in Casino Royale (2006), Martin Campbell's reboot of the James Bond film series, starring Daniel Craig in his debut performance as the fictional MI6 agent. The thriller received largely positive critical response, with reviewers highlighting Craig's performance and the reinvention of the character of Bond. It earned over US$594 million worldwide, ranking it among the highest-grossing James Bond films ever released. In April 2006, Dench returned to the West End stage 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.

Dench appeared opposite Cate Blanchett as a bitter, creepy and iron-fisted London teacher with a dedicated fondness for vulnerable women in Richard Eyre's 2006 drama film Notes on a Scandal, an adaption from the 2003 novel of the same name by Zoë Heller. A fan of the Heller's book, Dench "was thrilled to be asked to ... play that woman, to try to find a humanity in that dreadful person." The specialty film opened to generally positive reviews and commercial success, grossing US$50 million worldwide, exceeding its £15 million budget. In his review for Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert declared the main actresses "perhaps the most impressive acting duo in any film of 2006. Dench and Blanchett are magnificent." The following year, Dench earned her sixth Academy nomination and went on to win a BIFA Award and an Evening Standard Award.

Dench, as Miss Matty Jenkyns, co-starred with Eileen Atkins, Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton and Francesca Annis in the BBC One five-part series Cranford. The first season of the series began transmission in November 2007.

Dench became the voice for the narration for the updated Walt Disney World Epcot attraction Spaceship Earth in February 2008. The same month, 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. Her only film of 2008 was Marc Forster's Quantum of Solace, the twenty-second Eon-produced James Bond film, in which she reprised her role as M along with Daniel Craig. A direct sequel to the 2006 film Casino Royale, Forster felt Dench was underused in the previous films and wanted to make her part bigger, having her interact with Bond more. The project gathered generally mixed reviews by critics who mainly felt that Quantum of Solace was not as impressive as the predecessor Casino Royale, but became another hit for the franchise with a worldwide gross of US$591 million. For her performance, Dench was nominated for a Saturn Award the following year.

Dench returned to the West End in mid-2009, playing Madame de Montreuil in Yukio Mishima's play Madame de Sade, directed by Michael Grandage as part of the Donmar season at Wyndham's Theatre. The same year, she appeared in Sally Potter's experimental film Rage, a project that featured 14 actors playing fictional figures in and around the fashion world, giving monologues before a plain backdrop. Attracted to the fact that it was unlike anything she had done before, Dench welcomed the opportunity to work with Potter. "I like to do something that's not expected, or predictable. I had to learn to smoke a joint, and I set my trousers alight," she said about filming. Dench's next film was Rob Marshall's musical film Nine, based on Arthur Kopit's book for the 1982 musical of the same name, which was itself suggested by Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8½. Also starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, and Sophia Loren, she played Lilli La Fleur, an eccentric but motherly French costume designer, who performs the song "Folies Bergères" in the film. Despite mixed to negative reviews, Nine was nominated for four Academy Awards, and awarded both the Satellite Award for Best Film and Best Cast.

Also in 2009, Dench reprised the role of Matilda Jenkyns in Return to Cranford, the two-part second season of a Simon Curtis television series. Critically acclaimed, Dench was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Satellite Award. In 2010, she renewed her collaboration with Peter Hall at the Rose Theatre in Kingston upon Thames in A Midsummer Night's Dream, which opened in February 2010; she played Titania as Queen Elizabeth I in her later years " almost 50 years after she first played the role for the Royal Shakespeare Company. In July 2010, Dench 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.

2011"present

In 2011, Dench starred in Jane Eyre, My Week with Marilyn and J. Edgar. In Cary Joji Fukunaga's period drama Jane Eyre, based on the 1847 novel of the same name by Charlotte Brontë, she played the short role of Alice Fairfax, housekeeper to Rochester, the aloof and brooding master of Thornfield Hall, where main character Jane, played by Mia Wasikowska, gets employed as a governess. Dench reportedly signed on to the project after she had received a humorous personal note from Fukunaga, in which he "promised her that she'd be the sexiest woman on set if she did the film." Acclaimed among critics, it was a mediocre arthouse success at the box office, grossing US$30.5 million worldwide. In Simon Curtis' My Week with Marilyn, which depicts the making of the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier, Dench played late British actress Sybil Thorndike during her work on set of the Laurence Olivier film. The film garnered largely positive reviews, particularly for Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh's performances, and earned Dench a Best Actress in a Supporting Role nomination at the 65th BAFTA Awards.

