Judi Dench facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Judi Dench
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Dench in 2007
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| Born |
Judith Olivia Dench
9 December 1934 |
| Education | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1957–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Michael Williams
(m. 1971; died 2001) |
| Partner(s) | David Mills (2010–present) |
| Children | Finty Williams |
| Relatives |
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| Awards | Full list |
| Signature | |
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Dame Judi Dench (born 9 December 1934) is a super talented English actress. She is known for playing many different types of characters in movies, TV shows, and on stage. Many people think she is one of the best actors in Britain!
Judi Dench has won lots of awards during her long career, which has lasted for over 60 years. These awards include an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar), a Tony Award, and many others.
She started her acting journey in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. She became famous for playing characters in William Shakespeare's plays, like Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. Even though she mostly worked in theatre back then, she also won a BAFTA award for being a promising new film actress.
Later, she became even more famous for her roles on TV, especially in the comedy A Fine Romance and the romantic show As Time Goes By. She also became known around the world for playing M, James Bond's boss, in eight James Bond movies, starting with GoldenEye in 1995.
Judi Dench won an Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth I in the movie Shakespeare in Love (1998). She has been nominated for an Oscar eight times in total! She has also received many special awards for her amazing career.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Judi Dench was born in York, England, on December 9, 1934. Her mother was from Ireland, and her father was an English doctor. Her parents met while they were studying in Dublin.
In 2021, a TV show called Who Do You Think You Are? revealed that Judi Dench is related to some old Danish noble families. She is even connected to a famous Danish astronomer named Tycho Brahe!
Judi went to a Quaker school in York called The Mount School. She became a Quaker herself. She had two older brothers, Peter and Jeffery, who also became an actor.
Judi's family was very involved with theatre. Her father was the doctor for the York Theatre Royal, and her mother managed the costumes. Actors often stayed at their house. When she was young, Judi even acted in the York Mystery Plays, playing the Virgin Mary in 1957.
At first, Judi wanted to be a set designer for plays. But then her brother Jeff went to drama school, and she got interested in acting too. She was also inspired by seeing a famous actress, Peggy Ashcroft, perform. Judi got into the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and won four acting prizes when she graduated.
Career Highlights
Early Career: Stage Success
Judi Dench first acted professionally in September 1957. She played Ophelia in Hamlet with the Old Vic Company in Liverpool. She then performed the same role in London. She stayed with the Old Vic for four seasons, playing roles like Katherine in Henry V and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. During this time, she toured in the United States, Canada, and Yugoslavia.
In 1961, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). She played Anya in The Cherry Orchard in London and Isabella in Measure for Measure in Stratford-upon-Avon. She also worked with other theatre companies in Nottingham and Oxford.
Judi also started acting on television in the early 1960s. She appeared in shows like The Four Just Men and Z-Cars. In 1964, she made her first film appearance in The Third Secret. She won a BAFTA award for Best Actress for her role in the TV series Talking to a Stranger in 1966.
In 1968, Judi was offered the main role of Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret. She was worried because she had never done a musical before and thought her voice was "croaky." But when the show opened, critics loved her performance and said she sang very well!
Becoming a Star
After her success in Cabaret, Judi Dench returned to the RSC. She performed in many plays for nearly 20 years, winning several "best actress" awards. One of her most famous roles was Lady Macbeth in Macbeth in 1976. Critics praised her performance, with one saying, "If this is not great acting I don't know what is." She won an award for this role too.
Judi also became very popular on British television. From 1981 to 1984, she starred with her husband, Michael Williams, in the comedy series A Fine Romance. She also played Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra at the Royal National Theatre in 1987. In 1988, she even directed a play for the first time, a version of Much Ado About Nothing.
International Fame
After a break in the James Bond films, Judi Dench was chosen to play M, James Bond's boss, in GoldenEye (1995). She was the first woman to play this important role. The movie was a huge success and helped make her famous around the world. She played M in eight Bond films in total!
In 1997, Judi Dench starred as Queen Victoria in the movie Mrs Brown. This film showed the Queen's special friendship with her servant, John Brown. Critics loved Judi's performance, and she was nominated for her first Oscar for Best Actress. She later said this movie helped start her Hollywood career.
The next year, Judi worked with the same director again on Shakespeare in Love (1998). She played Queen Elizabeth I. Even though she was only on screen for about eight minutes, her performance was so powerful that she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress! She joked that she should only get "a little bit" of the Oscar for such a short role.
In 1999, Judi also won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway play Amy's View. She continued to appear in James Bond films, including The World Is Not Enough (1999).
Continued Success
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In 2001, Judi's husband, Michael Williams, passed away. Soon after, she started filming the movie The Shipping News. She later said that acting helped her through her grief. She also starred in Iris, playing the famous writer Iris Murdoch. She was nominated for another Oscar for this role.
In 2002, Judi played Lady Bracknell in the movie The Importance of Being Earnest, a funny story set in Victorian England. She also returned as M in the James Bond film Die Another Day. In the children's cartoon Angelina Ballerina, Judi voiced Miss Lilly, Angelina's ballet teacher, and her daughter, Finty, voiced Angelina!
In 2004, Judi appeared in the science fiction movie The Chronicles of Riddick with Vin Diesel. She said filming was "tremendous fun" even though she didn't quite understand the plot! She also starred with her friend Maggie Smith in the gentle drama Ladies in Lavender.
A big success for Judi was the 2005 movie Pride & Prejudice, based on the famous book. She had a small but important role. In 2006, she continued as M in the new James Bond film Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig. This movie was a huge hit!
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Judi also starred in the drama Notes on a Scandal (2006) with Cate Blanchett. Critics loved their performances, and Judi received her sixth Oscar nomination. She also appeared in the popular BBC TV series Cranford in 2007.
In 2008, Judi became the voice for the narration of the Spaceship Earth ride at Walt Disney World's Epcot. She also returned as M in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. The director wanted her role to be bigger, so she got to interact with Bond more.
In 2009, Judi appeared in the musical film Nine and the experimental film Rage. She said she liked doing something "not expected" and even had to learn to smoke a joint for the role!
Recent Work
In 2010, Judi Dench performed in a play called A Midsummer Night's Dream, playing Titania as Queen Elizabeth I. She also sang "Send in the Clowns" at a special concert for composer Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday.
In 2011, Judi appeared in several films, including Jane Eyre, My Week with Marilyn, and J. Edgar. In My Week with Marilyn, she played the actress Sybil Thorndike and was nominated for another BAFTA award.
A big success came in 2012 with the comedy-drama The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Judi starred with a group of other famous British actors as pensioners moving to a retirement hotel in India. The movie was a surprise hit and was loved by critics.
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In 2012, Judi made her seventh and final appearance as M in the James Bond film Skyfall. In this movie, M is a very important part of the story, and Bond has to protect her. Skyfall was a huge success, becoming one of the highest-grossing James Bond films ever. Critics praised Judi's "compelling" performance.
In 2013, Judi starred in Philomena, a film based on a true story about a woman searching for her son. Her performance was highly praised, and she received her seventh Oscar nomination!
In 2015, Judi appeared in a TV adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's novel Esio Trot. She played a widowed neighbor who loves her tortoise. She also returned for the sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
In 2016, Judi made history by winning her eighth Laurence Olivier Award for her role in the play The Winter's Tale. She also appeared in the TV series The Hollow Crown and the fantasy film Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, where she played a headmistress who can control time.
In 2017, Judi reprised her role as Queen Victoria in Victoria & Abdul, which showed the Queen's friendship with her Indian servant. She also appeared in Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express.
In 2018, Judi starred in the spy drama Red Joan and reunited with Kenneth Branagh for All Is True, where she played William Shakespeare's wife. She also appeared in a documentary called Nothing Like a Dame with other famous actresses, which was very funny.
In 2019, Judi presented a nature documentary series called Judi Dench's Wild Borneo Adventure, exploring wildlife. She also appeared in the film adaptation of the musical Cats.
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In 2020, Judi worked with Kenneth Branagh again in the fantasy film Artemis Fowl. She also appeared in the war drama Six Minutes to Midnight and the comedy film Blithe Spirit.
In 2021, Judi had a small role in Off the Rails. Her other film that year was Kenneth Branagh's Belfast, a black-and-white movie about a young boy's childhood in Northern Ireland in the 1960s. This film received amazing reviews, and Judi earned her eighth Oscar nomination for it!
In 2023, Judi appeared in a concert called Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends and sang "Send in the Clowns". She also had a special show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where she talked about her life and career.
Personal Life
Judi Dench lives in a place called Outwood, Surrey. She has been a Quaker since she was a schoolgirl and says her faith guides everything she does. She is also a big fan of the Liverpool football team Everton F.C. and supports their charity work.
Judi married actor Michael Williams in 1971. They were together until he passed away in 2001. They had one daughter, Finty Williams, who was born in 1972 and also became an actress. Judi also has a grandson.
Since 2010, Judi has been in a relationship with David Mills, who works to protect nature. They met when Judi opened a new squirrel enclosure at the British Wildlife Centre, which David founded. She said she never expected to find love again after her husband's death, but it was "wonderful."
In 2012, Judi shared that she has a condition called macular degeneration, which affects her eyesight. She needs someone to read scripts to her now. However, she also found out she has a photographic memory and can remember lines easily! She also had knee surgery in 2013 and recovered well.
Judi has spoken out against the idea that older actresses are too old to work. She believes that age is just a number and that people shouldn't be told they can't do something because of their age.
Awards and Honours
Judi Dench has won many awards for her acting. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Shakespeare in Love (1998). She has been nominated for an Oscar eight times in total!
She has also won six British Academy Film Awards, four British Academy Television Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Tony Award, and seven Laurence Olivier Awards.
Judi was given the title Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1970 and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1988. This means she is a "Dame," which is a very high honor in Britain. In 2005, she was also made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour.
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) by Felix Mendelssohn, conducted by Seiji Ozawa (as Narrator)
- A Little Night Music (1995) by Stephen Sondheim, Royal National Theatre Cast
- Nine (2009) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- Spaceship Earth (Epcot) narrator of the current version of the attraction (2008).
Images for kids
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Judi Dench's signature
See also
In Spanish: Judi Dench para niños
- List of British Academy Award nominees and winners
- List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
- List of actors with two or more Academy Award nominations in acting categories
