Judi Dench

Judi Dench

Judi Dench was born on December 9th, 1934 and is currently 91 years old. Judi Dench was born in Heworth, Yorkshire, England.

Judi Dench is widely considered to be one of Britain’s greatest actors. She is noted for her versatility, having appeared in TV and films and had numerous roles on stage. Throughout her long career, she’s garnered various accolades, including a Tony Award, an Oscar, two Golden Globes, four British Academy TV Awards, six British Academy Film Awards, and seven Olivier Awards.

Judi made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the next few years, she performed in many of Shakespeare’s plays. Although much of her work during this time was in theatre, she branched out into film work and won a BAFTA Award as Most Promising Newcomer.

In 1968, she drew some excellent reviews for her leading role playing Sally Bowles in Cabaret. Over the following two decades, she established herself as one of the most significant British theatre performers, working for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre Company.

She rose to international fame playing M in Goldeneye, a role that she played in eight James Bond movies, until her final cameo in 2015’s Spectre.

Having been nominated for eight Oscars, she finally won Best Supporting Actress for playing Queen Elizabeth I in 1998’s Shakespeare in Love.

Judi has also received honorary awards, such as the Society of London Theatre Special Award, the BAFTA Fellowship Award, and the British Film Institute Fellowship Award.

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent was an immediate New York Times Bestseller.

Acting opposite a kid with a pumpkin on his head. Taking a curtain call with a live snake in her wig. Cavorting naked through the Warwickshire countryside while painted green. These are just a few things that Dame Judi Dench has done in Shakespeare’s name.

Judi opens up for the first time about every Shakespearean role she’s played during her seven-decade career, from Titania and Lady Macbeth to Cleopatra and Ophelia. In a series of intimate conversations with Brendan O’Hea (director and actor), she guides us through Shakespeare’s plays with incisive clarity, revealing the secrets of her rehearsal process and inviting readers to share in her disasters, triumphs, and backstage shenanigans.

Interspersed with vignettes about critics, audiences, company spirit, and rehearsal room etiquette, she serves up some priceless revelations about everything from the craft of speaking in verse to her personal interpretations of some of his most famous scenes. All of which is brightened up by her mischievous sense of humor, as she strikes a level of honesty and peppering of hilarious anecdotes, numerous of which have remained behind lock and key until now.

Witty and instructive, inspiring and provocative, here is Judi’s love letter to Shakespeare, or The Man That Pays the Rent.

Related Authors

Fans of Judi Dench also enjoy these authors:

1. John Grisham, author of the Jake Brigance Series.
2. Dan Brown, author of the Robert Langdon Series.
3. Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale Series.
4. Robert Harris, author of: Conclave.
5. Michael Connelly, author of the Harry Bosch Series.

Judi Dench: F.A.Q