Dench's last film of 2011 was Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, a biographical drama film about the career of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, from the Palmer Raids onwards, including an examination of his private life as a closeted homosexual. Hand-picked by Eastwood to play Anna Marie Hoover, Hoover's mother, Dench initially thought a friend was setting her up upon receiving Eastwood's phone call request. "I didn't take it seriously to start with. And then I realised it was really him and that was a tricky conversation," she stated. Released to mixed reception, both with critics and commercially, the film went on to gross US$79 million worldwide. The same year, Dench reunited with Rob Marshall and Johnny Depp for a cameo appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, playing a noblewoman who is robbed by Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Depp. She made a second cameo that year in Ray Cooney's star-studded comedy film Run for Your Wife.

In 2011, Dench reunited with director John Madden on the set of the comedy-drama The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), starring an ensemble cast also consisting of Celia Imrie, Bill Nighy, Ronald Pickup, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson and Penelope Wilton as a group of British pensioners moving to a retirement hotel in India, run by the young and eager Sonny, played by Dev Patel. Released to positive reviews by critics, who declared the film a "sweet story about the senior set featuring a top-notch cast of veteran actors," it became a surprise box-office hit following its international release, eventually grossing $US134 million worldwide, mostly from its domestic run. Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was ranked among the highest-grossing specialty releases of the year, and Dench, whose Peter Travers from Rolling Stone called "resilient marvel", garnered a Best Actress nod at both the British Independent Film Awards and Golden Globe Awards.

Also in 2012, Friend Request Pending, an indie short film which Dench had filmed in 2011, received a wide release as part of the feature films Stars in Shorts and The Joy of Six. In the 12-minute comedy, directed by My Week with Marilyn assistant director Chris Foggin on a budget of just £5,000, she portrays a pensioner grappling with a crush on her church choirmaster and the art of cyber-flirting via social networking. Dench made her seventh and final appearance as M in the twenty-third James Bond film, Skyfall (2012), directed by Sam Mendes. In the film, Bond investigates an attack on MI6; it transpires that it is part of an attack on M by former MI6 operative, Raoul Silva (played by Javier Bardem) to humiliate, discredit and kill M as revenge against her for betraying him. Dench's position as M was subsequently filled by Ralph Fiennes' character. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond series, Skyfall was positively received by critics and at the box office, grossing over $1 billion worldwide, and became the highest-grossing film of all-time in the UK and the highest-grossing film in the James Bond series. Critics called Dench's Saturn Awards-nominated performance "compellingly luminous".

In 2013, Dench starred as Philomena Lee in Stephen Frears's drama Philomena, a filmed inspired by true events of a woman looking for the son that the Catholic Church stole from her a half-century before. It was screened in the main competition section at the 70th Venice International Film Festival where Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope won the award for Best Screenplay and it was very favorably received by critics. On Dench's performance, The Times commented that "this is Dench's triumph. At 78, she has a golden career behind her, often as queens and other frosty matriarchs. So the warmth under pressure she radiates here is nearly a surprise [...] Dench gives a performance of grace, nuance and cinematic heroism."

Public life

Dench was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1970 and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1988. She was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 2005. In June 2011, she became a fellow of the British Film Institute (BFI). Dench is a patron of the Leaveners, Friends School Saffron Walden and the Archway Theatre, Horley, Surrey. She became president of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London in 2006, taking over from Sir John Mills, and is also president of the Questors Theatre, Ealing. In May 2006, she became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). 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, and Vice President of The Little Foundation. Dench is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. In 1996, she was awarded a DUniv degree from Surrey University and in 2000"2001 she received an honorary DLitt degree from Durham University. In July 2000, she was awarded a DLitt degree by Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, where she actively supported their Drama School at the Gateway Theatre on Elm Row. On 24 June 2008, she was honoured by the University of St Andrews, receiving an honorary DLitt degree at the university's graduation ceremony. On 26 June 2013, she was honoured by the University of Stirling, receiving an honorary Doctorate degree at the university's graduation ceremony in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Arts, particularly to film. She was listed as one of the fifty best-dressed over 50s by the Guardian in March 2013.

