Judi Dench

As if singlehandedly setting out to prove that actresses aren't necessarily finished when they reach A Certain Age, Dame Judi Dench achieved her greatest fame and loudest plaudits while in her mid-sixties. Formerly known as one of the UK's finest Shakespearians, once she'd taken to screen acting in earnest she was continually Oscar-nominated, for her roles in Mrs Brown, Shakespeare In Love, Chocolat, Iris and Mrs Henderson Presents, and this despite a general aversion to film-making. Dench has stated that, in films, people are cast primarily because they LOOK like a character, whereas on stage, in an hour and a half, she has the opportunity and ability to convince the audience she is whatever she chooses to be. THAT's acting.

Judith Olivia Dench was born on December 9th, 1934, in York, England. Her mother, Olave, hailed from Dublin, while her father, Reginald, studied medicine at Trinity College and then worked as a doctor in York. Inadvertently, it was he who introduced Judi to the world of theatre, as she would accompany him backstage at York's Theatre Royal when he was busy as the company's GP. Touring performers would often be guests in the Dench household.