-
Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
-
Jack Dabdoub to Anthony John Denison
Judi Dench Biography (1934-)
Full name, Judith Olivia Dench; born December 9, 1934, in York, England; daughter of Reginald Arthur and Eleanora Olave (Jones) Dench; married Michael Williams (an actor), February 5, 1971; children: Tara Cressida Frances Williams(also known as Finty Williams; an actress). Education: Studied at Mount School, York, England; trained for the stage at the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art (also known as the Central School of Speech and Drama). Religion: Religious Society of Friends. Avocational interests: Painting, drawing, sewing, swimming, catching up with letters. Addresses:
Agent-- Tor Belfrage, Julian Belfrage Associates, 46 Albemarle St., London W1X 4PP, England; William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Career: Actress. Old Vic Company, London, England, member of the company, 1957-61. Also known as Dame Judi Dench. Awards, Honors: British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Award, most outstanding newcomer to leading film roles, 1965, for Four in the Morning; British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Award, best television actress, and Guild of Directors Award, best actress, both 1967, for Talkingto a Stranger; London Critics Award, Variety Club of Great Britain, bestactress, 1967, for The Promise; Laurence Olivier Award, Society of West End Theatre, actress of the year, 1977, for Macbeth; Laurence Olivier Award, Society of West End Theatre, best actress, c. 1978, for The Comedy of Errors; honorary doctor of letters, Warwick University, 1978, and York University, 1983; named to the Order of the British Empire, 1980; Evening Standard Award and Plays and Players Award, both best actress,Laurence Olivier Award, Society of West End Theatre, and Variety Club of Great Britain Award, both actress of the year, all 1980, for Juno and the Paycock; British Academy of Film and Television Arts Television Award, best television actress, 1981, for Going Gently; British Academy of Film andTelevision Arts Television Award, best television actress, 1981, for TheCherry Orchard; British Academy of Film and Television Arts Television Awards, best television actress, 1981, and best light entertainment performance, 1984, both for A Fine Romance;
Plays and Players Award and Evening Standard Award, both best actress, 1983, for The Importance of Being Earnest; Laurence Olivier Award, Society of West End Theatre, andPlays and Players Award, both best actress, 1983, for Pack of Lies;
Evening Standard Award, best actress, 1983, for A Kind of Alaska; American Cinema Editors Award, best actress, c. 1985, for Mr. andMrs. Edgehill; British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Award, best actress in a supporting role, 1986, for A Room with a View; British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Award nomination, best actress ina supporting role, 1986, for Wetherby; Laurence Olivier Award, Societyof West End Theatre, actress of the year, Evening Standard Award, best actress, and Drama Award, all 1987, for Antony and Cleopatra;British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Award nomination, best actress in a supporting role, 1988, for 84 Charing Cross Road; American Cinema Editors Award, 1988, for Ghosts; named Dame Commander of the British Empire, 1988; British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Award nomination, best actress in a supporting role, 1989, for A Handful of Dust; British Academy of Film and Television Arts Television Award nomination, best actress, 1990, for Behaving Badly; Laurence Olivier Awards, Societyof West End Theatre, best actress and best actress in a musical, both 1996,for A Little Night Music; Laurence Olivier Award, Society of West EndTheatre, best actress, 1996, for Absolute Hell; Rothermore Award, 1997, for lifetime achievement; Online Film Critics Society Award, best actress,and Critics Circle Award, both 1997, Golden Globe Award, best performance byan actress in a supporting role in a motion picture, British Academy of Filmand Television Arts Film Award and British Academy of Film and Television Arts Scotland Award, both best performance by an actress in a leading role, Chicago Film Critics Association Award, best actress, Golden Satellite Award, best performance by an actress in a motion picture--drama, Academy Award nomination, best actress, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role, all 1998, all for Mrs. Brown; Critics Circle Drama Award, 1997, and Antoinette Perry Award, best actress in a play, 1999, both for Amy's View; Academy Award and National Society of Film Critics Award, both best supporting actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Award, best performance by an actress in asupporting role, Screen Actors Guild Award (with others), outstanding performance by a cast, Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role, all1999, for Shakespeare in Love; Laurence Olivier Award nomination, Society of West End Theatre, c. 1999, for Filumena; United Kingdom Entertainment Personality of the Year Award, Variety Club of Great Britain, 1999; Evening Standard Award, Plays and Players Awards, and Drama Award, all for Other Places; Critics Circle Award, for "outstandingservice to the arts"; Gold Medal, Elsie Fogarty Prize, and William Poel Memorial Prize, all from the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. Addresses: Agent: Tor Belfrage, Julian Belfrage Associates, 46 Albemarle St., London W1X 4PP, England; William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.
