Highest rated as cast or director
Judi Dench's 5 titles from the 1990s have a median Balasaur Score of 75, led by As Time Goes By (81) and Shakespeare in Love (78), against 66 for those from the 2000s.
Biography
Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA (born 9 December 1934) is a retired English film, stage and television actress. Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. She branched into film work, and won a BAFTA Award as Most Promising Newcomer; however, most of her work during this period was in theatre. Not generally known as a singer, she drew strong reviews for her leading role in the musical Cabaret in 1968. During the next two decades, she established herself as one of the most significant British theatre performers, working for the National Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company. In television, she achieved success during this period, in the series A Fine Romance from 1981 until 1984 and in 1992 began a continuing role in the television romantic comedy series As Time Goes By. Her film appearances were infrequent until she was cast as M in GoldenEye (1995), a role she played in each James Bond film until Skyfall (2012). She received several notable film awards for her role as Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown (1997), and has since been acclaimed for her work in such films as Shakespeare in Love (1998), Chocolat (2000), Iris (2001), Mrs Henderson Presents (2005) and Notes on a Scandal (2006), and the television production The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2001). Regarded by critics as one of the greatest actresses of the post-war period, and frequently named as the leading British actress in polls, Dench has received many award nominations for her acting in theatre, film and television; her awards include ten BAFTAs, seven Laurence Olivier Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award. She was married to actor Michael Williams from 1971 until his death in 2001. They are the parents of actress Finty Williams.
Acted in 122
2020s
- 2026
Joke
Movie
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
2010s
- 2019
- 2018
Palo Santo
Mother of Palo Santo
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015
Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale
Paulina
The Vote
Christine Metcalfe
- 2013
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage
Cleopatra/Desiree Armfeldt
Vicious
Judi Dench (voice, uncredited) · 1 episode
- 2012
81Skyfall
M
Stars in Shorts
Mary
Run For Your Wife
Bag Lady
- 2011
Friend Request Pending
Mary
Into the Woods
The Giant (voice)
James Bond Supports International Women's Day
M (voice)
2000s
- 2009
Rage
Mona Carvell
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
Angelina Ballerina: All Dancers on Deck
Miss Lilly (voice)
HiT Favourites: Happy Children's Favourites
Miss Lilly (voice)
- 2005
Angelina Ballerina: Angelina's Princess Dance
Miss Lilly (voice)
Angelina Ballerina: The Big Performance
Miss Lilly (voice)
- 2004
Angelina Ballerina: The Show Must Go On
Miss Lilly (voice)
A Dairy Tale
Mrs. Calloway (voice)
- 2003
Angelina Ballerina - Lights, Camera, Action!
Miss Lilly (voice)
- 2002
The Importance of Being Earnest
Lady Bracknell
Richard Rodgers: Some Enchanted Evening
Performer: "Sixteen Going on Seventeen"
- 2001
- 2000
1990s
- 1999
Tea with Mussolini
Arabella
- 1998
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
Desiree Armfeldt (segment "Send In The Clowns")
- 1997
- 1996
- 1995
Jack & Sarah
Margaret
- 1994
- 1992
- 1991
- 1990
Can You Hear Me Thinking?
Anne
1980s
- 1989
Behaving Badly
Bridget Mayor · 4 episodes
- 1988
Comic Relief
TV
- 1987
Ghosts
Helene Alving
The Angelic Conversation
(voice)
84 Charing Cross Road
Nora Doel
Make and Break
Mrs. Rogers
- 1986
- 1985
The Browning Version
Millie Crocker-Harris
Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill
Dorrie Edgehill
Wetherby
Marcia Pilborough
- 1984
- 1983
Saigon: Year of the Cat
Barbara Dean
- 1981
The Cherry Orchard
Mme. Ranevsky
Going Gently
Sister Scarli
- 1980
Love in a Cold Climate
Aunt Sadie · 8 episodes
1970s
- 1979
On Giant's Shoulders
Hazel Wiles
Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
- 1978
The Comedy of Errors
Adriana
Langrishe, Go Down
Imogen Langrishe
- 1977
- 1976
My Homeland
Reader
- 1974
Dead Cert
Laura Davidson
Luther
Katharina
1960s
- 1968
Ooh La La!
Amélie · 1 episode
- 1967
- 1966
Talking to a Stranger
Terry Stevens - Daughter · 4 episodes
- 1965
Four in the Morning
Wife ("Judi")
He Who Rides a Tiger
Joanne
- 1964
The Third Secret
Miss Ada Humphries
- 1962
The Cherry Orchard
Anya
- 1960
Directed 1
1980s
- 1989
Look Back in Anger
Director
Appearances56
2020s
- 2026
Tea with Judi Dench featuring Ian McKellen
Self
David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth
Self
The Twelfth Night Reunion
Self - Performer
- 2025
Judi Dench: Shakespeare, My Family and Me
Self
Tea with Judi Dench featuring Kenneth Branagh
Self
- 2024
Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple
Self
- 2023
MCAINE: An Anagram of Cinema
Self - Actress (archive footage)
- 2022
Quintessentially British
Self
Louis Theroux Interviews
Self · 1 episode
Born to be The King
Narrator
Judi Dench: Our National Treasure
Self (archive footage)
I Remember It Well: Dame Judi Dench in Conversation with Gyles Bandreth
Self
Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends
Self
- 2021
The Show Must Go On! - Live at the Palace Theatre
Self - Preshow Announcement (voice)
- 2020
The Big Night In
Self
2010s
- 2019
Judi Dench's Wild Borneo Adventure
Self · 2 episodes
- 2018
- 2017
Judi Dench: My Passion for Trees
Self
- 2016
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
Self - Performer
- 2015
Dames of Classic Drama at the BBC
Self (archive material)
- 2014
- 2013
Muse of Fire
Self
- 2012
Top Gear: 50 Years of Bond Cars
Self
Everything or Nothing
Self
2000s
- 2009
Live from Studio Five
Self · 1 episode
- 2007
- 2006
- 2004
Maria Callas: Living and Dying for Art and Love
Self
- 2003
Bugs!
Narrator (voice)
- 2002
Billy Connolly: A BAFTA Tribute
Self
Best Ever Bond
Self
Die Another Day: From Script to Screen
Self
Bond Girls Are Forever
Herself
- 2000
Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport
Self - Narrator (voice)
1990s
- 1998
Highly Classified: The World of 007
Self
- 1995
Goldeneye: The Secret Files
Self
- 1992
J.R.R.T. : A Study of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, 1892-1973
Narrator
1970s
- 1978
1940s
- 1949