Political and social interests and involvement

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. On 22 July 2010, Dench was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt) by Nottingham Trent University. The 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. On 19 March 2012 it was announced that Dench was to become honorary patron of the charity "Everton in the Community", the official charity of Everton F.C. in Everton, Liverpool. It was also revealed that Dench is a supporter of Everton. She is an advisor to the American Shakespeare Center. She is a patron of the Shakespeare Schools Festival, a charity that enables school children across the UK to perform Shakespeare in professional theatres. She is patron of East Park Riding for the Disabled, a riding school for disabled children at Newchapel, Surrey. In 2011 along with musician Sting and entrepreneur Richard Branson she publicly urged policy makers to adopt more progressive drug policies by decriminalizing drug use.

Filmography

Film and television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1959	Hilda Lessways	Hilda Lessways	TV series (6 episodes)
1959	ITV Play of the Week	Dido Morgan	TV series (6 episodes)
1960	The Terrible Choice		TV series
1960	Armchair Theatre	Emily Strachan	TV series (1 episode: "Pink String and Sealing Wax")
1960	An Age of Kings	Princess Katherine of France	TV series (2 episodes)
1960	The Four Just Men	Anna	TV series (1 episode: "Treviso Dam")
1962	The Cherry Orchard	Anya	Videotaped TV drama
1963	Z Cars	Elena Collins	TV series (1 episode: "Made for Each Other")
1964	Festival	Angela Thwaites	TV anthology series (1 episode: "August for the People")
1964	'	Miss Humphries
1964	Detective	Charlotte Revel	TV series (1 episode: "Dishonoured Bones")
1964	Theatre 625: Parade's End	Valentine Wannop	TV anthology series (3 episodes)
1965	Four in the Morning	Wife	BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles
1965	Mogel	Gwyneth Evans	TV series (1 episode: "Safety Man")
1965	'	Sally
1965	He Who Rides a Tiger	Joanne
1966	Court Martial	Marthe	TV series (1 episode: "Let No Man Speak")
1966	Play of the Month (BBC)	Elizebeth Moris	TV series (1 episode: "Days to Come")
1966	Theatre 625: Talking to a Stranger	Terry Stevens	Four interlinked TV plays
1968	'	Titania
1968	Jackanory	Storyteller	TV series (12 episodes)
1968	ITV Playhouse	Helen Payle	TV series (1 episode: "On Approval")
1970	Confession	Woman	TV series (1 episode: "Neighbours")
1973	Ooh La La!	Amélie	TV series (1 episode: "Keep an Eye on Amélie")
1974	Luther	Katherine
1974	2nd House		TV series (1 episode: "Frank's for the Memory")
1974	Dead Cert	Laura Davidson
1978	The Comedy of Errors	Adriana	Videotaped RSC production
1978	Langrishe, Go Down	Imogen Langrishe	BBC TV movie
1979	A Performance of Macbeth by William Shakespeare	Lady Macbeth	Videotaped TV drama
1979	On Giant's Shoulders	Hazel Wiles	BBC TV movie Nominated - British Academy Television Award for Best Actress
1979	ITV Playhouse	Z	TV series (1 episode: "Village Wooing")
1980	Love in a Cold Climate	Aunt Sadie	TV mini-series (8 episodes)
1981	The Cherry Orchard	Mme. Ranevsky	Videotaped TV drama British Academy Television Award for Best Actress
1981	BBC2 Playhouse	Sister Scarli	TV series (1 episode: "Going Gently")
1981"1984	A Fine Romance	Laura Dalton	TV series (26 episodes) British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance (1985) Nominated - British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance (1983-1984)
1983	Saigon: Year of the Cat	Barbara Dean	TV movie Nominated - British Academy Television Award for Best Actress
1985	The Browning Version	Millie Crocker-Harris	Videotaped TV drama
1985	Wetherby	Marcia Pilborough	Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1985	'	Eleanor Lavish	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1985	Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill	Dorrie Edgehill	TV movie
1987	'	Narrator
1987	84 Charing Cross Road	Nora Doel	Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1987	Theatre Night: Ghosts	Mrs. Alving	Videotaped TV drama
1987	Theatre Night: Make or Break	Mrs. Rogers	Videotaped TV drama
1988	'	Mrs. Beaver	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1989	Henry V	Mistress Quickly
1989	Behaving Badly	Bridget Mayor	TV mini-series Nominated - British Academy Television Award for Best Actress
1990	Screen One	Anna	TV series (1 episode: "Can You Hear Me Thinking?")
1991	Performance	Christine Foskett	TV series (1 episode: "Absolute Hell")
1992	The Torch	Aba	TV mini-series
1992"2005	As Time Goes By	Jean Mary Hardcastle	TV series (67 episodes) Nominated - British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy Performance (1996, 1998)
1993	ABC For Kids	Announcer
1994	Middlemarch	George Eliot (voice)	TV mini-series (2 episodes)