- Nationality
- English
- Gender
- Female
- Occupation
- Actress
- Birth Details
- December 9, 1934
- York, England
Famous Works
-
CREDITS
-
Film Appearances
- (Uncredited) Miss Humphries, The Third Secret, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1964
- Wife, Four in the Morning, West One Film Producers, 1965
- Joanne, He Who Rides a Tiger, Sigma, 1966
- Sally, A Study in Terror(also known as Fog and SherlockHolmes Grosster Fall), Columbia, 1966
- Titania, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Eagle, 1969
- Katherine, Luther, American Film Theatre, 1974
- Laura Davidson, Dead Cert, United Artists, 1974
- Narrator, Nela,1980
- Marcia Pilborough, Wetherby, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1985
- Narrator, The Angelic Conversation, British Film Institute, 1985
- Miss Eleanor Lavish, A Room with a View, Cinecom, 1986
- Nora Doel, 84 Charing Cross Road, Columbia, 1987
- Mrs. Beaver, A Handful of Dust, New Line Cinema, 1988
- Mistress Quickly, Henry V, Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1989
- Margaret, Jack and Sarah, Gramercy Pictures, 1994
-
A Little Night Music,1995
- M, GoldenEye, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1995
- Hecuba, Hamlet(also known as William Shakespeare's Hamlet), Columbia/Sony Pictures Entertainment, 1996
- Queen Victoria, Mrs. Brown(also known as Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown), Miramax, 1996
- Harriet Hawthorne, After Murder Park,[Great Britain], 1997
- M, Tomorrow Never Dies, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1997
- Arabella Delancey, Tea with Mussolini(also known as Un te con Mussolini), Universal, 1998
- M, The World Is Not Enough(also known as Bond 19,
Bond 2000,
Death Waits for No Man,
Fire and Ice,
Pressure Point, and T.W.I.N.E.), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1998
- Queen Elizabeth I, Shakespeare in Love, Miramax, 1998
- Amande Voizin, Chocolat, Miramax, 2000
- Narrator, Into the Arms of Strangers(also known as Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport; documentary), Warner Bros., 2000
- Madame Raquin, Therese Raquin, October Films, 2001
-
Television Appearances
-
Series
- Laura and performer of title theme, A Fine Romance, London WeekendTelevision, 1981-84
- Jean Mary Pargeter Hardcastle, As Time Goes By, BBC, 1993-
-
Miniseries
- Terry, Talking to a Stranger, BBC-2, 1966
- Aunt Sadie Alconleigh, Love in a Cold Climate, Thames Television,1980 later broadcast on Masterpiece Theatre, PBS, 1982
- Herself, Playing Shakespeare, London Weekend Television, 1984
- Dorrie Edgehill, Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill(also known as Star Quality: Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill,[Great Britain], 1985 later broadcast on Masterpiece Theatre, PBS, 1988
-
Movies
- Barbara Dean, Saigon--Year of the Cat, Thames Television, 1983
- Millie Crocker-Harris, The Browning Version, BBC, 1985
- Bridget, Behaving Badly, Channel Four, 1988
- Anne Harris, Can You Hear Me Thinking?, BBC America, 1990
- Christine Foskett, Absolute Hell,1991
- Elizabeth, The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, BBC and HBO, 2000
-
Specials
- Katherine, "Luther," Play of the Month, BBC, 1965
- Elizabeth, "Days to Come," Play of the Month, BBC, 1966
- "Langrishe, Go Down," BBC-2 Play of the Week, BBC-2, 1978
- Adriana, "The Comedy of Errors," BBC Television Shakespeare, BBC-2, 1978
- Hazel Wiles, "On Giant's Shoulders," BBC-2 Play of the Week, BBC-2, 1979
- Lady Macbeth, "Macbeth," BBC Television Shakespeare, BBC-2, 1979
- Nurse, "Going Gently," Playhouse, BBC-2, 1981
- "On Approval," Play of the Month, BBC, c. 1982
- Mrs. Alving, Ghosts, BBC America, 1986
- Cleopatra, Antony and Cleopatra, c. 1987
- Adriana, The Comedy of Errors(also known as Shakespeare Festival: The Comedy of Errors), Arts and Entertainment, 1990
