Judi Dench

Judi Dench - Film & Theater Personalities, Birthday and Childhood

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Judi Dench's Personal Details

Judi Dench is a British actress, best known for her role as ‘M’ in the 007 James Bond movies

InformationDetail
BirthdayDecember 9, 1934
NationalityBritish
FamousFilm & Theater Personalities, Actresses
SpousesMichael Williams (m. 1971–2001)
SiblingsJeffery Dench
Known asDame Judith Olivia Dench, Judith Olivia Dench
ChildrensFinty Williams
Universities
  • Central School of Speech and Drama
Birth PlaceHeworth, York, United Kingdom
ReligionQuakers
Height155
GenderFemale
FatherReginald Arthur Dench
MotherEleanora Olive Jones
Sun SignSagittarius
Born inHeworth, York, United Kingdom
Famous asActress

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Judi Dench's photo

Who is Judi Dench?

Judi Dench is a British actress, best known for her role as ‘M’ in the 007 James Bond movies. She made her professional theatre debut at the Royal Court Theatre as Ophelia in ‘Hamlet’ produced by the Old Vic Company. She later joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in a number of plays including ‘The Cherry Orchard’ at the Aldwych Theatre. She also appeared as Lady Macbeth in a Playhouse Company production. She made her debut on the big screen in the film ‘The Third Secret’ and made her television debut in the BBC serial ‘Hilda Lessways’. In the course of her career she has won over 50 awards with more than 200 nominations which include a Best Supporting Actress, Academy Award, for her role in ‘Shakespeare in Love’. She has been honoured with a number of titles and awards including the Order of the British Empire (OBE), Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) and fellow of the British Film Institute (BFI). She married British actor Michael Williams and has a daughter named Tara Cressida Frances Williams who is an actress. Well passed 80, she is still actively involved in various philanthropic ventures and is in no mood to retire from her acting career.

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Childhood & Early Life

She was born Judith Olivia Dench on December 09, 1934, in Heworth, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, to Eleanora Olive and Reginald Arthur Dench. Her father was a doctor and her mother worked as a wardrobe mistress. Her brother Jeffery Dench grew up to be an actor and was instrumental in making her join the field.

She studied at the all girls Mount School and became a Quaker due to the influence of the school. Her father was the resident doctor for the York theatre that brought her in close contact with a number of actors. She trained to be a designer at York School of Art for awhile but developed an interest in theatre. She thereafter joined the Central School of Speech and Drama where she took part in a number of plays.

Career

She made her professional theatre debut at the Royal Court Theatre as Ophelia in ‘Hamlet’ in an Old Vic Company production in 1957. She remained with the company for four years and toured the US, Canada and Yugoslavia.

In 1961, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in ‘The Cherry Orchard’ at the Aldwych Theatre. She played the role of Isabella in Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure’ the following year. She also appeared as Lady Macbeth in a Playhouse Company production.

She made her screen debut in the British drama film ‘The Third Secret’ in 1964 followed by a cameo role in the Sherlock Holms movie ‘A Study in Terror’ in 1965. She also made her television debut in the BBC serial ‘Hilda Lessways’ in 1959.

She made her big break with her role in the film ‘Four in the Morning’ for which she was awarded the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles in 1966. This was closely followed by a second BAFTA Television Best Actress Award for her performance in the BBC drama ‘Talking to a Stranger’ in 1968. She also made an appearance in the musical ‘Cabaret’ that year.

She rejoined Royal Shakespeare Company and made several appearances with them for the next 20 years. Her performances include varied roles in tragic play ‘The Duchess of Malfi’, the comedy ‘Trevor Nunn’s’ and musical ‘The Comedy of Errors’.

She appeared in a number of hit movies till she portrayed the character ‘M’ in the James Bond movie ‘Licence to Kill’ in 1989 and ‘Golden Eye’ in 1995. Her stern character that was based on the real life MI5 boss Stella Remington became her trademark. Thereafter, she has consistently appeared in the role.