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 Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress (3rd place) New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (3rd place) Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress (2nd place) 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 New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress (2nd place) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress (3rd place) 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	'	M
2000	Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport	Narrator	Documentary
2000	'	Elizabeth	TV movie British Academy Television Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film Nominated - American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Performer in a TV Special Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a 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	San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress (2nd place) 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 - Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress 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 Actress of the Year Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated - European Film Award - Audience Award for Best Actress Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama Nominated - Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
2001	'	Agnis Hamm	Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated - Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
2002	The Importance of Being Earnest	Lady Augusta Bracknell
2002	Die Another Day	M
2002	Angelina Ballerina	Miss Lilly (voice)	TV series (23 episodes)
2003	Bugs!	Narrator	Short
2004	Home on the Range	Mrs. Caloway (voice)
2004	'	Aereon
2004	Ladies in Lavender	Ursula Widdington
2005	Pride & Prejudice	Lady Catherine de Bourgh
2005	Mrs Henderson Presents	Mrs. Laura Henderson	Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress (2nd place) National Board of Review Award for Best Cast Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated - BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film 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 Best Actress Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
2006	'	Narrator
2006	Doogal	Narrator (voice)
2006	Angelina Ballerina: Angelina Sets Sail	Miss Lilly (voice)
2006	Casino Royale	M
2006	Notes on a Scandal	Barbara Covett	BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress (2nd place) Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress (2nd place) Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress (3rd place) New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (2nd place) 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 in a Motion Picture, Drama Nominated - London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year Nominated - London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the Year Nominated - Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actress Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Actress Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Nominated - Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
2007	Go Inside to Greet the Light	Narrator
2007	Cranford	Miss Matty	TV mini-series Satellite Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film Nominated - British Academy Television Award for Best Actress Nominated - Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actress Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated - TV Quick Award for Best Actress
2008	Spaceship Earth	4th Edition Narrator	Theme park attraction
2008	Quantum of Solace	M	Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
2009	Rage	Mona Carvell
2009	Nine	Lilli	Nominated - Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
2009	Return to Cranford	Miss Matty	TV mini-series Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film
2011	Jane Eyre	Mrs. Fairfax
2011	Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides	Society Lady	Cameo
2011	My Week with Marilyn	Dame Sybil Thorndike	Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
2011	Friend Request Pending	Mary	Short
2011	J. Edgar	Annie Hoover
2012	Run For Your Wife	Bag Lady	Cameo
2012	The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel	Evelyn Greenslade	Nominated - BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2012	Skyfall	M	Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated - Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated - London Film Critics Circle Award for Supporting Actress of the Year Nominated - London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the Year Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress " Motion Picture Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
2013	Philomena	Philomena Lee

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2004	007: Everything or Nothing	M	Voice
2004	GoldenEye: Rogue Agent	M	Voice
2008	007: Quantum of Solace	M	Voice
2010	GoldenEye 007	M	Voice
2010	James Bond 007: Blood Stone	M	Voice
2012	007 Legends	M	Voice

