Bio on judy dench as queen

1934-present

Judi Dench Today: Worsening Eye Condition Hampers Her Acting

Oscar-winning actor Judi Dench, 88, revealed in an interview with Notebook magazine on July 30 she is barely able to see because of her macular degeneration. “I mean I can’t see on a film set anymore,” she told the Daily Mirror publication. “And I can’t see to read. So I can’t see much. But, you know, you just deal with it. Get on.” The actor was first diagnosed with the degenerative eye condition in 2012.

Who Is Judi Dench?

Dame Judi Dench is an actor who made her stage debut in Hamlet in 1957. After building a following for her theater, film, and TV roles, she gained international recognition in the 1990s as a character in the James Bond film franchise. Dench won an Academy Award in 1999 for her supporting role in Shakespeare in Love and earned additional nominations for her work in Chocolat and Philomena, among others. The octogenarian is still acting today, and her most recent movies include Belfast and Allelujah.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Judith Olivia Dench
BORN: December 9, 1934
BIRTHPLACE: North Yorkshire, England
SPOUSE: Michael Williams (1971-2001)
CHILDREN: Finty Williams
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Sagittarius

Early Years

Judith Olivia Dench was born on December 9, 1934, in North Yorkshire, England, to parents Reginald, a doctor, and Eleanora. From an early age, Dench received considerable exposure to the world of acting. Dench’s father was the resident doctor for the Theatre Royal in York, and it wasn’t uncommon for her to tag along during his visits there.

Even as a young girl, Dench showed a passion for performance. She loved to dress up and sing as her mother played the piano. Her first foray onto the stage came with the York Mystery Plays, where Eleanora helped out with the wardrobes and her father also did some acting.

Dench attended an all-girls Quaker school, then followed with a brief stop at the York School of Art before changing course an

When Judi Dench was pictured riding in the carriages with members of the royal family at Royal Ascot last month, many were naturally curious how the famed British actress became part of the royals' inner circle. Dench has long been close with King Charles and Queen Camilla. But how did she get there?

Royalty on screen

Dench has a history of portraying royal women on screen. Dench has portrayed Queen Victoria twice in her career (in Victoria & Abduland Mrs. Brown) and Queen Elizabeth I once (in an Oscar-winning role in Shakespeare in Love).

Honored by Queen Elizabeth

In recognition of her storied career, Queen Elizabeth appointed Dench as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1970 Birthday Honours, and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1988 New Year Honours. In 2005, Queen Elizabeth appointed Dench Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the annual Birthday Honours (above).

In 2018, Ian McKellen confessed on the Graham Norton Show that he and Dench got into trouble at the Palace. "We went on dancing around the corner, and we found ourselves behind the band, and there behind this sort of partition was the throne," McKellen said, and, then "we sat on them."

Friendship with Charles and Camilla

A select timeline of Dench's public appearances with King Charles and Queen Camilla:

Publicly defending the royal family

Last year, Dench said Netflix needs to add disclaimer to The Crown stating the show is fiction. In a letter the Times, she wrote, &qu

British actress (born 1934)

Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage. Dench has garnered various accolades throughout a career that spans seven decades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy Television Awards, six British Academy Film Awards, and seven Olivier Awards.

Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she performed in several of Shakespeare's plays, in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. Although most of Dench's work during this period was in theatre, she also branched out into film work and won a BAFTA Award as Most Promising Newcomer. In 1968, she drew excellent reviews for her leading role of Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret. Over the next two decades Dench established herself as one of the most significant British theatre performers, working for the National Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Dench received critical acclaim for her work on television during this period, in the ITV comedy series A Fine Romance (1981–1984) and the BBC1 romantic series As Time Goes By (1992–2005), in both of which she held starring roles. Her film appearances were infrequent and included supporting roles in major films, such as James Ivory's A Room with a View (1985), before she rose to international fame as M in GoldenEye (1995), a role she went on to play in eight James Bond films, until her final cameo appearance in Spectre (2015).

An eight-time Academy Award nominee, Dench won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Queen Elizabeth I