The boss of James Bond: British theater and film icon: Judi Dench turns 90

She doesn’t like being called a national treasure, but that’s exactly what she is. Dame Judi Dench is one of Britain’s most renowned and popular actors. An icon of the theater, she became a movie star in her 60s and won an Oscar. And that despite the fact that she says she feels uncomfortable in front of the camera.

Today, December 9th, Dame Judi turns 90. “You get a little nervous when everyone says 90,” she admitted and joked in the Sunday Times interview. “I’d rather not think so much about turning 90, I’d rather imagine myself turning 29.”

She wants to celebrate her birthday with her family. James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli also wanted to take her out to dinner, Dench revealed.

World-famous as 007’s boss

As the boss of James Bond, the Brit, who was already a respected stage star in her homeland, became known to a broad international audience. She immediately made a strong impression in 1995 in “GoldenEye” with Pierce Brosnan. “I think you’re a sexist, misogynistic dinosaur,” she accused the new 007. “A relic of the Cold War.”

After Brosnan’s departure, Dench retained her role as secret service boss M despite a reboot of the cult series with Daniel Craig. In a total of seven films – eight if you count a short video sequence in “Spectre” (2015) – she played M, who had an almost maternal relationship with her has secret agents.

An Oscar win and many nominations

Dench received her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress in 1998 for Her Majesty Mrs. Brown. A year later she got it for her brief but unforgettable supporting role as Queen Elizabeth I in “Shakespeare In Love.” “I never thought I would win an Oscar with eight minutes of screen time,” she told the Guardian.

Dench was nominated for the coveted trophy a total of eight times, most recently in 2021 for the drama “Belfast”. She also received eleven British Film Awards (Baftas) and numerous other film and theater awards.

Making films is “torture” for Dench

The cinema audience is at Dame Judi’s feet. However, she could never really get used to it herself. “For me, filming is torture overall. Because once it’s in the can, it stays that way forever,” she told British TV journalist Louis Theroux in a BBC interview.

“In the theater you can do it better on Tuesday and maybe it won’t be as good on Friday. But in a film, the director decides. He says ‘cut’ – and that’s the final version.” Dench admitted that she had never seen many of the films she worked on. “And I don’t want to see her either. That would just annoy me.”

The films she would rather forget include the musical flop “Cats” (2019) and the science fiction trash “Riddick: Chronicles of a Warrior” (2004) with Vin Diesel. “My family teases me about it,” joked the actress with an infectious laugh. She barely remembers the film.

Eternal passion theater

Like many of her theater colleagues, Judi Dench prefers to be on the boards that mean the world. Born in York on December 9, 1934, the daughter of an Irish mother and an English father attracted attention early on with her charisma and talent.

Immediately after drama school she was engaged by the National Theater in “Hamlet”. The press reacted outraged. “They said, ‘How can the so-called National Theater hire an absolute newcomer to play Ophelia?'” Dench recalled in the BBC interview. “They were really angry. That’s why they finally took the role away from me.” That couldn’t stop her great career.

Michael was her great love

At the theater she also found her personal happiness and met her true love. She was married to the actor Michael Williams from 1971 until his death in 2001. The couple often appeared on stage together or even appeared in commercials together. Their daughter Finty was born from her marriage to Michael, who died of lung cancer.

David Mills has been Judi Dench’s partner for almost 20 years. “I never thought for a minute that there would be anyone else in my life,” she told the Mirror. “I’m very lucky.” But they didn’t want to get married or move in together. “We’re far too grown up for that.”

Grandma Judi has a lot of humor

Judi Dench proved, among other things, during the Corona pandemic that she has a lot of humor and doesn’t take herself too seriously. During lockdown, she recorded short videos with her grandson Sam in which she danced choreographies to hip-hop songs. Sam posted the clips on Tiktok and briefly made his grandmother something of an internet phenomenon.

A video in which the Oscar winner wears movable rabbit ears and laughs her head off is particularly memorable. For Dench, who feels most comfortable interacting with other people, the videos have been a blessing. “That saved my life,” she said.

When her friends and colleagues Maggie Smith and Barbara Leigh-Hunt recently died, it was a huge blow for Judi Dench. But it also made her realize something: “I think you’re lucky to be 90,” she told the Sunday Times. “At least I’m able to get from A to B and walk around. Christ, I really have a lot to be grateful for.”