- Desiree Armfeldts, "Send in the Clowns," Hey Mr. Producer(also known as Hey Mr. Producer!: The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh), PBS, 1998
-
Broadway "99: Launching the Tony Awards, PBS, 1999
- Madame Ranevsky, The Cherry Orchard, BBC America, 1999
- Appeared in Major Barbara; appeared in other specials.
-
Television Work
-
Specials
- Director, Look Back in Anger, Thames Television, 1989
-
Television Appearances
-
Awards Presentations
-
The 71st Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1999
- Presenter, The 53rd Annual Tony Awards,1999
- Presenter, The 72nd Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 2000
-
Episodic
-
An Age of Kings, BBC, 1960
- Herself, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 1998
- Appeared in Jackanory, BBC; The Morecambe and Wise Show, Associated Television, BBC, and BBC-2; Neighbours, Channel Seven and BBC; and episodes of other series.
-
Other Television Appearances
-
Torch,1990
-
Absolute Hell,1996
- Also appeared in Emile,
Feydeau Farces,
The Funambulists,
Hilda Lessways,
Make and Break,
Marching Song,
Parade's End,
Pink String and Sealing Wax, and A Village Wooing.
-
Radio Appearances
-
Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing?(solo play), BBC Radio Four, 1989
-
Stage Appearances
- First fairy, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Old Vic Company, London, England, 1957
- Ophelia, Hamlet, Old Vic Company, Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool,England, 1957 then Old Vic Theatre, London, England, 1957
- Maria, Twelfth Night, Old Vic Company, London, England, 1957-58
- Katherine, Henry V, Old Vic Company, Broadway production, 1958
- Anne Page, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Old Vic Company, London, England, 1959
- Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, Old Vic Company, London, England, 1959-61
- Hermia, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Old Vic Company, London, England, 1960
-
Romeo and Juliet, Paladino d'Argentino, Venice, Italy, Festival, 1961
- Anya, The Cherry Orchard, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, London, England, 1961
- Dorcas Bellboys, A Penny for a Song, Aldwych Theatre, 1962
- Isabella, Measure for Measure, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1962
- Titania, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Royal Shakespeare Company,Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1962
- Josefa Lautenay, A Shot in the Dark, Lyric Theatre, London, England, 1963
- Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham, England,1963
- Anna, The Twelfth Hour, Oxford Playhouse Company, Great Britain, 1964
- Irina, The Three Sisters, Oxford Playhouse Company, Great Britain,1964
- Amanda, Private Lives, Nottingham Playhouse, 1965
- Dol Common, The Alchemist, Oxford Playhouse Company, Great Britain, 1965
- Isabella, Measure for Measure, Nottingham Playhouse, 1965
- Jacqueline, The Firescreen, Oxford Playhouse Company, Great Britain, 1965
- Jeannette, Romeo and Jeanette, Oxford Playhouse Company, Great Britain, 1965
- Barbara, The Astrakhan Coat, Nottingham Playhouse, 1966
- Title role (Joan of Arc), St. Joan, Nottingham Playhouse, 1966
- Sila, The Rules of the Game, Oxford Playhouse, 1966
- Lika, The Promise, Oxford Playhouse, Great Britain, 1966 then Fortune Theatre, London, England, 1967
- Sally Bowles, Cabaret, Palace Theatre, London, England, 1968
- Bianca, Women Beware Women, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1969
- Hermione and Perdita, The Winter's Tale, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1969
- Viola, Twelfth Night, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1969
- Barbara Undershaft, Major Barbara, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, 1970-71
