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Judi Dench

Since playing Ophelia in Hamlet at the Old Vic 50 years ago, Judi Dench has received wide critical acclaim for a career marked by outstanding performances in both classical and contemporary roles. She has won more than 25 awards - including 9 British Academy Awards - in a career that has encompassed the stage, television and motion pictures. She received the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1970 for services to the theatre, and subsequently became a DBE (Dame of the British Empire) in 1988. She was recently awarded a CH (Companion of Honour).

Dench returns to the role of ‘M', James Bond's boss and Head Of MI6, having played the role in five other 007 films; GOLDENEYE, TOMORROW NEVER DIES, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, DIE ANOTHER DAY and, most recently, CASINO ROYALE.

Her other notable feature film credits include: Franco Zeffirelli's TEA WITH MUSSOLINI, MRS BROWN (for which she won a Golden Globe, BAFTA Award and Oscar nomination), WETHERBY, A ROOM WITH A VIEW (for which she won a BAFTA Award as Best Supporting Actress), 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD, A HANDFUL OF DUST (another BAFTA Award-winning performance as Best Supporting Actress) and two films for Kenneth Branagh, HENRY V and HAMLET.

Dench won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and was named Best Supporting Actress by the National Society of Film Critics for her performance in the hit romantic comedy SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Lasse Hallstrom's CHOCOLAT.

She also won a BAFTA Award for her performance in THE LAST OF THE BLONDE BOMBSHELLS for Working Title Television. In 2001 she filmed IRIS directed by Richard Eyre with Jim Broadbent (for which she received a Academy Award nomination), and THE SHIPPING NEWS directed by Lasse Hallstrom with Kevin Spacey and Julianne Moore.

She continues working on the stage, starring in David Hare's Amy's View (winning a Tony Award for her Broadway performance), Peter Hall's The Royal Family and David Hare's The Breath of Life at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, with Dame Maggie Smith, All's Well That Ends Well for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford and then the West End, Hay Fever at The Theatre Royal Haymarket, and most recently Merry Wives of Windsor at the RSC in Stratford.

Judi's recent film credits include David Twohy's THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK, Charles Dance's LADIES IN LAVENDER, Stephen Frears' MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS with Bob Hoskins, and NOTES ON A SCANDAL with Cate Blanchett, directed by Richard Eyre, for which Judi received a Best Actress nomination at the 2007 Academy Awards, the 2007 Golden Globes, the 2007 SAG Awards and the 2007 BAFTA's, and won Best Actress at the 2007 British Independent Film Awards. Most recently, she appeared in the critically acclaimed television series Cranford as Miss Matty Jenkins.


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Judi Dench Facts

Birth NameJudith Olivia Dench
OccupationActress
BirthdayDecember 9, 1934 (74)
SignSagittarius
BirthplaceYork, England, United Kingdom
Awards2002 BAFTA Awards: Actress in a Leading Role (for Iris)
2001 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Mini-Series or a TV Film (for Last of the Blond Bombshells)
2001 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role (for Chocolat)
1999 Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (for Shakespeare in Love)
1999 BAFTA Awards: Actress in a Supporting Role (for Shakespeare in Love)
1998 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (for Mrs. Brown)
1998 BAFTA Awards: Actress in a Leading Role (for Mrs. Brown)

Selected Filmography

Quantum of Solace
Pride & Prejudice
William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Casino Royale
Chocolat
Cranford
James Bond Blu-ray Collection Three-Pack, Vol. 1
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