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 “Golden Eye“ (1995), a role she has played in each James Bond film since. 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. Dench was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1970, and promoted to Dame Commander of the order in 1988. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2005. In June 2011, she received a fellowship from the British Film Institute (BFI).
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