Besides her role as ‘M’, Dench has appeared in several movies as a strong character. She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Queen Elizabeth in ‘Shakespeare in Love’ that was followed by positive reviews for her roles in ‘Mrs Brown’, ‘Chocolat’ and ‘Mrs Henderson Presents’ in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

Major Works

She has appeared in a number of films that include ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (1968), ‘A Room with a View’ (1985), ‘Golden Eye’ (1995), ‘Shakespeare in Love’ (1998), ‘Die Another Day’ (2002), ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (2005), ‘Quantum of Solace’ (2008), ‘Skyfall’ (2012), ‘Murder on the Oriental Express’ (2017) and ‘Nothing Like a Dame’ (2018).

Her discography includes ‘Pericles’ (1968), ‘The Good Companions’ (1974), ‘A Little Night Music’ (1995), ‘Spaceship Earth’ (2008) , and ‘Nine’ (2009).

Awards & Achievements

During her long career she has won over 50 awards with more than 200 nominations. These include a Best Supporting Actress, Academy Award, for her role in ‘Shakespeare in Love’, Academy of Interactive Arts & Science Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance – Female for ‘Golden Eye: Rogue Agent’, six BAFTA film awards and four BAFTA television awards.

Her other significant awards include two Screen Actors Guild Awards for ‘Chocolat’ and two Golden Globe Awards for ‘Mrs Brown’ and ‘The Last of the Blonde Bombshells’.

She has received 10 honorary awards that include a lifetime achievement Special Olivier Award and BAFTA fellowship.

Judi Dench was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1970, Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1988, Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 2005 and fellow of the British Film Institute (BFI) in 2011.

Personal Life & Legacy

She married British actor Michael Williams in February 1971 after dating him for almost 10 years and had a daughter named Tara Cressida Frances Williams who grew up to be an actress. The couple applied for adoption in order to have a second child, but were turned down. She became a grandmother at the age of 62. She is an animal lover and has owned several pets including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, fish and a race horse.

Her husband appeared with her in several stage and television productions, till he died of lung cancer in 2001. After her husband died she was not prepared for another relationship, till she started dating conservationist David Mills in 2010.

She is the patron of more than 180 philanthropic ventures related to health, hygiene and eradication of poverty. She also was the president of Mountview Academy of Arts, Questors Theatre and various other institutions that promote fine arts.

She has worked with non-governmental organisations to campaign for the welfare of tribal people in Botswana and Colombo. She is also a patron of the Karuna Trust that supports the cause of Dalits in India.

She is a supporter of the Everton Football Club and became a patron of the soccer team’s charity venture called ‘Everton in the Community’.

As age got the better of her, she started suffering from macular degeneration due to which she has difficulty in reading. She also had to undergo a knee surgery in 2013, from which she recovered satisfactorily. However, she has no plans of retiring and believes that age is only a number.

Trivia

She received the ‘Academy Award’ in 1999 for a six minute performance as Queen Elizabeth in ‘Shakespeare in Love’, which is the second shortest performance to be awarded an Oscar.

She is the first woman to portray the character ‘M’ in the 007 James Bond series.

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Judi Dench's awards

YearNameAward

Academy Awards(Oscars)

1999Best Actress in a Supporting RoleShakespeare in Love (1998)

Golden Globe Awards

2001Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for TelevisionThe Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000)
1998Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - DramaMrs Brown (1997)

BAFTA Awards

2002Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading RoleIris (2001)
2001Best ActressThe Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000)
1999Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting RoleShakespeare in Love (1998)
1998Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading RoleMrs Brown (1997)
1989Best Actress in a Supporting RoleA Handful of Dust (1988)
1987Best Actress in a Supporting RoleA Room with a View (1985)
1985Best Light Entertainment PerformanceA Fine Romance (1981)
1982Best ActressA Fine Romance (1981)
1982Best ActressBBC2 Playhouse (1973)
1982Best ActressThe Cherry Orchard (1981)
1968Best ActressTalking to a Stranger (1966)
1966Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film RolesFour in the Morning (1965)

