Judi Dench
Biography
Judi Dench is an English film, stage and television actress born on 9 December 1934 in York, North Yorkshire, England. She made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company, playing in several of William Shakespeare's plays. Dench won a BAFTA Award as Most Promising Newcomer and drew strong reviews for her leading role in the musical Cabaret in 1968. She has established herself as a significant British actress, known for her work in theatre, film and television. Dench has appeared in numerous productions throughout her career, with 183 known credits.
Career overview
Judi Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. She went on to play in several of William Shakespeare's plays, including Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth. Dench's work during this period was primarily in theatre, where she established herself as a notable actress.
Dench branched into film work, winning a BAFTA Award as Most Promising Newcomer. She also drew strong reviews for her leading role in the musical Cabaret in 1968. Over the next two decades, Dench established herself as one of the most significant British actresses of her time.
Throughout her career, Dench has accumulated a large number of credits, with 183 known credits to her name. She has appeared in numerous films and television shows, and has worked with a variety of notable actors and directors. Dench's talent and dedication have earned her recognition and acclaim within the acting community.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- The Magic Faraway Tree (2026) as The Fridge (voice)
- David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth (2026) as Self
- Joke (2026)
- Letters to My Younger Future Self (2026)
- Judi Dench: Shakespeare, My Family and Me (2025) as Self
- Tea with Judi Dench (2025) as Self
- Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple (2024) as Self
- Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius (2023) as Self
- Allelujah (2023) as Mary
- MCAINE: An Anagram of Cinema (2023) as Self - Actress (archive footage)
- Remembers… (2022) as Self
- Spirited (2022) as Dame Judi Dench
- Louis Theroux Interviews (2022) as Self
- Judi Dench: Our National Treasure (2022) as Self (archive footage)
- Quintessentially British (2022) as Self
- I Remember It Well: Dame Judi Dench in Conversation with Gyles Bandreth (2022) as Self
- Born to be The King (2022) as Narrator
- Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends (2022) as Self
- Belfast (2021) as Granny
- Off the Rails (2021) as Diana
- The Show Must Go On! - Live at the Palace Theatre (2021) as Self - Preshow Announcement (voice)
- Staged (2020) as Judi
- Artemis Fowl (2020) as Commander Root
- Six Minutes to Midnight (2020) as Miss Rocholl
- Blithe Spirit (2020) as Madame Arcati
- The Big Night In (2020) as Self
- Cats (2019) as Old Deuteronomy
- Judi Dench's Wild Borneo Adventure (2019) as Self
- Red Joan (2018) as Joan Elizabeth Stanley
- Nothing Like a Dame (2018) as Self
- All Is True (2018) as Anne Shakespeare
- Palo Santo (2018) as Mother of Palo Santo
- Murder on the Orient Express (2017) as Princess Dragomiroff
- Tulip Fever (2017) as The Abbess of St. Ursula
- Victoria & Abdul (2017) as Queen Victoria
- Judi Dench: My Passion for Trees (2017) as Self
- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016) as Miss Avocet
- Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage (2016) as Self
- Shakespeare Live! From the RSC (2016) as Self - Performer
- Spectre (2015) as M (uncredited)
- The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015) as Evelyn Greenslade
- Roald Dahl's Esio Trot (2015) as Mrs. Silver
- The Vote (2015) as Christine Metcalfe
- Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale (2015) as Paulina
- Dames of Classic Drama at the BBC (2015) as Self (archive material)
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self
- Vicious (2013) as Judi Dench (voice, uncredited)
- Talking Pictures (2013) as Self (archive footage)
- Six by Sondheim (2013) as Self (archive footage)
- Philomena (2013) as Philomena
- Muse of Fire (2013) as Self
- National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage (2013) as Cleopatra/Desiree Armfeldt
- Skyfall (2012) as M
- The Hollow Crown (2012) as Cecily
- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) as Evelyn Greenslade
- Everything or Nothing (2012) as Self
- Stars in Shorts (2012) as Mary
- Run For Your Wife (2012) as Bag Lady
- Top Gear: 50 Years of Bond Cars (2012) as Self
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) as Society Lady
- Jane Eyre (2011) as Mrs. Fairfax
- My Week with Marilyn (2011) as Dame Sybil Thorndike
- J. Edgar (2011) as Anna Marie Hoover
- Friend Request Pending (2011) as Mary
- Into the Woods (2011) as The Giant (voice)
- James Bond Supports International Women's Day (2011) as M (voice)
- Nine (2009) as Lilli
- Live from Studio Five (2009) as Self
- Rage (2009) as Mona Carvell
- Quantum of Solace (2008) as M
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self
- Cranford (2007) as Miss Matilda Jenkyns
- The One Show (2006) as Self
- Casino Royale (2006) as M
- Notes on a Scandal (2006) as Barbara Covett
- Doogal (2006) as Narrator (voice)
- Directing Bond: The Martin Chronicles (2006)
- Angelina Ballerina: All Dancers on Deck (2006) as Miss Lilly (voice)
- Pride & Prejudice (2005) as Lady Catherine de Bourgh
- Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005) as Mrs. Laura Henderson
- Angelina Ballerina: The Big Performance (2005) as Miss Lilly (voice)
- We Become Silent - The Last Days of Health Freedom (2005) as Narrator
- Angelina Ballerina: Angelina's Princess Dance (2005) as Miss Lilly (voice)
- Who Do You Think You Are? (2004) as Self
- Home on the Range (2004) as Mrs. Caloway (voice)
- The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) as Aereon
- Ladies in Lavender (2004) as Ursula
- A Dairy Tale (2004) as Mrs. Calloway (voice)
- Angelina Ballerina: The Show Must Go On (2004) as Miss Lilly (voice)
- Maria Callas: Living and Dying for Art and Love (2004) as Self
- Angelina Ballerina - Lights, Camera, Action! (2003) as Miss Lilly (voice)
- Bugs! (2003) as Narrator (voice)
- Die Another Day (2002) as M
- The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) as Lady Bracknell
- Bond Girls Are Forever (2002) as Herself
- The Life of Shakespeare (2002) as self
- Best Ever Bond (2002) as Self
- Billy Connolly: A BAFTA Tribute (2002) as Self
- Die Another Day: From Script to Screen (2002) as Self
- Shaken and Stirred on Ice (2002) as Self
- Richard Rodgers: Some Enchanted Evening (2002) as Performer: "Sixteen Going on Seventeen"
- Judi Dench Talks to Richard Eyre (2002) as Self
- Iris (2001) as Iris Murdoch
- Angelina Ballerina (2001) as Miss Lilly (voice)
- The Shipping News (2001) as Agnis Hamm
- Chocolat (2000) as Armande Voizin
- The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000) as Elizabeth
- Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- The World Is Not Enough (1999) as M
- Tea with Mussolini (1999) as Arabella
- Parkinson (1998) as Self
- Shakespeare in Love (1998) as Queen Elizabeth
- Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh (1998) as Desiree Armfeldt (segment "Send In The Clowns")
- Highly Classified: The World of 007 (1998) as Self
- Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) as M
- Hububb (1997) Writer
- Mrs Brown (1997) as Queen Victoria
- Hamlet (1996) as Hecuba
- GoldenEye (1995) as M
- Jack & Sarah (1995) as Margaret
- Goldeneye: The Secret Files (1995) as Self
- GoldenEye: The Secret Files - The Cast (1995) as Self
- Middlemarch (1994)
- HBO First Look (1992) as Self
- As Time Goes By (1992) as Jean Pargetter
- J.R.R.T. : A Study of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, 1892-1973 (1992) as Narrator
- Pebble Mill (1991) as Self
- Performance (1991) as Christine Foskett
- Absolute Hell (1991) as Christine Foskett
- Can You Hear Me Thinking? (1990) as Anne
- Screen One (1989) as Anne
- Henry V (1989) as Mistress Quickly
- Behaving Badly (1989) as Bridget Mayor
- Look Back in Anger (1989) Director
- Countryfile (1988) as Self
- A Handful of Dust (1988) as Mrs. Beaver
- Going Live! (1987) as Self
- 84 Charing Cross Road (1987) as Nora Doel
- The Angelic Conversation (1987) as (voice)
- Make and Break (1987) as Mrs. Rogers
- Ghosts (1987) as Helene Alving
- A Room with a View (1986) as Eleanor Lavish
- Theatre Night (1985)
- Theatre Night (1985) as Helene Alving
- Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill (1985) as Dorrie Edgehill
- The Browning Version (1985) as Millie Crocker-Harris
- Wetherby (1985) as Marcia Pilborough
- Playing Shakespeare (1984)
- Saigon: Year of the Cat (1983) as Barbara Dean
- A Fine Romance (1981) as Laura Dalton
- Going Gently (1981) as Sister Scarli
- The Cherry Orchard (1981) as Mme. Ranevsky
- Love in a Cold Climate (1980) as Aunt Sadie
- Village Wooing (1979) as Z
- On Giant's Shoulders (1979) as Hazel Wiles
- Macbeth (1979) as Lady Macbeth
- An Audience with... (1978) as Self
- The Comedy of Errors (1978) as Adriana
- Langrishe, Go Down (1978) as Imogen Langrishe
- BBC2 Play of the Week (1977) as Imogen Langrishe
- BBC2 Play of the Week (1977) as Helen Wiles
- My Homeland (1976) as Reader
- Playhouse (1974) as Sister Scarli
- Luther (1974) as Katharina
- Dead Cert (1974) as Laura Davidson
- Confession (1970) as Woman
- Ooh La La! (1968) as Amélie
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968) as Titania
- Omnibus (1967) as Self - Reading Poetry
- ITV Playhouse (1967) as Helen Payle
- ITV Playhouse (1967) as Z
- Talking to a Stranger (1966) as Terry Stevens - Daughter
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Elizabeth Moris
- A Study in Terror (1965) as Sally
- He Who Rides a Tiger (1965) as Joanne
- Four in the Morning (1965) as Wife ("Judi")
- Theatre 625 (1964) as Valentine Wannop
- Theatre 625 (1964) as Terry Stevens
- Detective (1964) as Charlotte Revel
- The Third Secret (1964) as Miss Ada Humphries
- Festival (1963) as Angela Thwaites
- The Cherry Orchard (1962) as Anya
- An Age of Kings (1960) as Katherine of Valois
- Tony Awards (1956) as Self - Presenter / Winner
- The Oscars (1953) as Self
- The BAFTA Awards (1949) as Self