Theatre work

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

As an actress

Year	Title	Role	Company	Theatre	Notes
1957	York Mystery Plays	Virgin Mary	York	St Mary's Abbey
1957	Hamlet	Ophelia	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre
1957	Measure for Measure	Juliet	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre
1957	A Midsummer Night's Dream	First Fairy	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre
1958	Twelfth Night	Maria	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre	also US tour and New York City
1958	Henry V	Katharine	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre	also US tour and New York City
1959	The Double Dealer	Cynthia	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre
1959	As You Like It	Phebe	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre
1959	The Importance of Being Earnest	Cecily	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre
1959	The Merry Wives of Windsor	Anne Page	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre
1960	Richard II	Queen	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre
1960	Romeo and Juliet	Juliet	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre	also Venice Festival
1960	She Stoops to Conquer	Kate Hardcastle	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre
1960	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Hermia	Old Vic Company	Old Vic Theatre
1961	The Cherry Orchard	Anya	Royal Shakespeare Company	Aldwych Theatre
1962	Measure for Measure	Isabella	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford
1962	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Titiana	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford
1962	A Penny for a Song	Dorcas Bellboys	Royal Shakespeare Company	Aldwych Theatre
1963	Macbeth	Lady Macbeth	Nottingham Playhouse Company		also West Africa tour
1963	Twelfth Night	Viola	Nottingham Playhouse Company		also West Africa tour
1963	A Shot in the Dark	Josefa Lautenay	Nottingham Playhouse Company	Lyric Theatre
1964	Three Sisters	Irina	Oxford Playhouse Company
1964	The Twelfth Hour	Anna	Oxford Playhouse Company
1965	The Alchemist	Dol Common	Oxford Playhouse Company
1965	Romeo and Jeannette	Jeannette	Oxford Playhouse Company
1965	The Firescreen	Jacqueline	Oxford Playhouse Company
1965	Measure for Measure	Isabella	Nottingham Playhouse Company
1965	Private Lives	Amanda	Nottingham Playhouse Company
1966	The Country Wife	Margery Pinchwife	Nottingham Playhouse Company
1966	The Astrakhan Coat	Barbara	Nottingham Playhouse Company
1966	St Joan	Joan	Nottingham Playhouse Company
1966	The Promise	Lika	Oxford Playhouse Company
1966	The Rules of the Game	Silia	Oxford Playhouse Company
1967	The Promise	Lika	Oxford Playhouse Company	Fortune Theatre
1968	Cabaret	Sally Bowles		Palace Theatre
1969	The Winter's Tale	Hermione and Perdita	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford
1969	Women Beware Women	Bianca	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford
1969	Twelfth Night	Viola	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford	also on tour in Australia and Japan, 1970 and Aldwych Theatre, 1971
1970	London Assurance	Grace Harkaway	Royal Shakespeare Company	Aldwych Theatre	also New Theatre, 1972
1970	Major Barbara	Barbara Undershaft	Royal Shakespeare Company	Aldwych Theatre
1971	The Merchant of Venice	Portia	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford
1971	The Duchess of Malfi	Duchess	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford
1971	Toad of Toad Hall	Fielfmouse, Stoat and Mother Rabbit	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford
1973	Content to Whisper	Aurelia	York	Theatre Royal
1973	The Wolf	Vilma	"	Oxford Playhouse	also at Apollo, Queen's and New London
1974	The Good Companions	Miss Trant	"	Her Majesty's Theatre
1975	The Gay Lord Quex	Sophy Fullgarney	"	Albery Theatre
1975	Too True to Be Good	Sweetie Simpkins	Royal Shakespeare Company	Aldwych Theatre
1976	Much Ado About Nothing	Beatrice	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford	also Aldwych Theatre, 1977
1976	Macbeth	Lady Macbeth	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford	also Donmar Warehouse and Young Vic
1976	The Comedy of Errors	Adriana	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford	also Aldwych Theatre, 1977
1976	King Lear	Regan	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford
1977	Pillars of the Community	Lona Hessel	Royal Shakespeare Company	Aldwych Theatre
1978	The Way of the World	Millamant	Royal Shakespeare Company	Aldwych Theatre
1979	Cymbeline	Imogen	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford
1980	Juno and the Paycock	Juno Boyle	Royal Shakespeare Company	Aldwych Theatre
1981	A Village Wooing	Young Woman	"	New End Theatre
1982	The Importance of Being Earnest	Lady Bracknell	Royal National Theatre	Lyttelton
1982	A Kind of Alaska	Deborah	Royal National Theatre	Cottesloe
1983	Pack of Lies	Barbara Jackson	Royal National Theatre	Lyric
1984	Mother Courage	Mother Courage	Royal Shakespeare Company	Barbican
1984	Waste	Amy O'Connell	Royal Shakespeare Company	Barbican and Lyric
1986	Mr and Mrs Nobody	Carrie Pooter	"	Garrick Theatre
1987	Antony and Cleopatra	Cleopatra	Royal National Theatre	Olivier
1987	Entertaining Strangers	Sarah Eldridge	Royal National Theatre	Cottesloe
1989	Hamlet	Gertrude	Royal National Theatre	Olivier
1989	The Cherry Orchard	Ranevskaya	Royal Shakespeare Company	Aldwych Theatre
1991	The Plough and the Stars	Bessie Burgess	Royal Shakespeare Company	Young Vic
1991	The Sea	Mrs Rafi	Royal National Theatre	Lyttelton
1992	Coriolanus	Volumnia	Chichester	Festival Theatre
1992	The Gift of the Gorgon	Helen Damson	Royal Shakespeare Company	Barbican and Wyndham's
1994	The Seagull	Arkadina	Royal National Theatre	Olivier
1995	Absolute Hell	Christine Foskett	Royal National Theatre	Lyttelton
1995	A Little Night Music	Desiree Armfeldt	Royal National Theatre	Olivier
1997	Amy's View	Esme	Royal National Theatre	Lyttelton
1998	Amy's View	Esme	Royal National Theatre	Aldwych Theatre
1998	Filumena	Filumena	"	Piccadilly Theatre
1999	Amy's View	Esme	"	Barrymore Theatre	New York City
2001	The Royal Family	Fanny Cavendish	"	Theatre Royal Haymarket
2002	The Breath of Life	Frances	"	Theatre Royal Haymarket
2003	All's Well That Ends Well	The Countess	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford and Gielgud
2006	Hay Fever	Judith Bliss	"	Theatre Royal Haymarket
2006	The Merry Wives of Windsor	Mistress Quickly	Royal Shakespeare Company	Stratford
2009	Madame de Sade	The Marquise	"	Wyndham's	Donmar at Wyndham's
2010	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Titania/Elizabeth I	"	Rose, Kingston
2013	Peter and Alice	Alice	"	Noel Coward Theatre