- Grace Harkaway, London Assurance, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, 1970-71
- Hermione and Perdita, The Winter's Tale, Aldwych Theatre, 1970-71
- Viola, Twelfth Night, Aldwych Theatre, 1970-71
- Title role, The Duchess of Malfi, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1971
- First fieldmouse, a brave stoat, and Mother Rabbit, Toad of Toad Hall, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1971
- Portia, The Merchant of Venice, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1971
- Viola, Twelfth Night, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1971
- Grace Harkaway, London Assurance, New Theatre, London, England, 1972
-
Content to Whisper, Theatre Royal, York, England, 1973
- Vilma, The Wolf, Apollo Theatre, then Queen's Theatre, later New London Theatre, all London, England, 1973
- Miss Trant, The Good Companions, Her Majesty's Theatre, London, England, 1974
- Nurse, Too True to Be Good, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, then Globe Theatre, London, England, 1975
- Sophie Fullgarney, The Gay Lord Quex, Albery Theatre, London, England, 1975
- Beatrice, Much Ado about Nothing, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1976
- Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1976
- Regan, King Lear, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon,England, 1976
- Adriana, The Comedy of Errors, Royal Shakespeare Company, Fair Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1976-77
- Adriana, The Comedy of Errors, Aldwych Theatre, 1977-78
- Beatrice, Much Ado about Nothing, Aldwych Theatre, 1977-78
- Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Aldwych Theatre, 1977-78
- Lona Hessel, Pillars of the Community, Aldwych Theatre, 1977-78
- Millament, The Way of the World, Aldwych Theatre, 1977-78
- Imogen, Cymbeline, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon,England, 1979
-
Juno and the Paycock, Aldwych Theatre, 1980-81
- Deborah, A Kind of Alaska,1982
- Lady Bracknell, The Importance of Being Earnest, Royal National Theatre Company, Lyttleton Theatre, London, England, 1982
- Barbara Jackson, Pack of Lies, Lyric Theatre, 1983
- Title role, Mother Courage, Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Center Theatre, London, England, 1984-85
- Amy O'Connell, Waste, Royal Shakespeare Company, The Pit, London, England, 1985 then Lyric Theatre, 1985
-
Mr. and Mrs. Nobody, Garrick Theatre, London, England, 1987
- Cleopatra, Antony and Cleopatra, Royal National Theatre Company, Olivier Theatre, London, England, 1987-88
- Sarah Eldridge, Entertaining Strangers, National Theatre Company,Cottlesloe Theatre, London, England, 1987-88
- Gertrude, Hamlet, National Theatre Company, Olivier Theatre, 1989
- Visitor, Star Quality, Richmond Theatre, London, England, 1989
- Madame Ranyevskaya, The Cherry Orchard, Aldwych Theatre, 1989-90
- Bessie Burgess, The Plough and the Stars, Young Vic Theatre, London, England, 1991-92
- Louise Rafi, The Sea, Lyttleton Theatre, 1991-92
-
Coriolanus, Chichester Theatre Festival, Chichester, England, 1992
-
The Gift of the Gorgon,1992-93
-
The Seagull,1994
- Desiree Armfeldts, A Little Night Music, Royal National Theatre Company, 1995
-
Absolute Hell, London, England, c. 1996
- Esme Allen, Amy's View, Royal National Theatre Company, Lyttleton Theatre, 1997 then Aldwych Theatre, 1998 later Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City, 1999
- Title role, Filumena, Peter Hall Company, Piccadilly Theatre, London, England, 1998
- Appeared as Juliet in Measure for Measure, Phebe in As You LikeIt, Cynthia in The Double Dealer, Cecily Cardew in The Importance of Being Earnest, and Kate Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer, all Old Vic Company, London, England; also appeared in The Cherry Orchard,
Going Gently, and Other Places.