Judi Dench biography timelines

  • // 9th Dec 1934
    She was born Judith Olivia Dench on December 09, 1934, in Heworth, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, to Eleanora Olive and Reginald Arthur Dench. Her father was a doctor and her mother worked as a wardrobe mistress. Her brother Jeffery Dench grew up to be an actor and was instrumental in making her join the field.
  • // 1957
    She made her professional theatre debut at the Royal Court Theatre as Ophelia in ‘Hamlet’ in an Old Vic Company production in 1957. She remained with the company for four years and toured the US, Canada and Yugoslavia.
  • // 1961
    In 1961, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in ‘The Cherry Orchard’ at the Aldwych Theatre. She played the role of Isabella in Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure’ the following year. She also appeared as Lady Macbeth in a Playhouse Company production.
  • // 1966 To 1968
    She made her big break with her role in the film ‘Four in the Morning’ for which she was awarded the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles in 1966. This was closely followed by a second BAFTA Television Best Actress Award for her performance in the BBC drama ‘Talking to a Stranger’ in 1968. She also made an appearance in the musical ‘Cabaret’ that year.
  • // Feb 1971
    She married British actor Michael Williams in February 1971 after dating him for almost 10 years and had a daughter named Tara Cressida Frances Williams who grew up to be an actress. The couple applied for adoption in order to have a second child, but were turned down. She became a grandmother at the age of 62. She is an animal lover and has owned several pets including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, fish and a race horse.
  • // 1989 To 1995
    She appeared in a number of hit movies till she portrayed the character ‘M’ in the James Bond movie ‘Licence to Kill’ in 1989 and ‘Golden Eye’ in 1995. Her stern character that was based on the real life MI5 boss Stella Remington became her trademark. Thereafter, she has consistently appeared in the role.
  • // 1999
    She received the ‘Academy Award’ in 1999 for a six minute performance as Queen Elizabeth in ‘Shakespeare in Love’, which is the second shortest performance to be awarded an Oscar.
  • // 2000
    Besides her role as ‘M’, Dench has appeared in several movies as a strong character. She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Queen Elizabeth in ‘Shakespeare in Love’ that was followed by positive reviews for her roles in ‘Mrs Brown’, ‘Chocolat’ and ‘Mrs Henderson Presents’ in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.
  • // 2001 To 2010
    Her husband appeared with her in several stage and television productions, till he died of lung cancer in 2001. After her husband died she was not prepared for another relationship, till she started dating conservationist David Mills in 2010.
  • // 2013
    As age got the better of her, she started suffering from macular degeneration due to which she has difficulty in reading. She also had to undergo a knee surgery in 2013, from which she recovered satisfactorily. However, she has no plans of retiring and believes that age is only a number.

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Judi Dench's FAQ

  • What is Judi Dench birthday?

    Judi Dench was born at 1934-12-09

  • Where is Judi Dench's birth place?

    Judi Dench was born in Heworth, York, United Kingdom

  • What is Judi Dench nationalities?

    Judi Dench's nationalities is British

  • Who is Judi Dench spouses?

    Judi Dench's spouses is Michael Williams (m. 1971–2001)

  • Who is Judi Dench siblings?

    Judi Dench's siblings is Jeffery Dench

  • Who is Judi Dench childrens?

    Judi Dench's childrens is Finty Williams

  • What was Judi Dench universities?

    Judi Dench studied at Central School of Speech and Drama

  • What is Judi Dench's religion?

    Judi Dench's religion is Quakers

  • How tall is Judi Dench?

    Judi Dench's height is 155

  • Who is Judi Dench's father?

    Judi Dench's father is Reginald Arthur Dench

  • Who is Judi Dench's mother?

    Judi Dench's mother is Eleanora Olive Jones

  • What is Judi Dench's sun sign?

    Judi Dench is Sagittarius

  • How famous is Judi Dench?

    Judi Dench is famouse as Actress