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

• Pericles (1968) Shakespeare Recording Society, Caedmon Records
• 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

Film

|- |align="center"| 1966 |Four in the Morning |BAFTA Film Award for Best Newcomer to Leading Roles | |- |align="center"| 1986 |Wetherby |BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress | |- |align="center"| 1987 |A Room with a View |BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress | |- |align="center"| 1988 |84 Charing Cross Road |BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress | |- |align="center"| 1989 |A Handful of Dust |BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress | |- |align="center" rowspan="5"| 1998 |rowspan="5"| Mrs. Brown |Academy Award for Best Leading Actress | |- |BAFTA Film Award for Best Leading Actress | |- |Golden Globe Award for Best Leading Actress in a Drama Film | |- |SAG Award for Best Leading Actress in a Film | |- |Satellite Award for Best Leading Actress in a Drama Film | |- |align="center" rowspan="5"| 1999 |rowspan="5"| Shakespeare in Love |Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress | |- |BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress | |- |Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Film | |- |SAG Award for Best Cast in a Film | |- |SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Film | |- |align="center" rowspan="6"| 2001 |align="center" |" |BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award | |- |rowspan="5"| Chocolat |Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress | |- |BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress | |- |Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Film | |- |SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Film | |- |Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Film | |- |align="center" rowspan="7"| 2002 |rowspan="5"| Iris |Academy Award for Best Leading Actress | |- |BAFTA Film Award for Best Leading Actress | |- |Golden Globe Award for Best Leading Actress in a Drama Film | |- |SAG Award for Best Leading Actress in a Film | |- |Satellite Award for Best Leading Actress in a Drama Film | |- |rowspan="2"| The Shipping News |BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress | |- |SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Film | |- |align="center" rowspan="2"| 2005 |rowspan="6"| Mrs Henderson Presents |British Independent Film Award for Best Leading Actress | |- |Satellite Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical or Comedy Film | |- |align="center" rowspan="5"| 2006 |Academy Award for Best Leading Actress | |- |BAFTA Film Award for Best Leading Actress | |- |Golden Globe Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical or Comedy Film | |- |SAG Award for Best Leading Actress in a Film | |- |rowspan="7"|Notes on a Scandal |Satellite Award for Best Leading Actress in a Drama Film | |- |align="center" rowspan="6"| 2007 |Academy Award for Best Leading Actress | |- |BAFTA Film Award for Best Leading Actress | |- |British Independent Film Award for Best Leading Actress | |- |Golden Globe Award for Best Leading Actress in a Drama Film | |- |SAG Award for Best Leading Actress in a Film | |- |Saturn Award for Best Leading Actress in a Film | |- |align="center" rowspan="2"| 2009 |Quantum of Solace |Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Film | |- |rowspan="2"| Nine |Satellite Award for Best Cast in a Film | |- |align="center"| 2010 |SAG Award for Best Cast in a Film | |- |align="center" rowspan="2"| 2012 |My Week with Marilyn |BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress | |- |rowspan="3"| Skyfall |Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Film | |- |align="center" rowspan="5"| 2013 |BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress | |- |Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress | |- |rowspan="3"|The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel |British Independent Film Award for Best Leading Actress | |- |Golden Globe Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical or Comedy Film | |- |SAG Award for Best Cast in a Film |