-
Stage Work
-
Director
-
Look Back in Anger, Renaissance Theatre Company, Coliseum Theatre,London, Theatre, 1989
-
The Boys from Syracuse, Open Air Theatre, London, England, 1991
- Also directed Romeo and Juliet, Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, London, England; As You Like It and Much Ado about Nothing,both Renaissance Theatre Company, London, England; and Macbeth, Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, London, England.
-
Major Tours
- Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Nottingham Playhouse, West African cities,1963
- Viola, Twelfth Night, Nottingham Playhouse, West African cities, 1963
- Viola, Twelfth Night, Australian cities, 1970 then Japanese cities, 1972
- Toured with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Edinburgh, Scotland, 1957-61, as well as in cities in the United States and Canada in addition to citiesin the former Yugoslavia.
-
RECORDINGS
-
Albums
- King's Singers, Kids' Stuff, His Master's Voice/EMI, 1986
-
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Deutsche Grammophon, 1994
-
Taped Readings
- Narrator, Silas Marner,1988
- (With others) The Importance of Being Earnest, Trafalgar Square, 1995
- Narrator (with Josh Ackland and Simon Callow), The Ultimate Fairy TaleCollection, Trafalgar Square, 1995
- "Penguin English Verse: The Victorians," Penguin English Verse: The Sixteenth Century, the Seventeenth Century, the Eighteenth Century, the Romantics, the Victorians, the Early Twentieth Century, Vol. 12, Penguin Highbridge Audio, 1996
- Narrator, Lark Rise to Candleford, Penguin Highbridge Audio, 1996
- Narrator, Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, Trafalgar Square, 1997
- (With others) Pooh Goes Visiting: And Other Stories, Trafalgar Square, 1998
-
The Winnie-the-Pooh Gift Pack, Trafalgar Square, 1998
-
Lady Chatterley's Lover, Media Books, 1999
-
Shakespeare: His Life and Work, Audio Partners Publishing Corporation, 2000
-
WRITINGS
-
Nonfiction
- (With Nigel Rideout) First Steps towards an Acting Career, A &C Black (London, England), 1996
- (With Patsy Rodenburg) The Actor Speaks: Voice and the Performer,St. Martin's Press (London, England and New York City), 2000
- Also wrote Judi Dench: A Great Deal of Laughter.
-
Author of Foreword
- Robin May, Who's Who in Shakespeare, Elm Tree Books (London, England), 1972 republished by Taplinger (New York City), 1972
- Judith Cook, Directors' Theatre, Harrap (London, England), 1974
- John Doyle and Ray Lischner, Shakespeare for Dummies, IDG Books Worldwide (Foster City, CA), 1999
Further Reference
OTHER SOURCES
Books:
- Miller, John, Judi Dench: With a Crack in Her Voice, March 1, 1999, Welcome Rain Publishers (New York City), 2000.
Periodicals:
-
Entertainment Weekly, p. 49.
-
London Theatre News, August 1, 1997 , pp. 1, 10.
-
Newsweek, April 26, 1999 , p. 68.
-
Variety, February 16, 1998 , pp. 63-64; December 13, 1999, pp. 86-87; December 20, 1999, p. 76.
Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: