Dench, Judy (1934–)
Dench, Judy (1934–)
British actress. Born Judith Olivia Dench in York, England, Dec 9, 1934; educated at a Quaker school; m. Michael Williams (actor), 1971; children: Tara Williams (b. 1972, actress as Finty Williams).
Appeared on stage in Hamlet (1957), Romeo and Juliet (1960), The Cherry Orchard (1961), St. Joan (1966), Cabaret (1968), Major Barbara (1970), Pack of Lies (1983), Mother Courage (1984), A Little Night Music (1996), Breath of Life (2002); on film in Wetherby (1985), Room with a View (1985), Henry V (1990); Goldeneye (1995), Mrs. Brown (1996), Shakespeare in Love (1997), Tea with Mussolini (1998), Iris (2001), Chocolat (2000), The Shipping News (2001), Presenting Mrs. Henderson (2006). on television in "Talking to a Stranger" (1966), "On Giant's Shoulders" (1979), "Going Gently" (1981), "Love in a Cold Climate" (1980), "Behaving Badly" (1989), "Absolute Hell" (1991), "The Last of the Blonde Bombshells" (1999), and in two long-running series, "A Fine Romance" (with husband, 1980–84) and "As Time Goes By" (1991–2002). Won numerous awards, including Academy Award for Shakespeare in Love (1997) and BAFTA awards for Mrs. Brown and Iris; made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1988).
See also autobiography A Great Deal of Laughter (Futura, 1986); John Miller, Judi Dench: With a Crack in Her Voice (rev. ed., Orion, 2002)