Television

|- |align="center"| 1968 |Talking to a Stranger |BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress | |- |align="center" rowspan="3"| 1980 |ITV Playhouse |rowspan="3"| BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress | |- |Macbeth | |- |On Giant's Shoulders | |- |align="center" rowspan="3"| 1982 |Going Gently |rowspan="3"| BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress | |- |The Cherry Orchard | |- |rowspan="3"| A Fine Romance | |- |align="center"| 1983 |BAFTA TV Award for Best Entertainment Performance | |- |align="center" rowspan="2"| 1984 |BAFTA TV Award for Best Entertainment Performance | |- |Saigon: Year of the Cat |BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress | |- |align="center"| 1985 |A Fine Romance |BAFTA TV Award for Best Entertainment Performance | |- |align="center"| 1990 |Behaving Badly |BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress | |- |align="center"| 1998 |As Time Goes By |BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance | |- |align="center" rowspan="4"| 2001 |rowspan="4"| The Last of the Blonde Bombshells |BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress | |- |Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film | |- |Primetime Emmy Award for Best Leading Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film | |- |SAG Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie | |- |align="center" rowspan="3"| 2008 |rowspan="4"| Cranford |BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress | |- |Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film | |- |Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film | |- |align="center" | 2009 |Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film | |- |align="center" rowspan="2"| 2010 |rowspan="3"| Return to Cranford |Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film | |- |Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film | |- |align="center" | 2011 |Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film |

Theatre

|- |align="center"| 1977 |Macbeth |Olivier Award for Best Leading Actress in a Revival of a Play | |- |align="center"| 1980 |Juno and the Paycock |Olivier Award for Best Leading Actress in a Revival of a Play | |- |align="center" rowspan="2"| 1982 |Other Places |Olivier Award for Best Leading Actress in a New Play | |- |The Importance of Being Earnest |Olivier Award for Best Leading Actress in a Revival of a Play | |- |align="center"| 1983 |Pack of Lies |Olivier Award for Best Leading Actress in a New Play | |- |align="center"| 1987 |Antony and Cleopatra |Olivier Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play | |- |align="center"| 1992 |The Boys from Syracuse |Olivier Award for Best Director of a Musical | |- |align="center"| 1993 |The Gift of the Gorgon |Olivier Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play | |- |align="center" rowspan="2"| 1996 |A Little Night Music |Olivier Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical | |- |Absolute Hell |Olivier Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play | |- |align="center"| 1998 |rowspan="3"| Amy's View |Olivier Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play | |- |align="center" rowspan="3"| 1999 |Drama Desk Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play | |- |Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play | |- |Filumena |Olivier Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play | |- |align="center"| 2004 |align="center"| " |Olivier Special Award | |- |align="center"| 2005 |All's Well That Ends Well |Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Play |