Judi Dench Biography

Born in Yorkshire England, Judi Dench attended Mount School, and studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Her first appearance on stage was in a play at her Quaker junior school. She played a snail.

Since her theater debut, she has performed with Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and at Old Vic Theatre.

The number of awards won for her performances in theater, film and television is phenomenal. She is a ten-time BAFTA winner including Best Actress in a Comedy Series for A Fine Romance (1981) in which she appeared with her husband, Michael Williams, and Best Supporting Actress in A Handful of Dust (1988) and A Room with a View (1986).

She received an ACE award for her performance in the television series Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill (1985). She made history in 1996 as the first person to win two Olivier awards (for British theater) for different roles.

Dench has been nominated nine times for an Academy award, including for her work in Notes on a Scandal (2006). She won the golden statuette in 1999 for an eight-minute performance in Shakespeare in Love (1998). She also received a Tony award for her work in the Broadway production of Amy's View. In 2007, she received yet another Academy Award nomination for her work in Notes on a Scandal (2006), followed by a nod in 2014 for her work in the motion picture Philomena, as an unmarried woman whose child is taken away from her.

For her starring role in the BBC series Cranford, Dench received a BAFTA TV Award nomination in 2008 and an Emmy award nomination in 2010. She continues to work in movies, however, having played Mrs. Fairfax in the recent big screen adaptation of Jane Eyre (2011). She also played a part in a few other historical films, like My Week with Marilyn (2011) and J. Edgar (2011). She also had a role in the blockbuster sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) with Johnny Depp, followed by a role in the comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012). She also reprised her role as M for the highly-anticipated sequel to the blockbuster hits Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012).

Now in her 80s, the legendary actress has not stopped working, reprising her role in the sequel The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in 2015, and landing roles in the children's fantasy adaptation Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), the mystery satire Schadenfreude (2016), and the period drama Tulip Fever (2017). Other credits include roles in films such as Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Victoria and Abdul (2017), All Is True (2019), and Red Joan (2019), playing the title role.

She played Commander Root in the highly anticipated Disney feature, Artemis Fowl (2020) and Granny in Belfast (2021), for which she received her ninth Oscar nomination.

In 1970, Judi was awarded the O.B.E. (Order of the British Empire), and in 1988, she was named Dame of the British Empire, for a career marked by outstanding performances in both classical and contemporary roles.

Judi has one daughter, Finty (b. 1972), with her late husband Michael Williams. Williams passed away January 11, 2001 of lung cancer.

Filmography:

Belfast (2021)
Off the Rails (2021)
Six Minutes to Midnight (2020)
Artemis Fowl (2020)
Cats (2019)
All Is True (2018)
Red Joan (2018)
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Victoria and Abdul (2017)
Tulip Fever (2017)
Schadenfreude (2016)
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
Spectre (2015)
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)
Philomena (2014)
Skyfall (2012)
Stars in Shorts (2012)
Run for Your Wife (2012)
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
J. Edgar (2011)
My Week with Marilyn (2011)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Jane Eyre (2011)
Nine (2009)
Rage (2009)
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Notes on a Scandal (2006)
Casino Royale (2006)
Mrs Henderson Presents (2005)
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Ladies in Lavender (2004)
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) Home on the Range (2004)
Die Another Day (2002)
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
The Shipping News (2001)
Iris (2001)
Chocolat (2000)
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Tea with Mussolini (1999)
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Mrs Brown (1997)
Hamlet (1996)
GoldenEye (1995)
Jack & Sarah (1995)
Henry V (1989)
84 Charing Cross Road (1987)
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Victoria and Abdul (2017)
Tulip Fever (2017)
Schadenfreude (2016)
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
Spectre (2015)
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)
Philomena (2014)
Skyfall (2012)
Stars in Shorts (2012)
Run for Your Wife (2012)
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
J. Edgar (2011)
My Week with Marilyn (2011)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Jane Eyre (2011)
Nine (2009)
Rage (2009)
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Notes on a Scandal (2006)
Casino Royale (2006)
Mrs Henderson Presents (2005)
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Ladies in Lavender (2004)
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) Home on the Range (2004)
Die Another Day (2002)
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
The Shipping News (2001)
Iris (2001)
Chocolat (2000)
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Tea with Mussolini (1999)
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Mrs Brown (1997)
Hamlet (1996)
GoldenEye (1995)
Jack & Sarah (1995)
Henry V (1989)
84 Charing Cross Road (1987)