Helen Mirren

Last updated


Helen Mirren

DBE
Helen Mirren-2208 (cropped).jpg
Mirren in 2020
Born
Helen Lydia Mironoff

(1945-07-26) 26 July 1945 (age 78)
London, England
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
OccupationActor
Years active1964–present
Works Full list
Spouse
(m. 1997)
Partner Liam Neeson (1980–1985) [1] [2]
Relatives
Awards Full list
Website helenmirren.com

Dame Helen Mirren DBE (born Helen Lydia Mironoff, [4] 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning 60 years, she is the recipient of numerous accolades and is the only performer to have achieved both the American and the British Triple Crowns of Acting. Mirren has received an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen , a Tony Award and a Laurence Olivier Award for portraying the same character in The Audience , as well as three British Academy Television Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards for her role as DCI Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect .

Contents

Mirren's stage performance as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra at the National Youth Theatre in 1965 provided her an opportunity to join the Royal Shakespeare Company, before making her West End stage debut in 1975. She subsequently went on to achieve success in film and television, appearing in films such as The Madness of King George (1994), Gosford Park (2001), and The Last Station (2009), receiving Academy Award nominations for each of those performances. For her role on Prime Suspect, which ran from 1991 to 2006, she won three consecutive British Academy Television Awards for Best Actress (1992, 1993 and 1994)—a record of consecutive wins shared with Dame Julie Walters—and two Primetime Emmy Awards. [5] She played Queen Elizabeth I in the television series Elizabeth I (2005), and Queen Elizabeth II in the film The Queen (2006); she is the only actor to have portrayed both of the regnant Elizabeths on screen. [6]

After her breakthrough role in The Long Good Friday (1980), Mirren appeared in a variety of other films including Cal (1984), for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, 2010 (1984), The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), Calendar Girls (2003), The Tempest (2010), The Debt (2010), Hitchcock (2012), The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014), Woman in Gold (2015), Eye in the Sky (2015), Trumbo (2015), and The Leisure Seeker (2017). She has also appeared in several action films such as Red (2010) and its sequel Red 2 (2013), as well as in the Fast & Furious film franchise The Fate of the Furious (2017), Hobbs & Shaw (2019), F9 (2021), and Fast X (2023).

In the Queen's 2003 Birthday Honours, Mirren was appointed a Dame (DBE) for services to drama, with investiture taking place at Buckingham Palace. [7] [8] She has received numerous honours including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013, [9] the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement in 2014, [10] and Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2022. [11]

Early life and ancestry

Mirren was born Helen Lydia Mironoff on 26 July 1945 [12] [13] at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in the Hammersmith district of London, [14] [15] to an English mother and Russian father. [16] Her mother, Kathleen "Kitty" Alexandrina Eva Matilda (née Rogers; 1908–1996), was a working-class woman from West Ham, the thirteenth of fourteen children born to a butcher whose own father was the butcher to Queen Victoria. [16] [17] Mirren's father, Vasily Petrovich Mironoff (1913–1980), was a member of an exiled family of the Russian nobility; he was taken to England when he was two by his father, Pyotr Vasilievich Mironov. [16] Pyotr Mironov, who owned a family estate near Gzhatsk (now Gagarin), was part of the Russian aristocracy. His mother, Mirren's great-grandmother, was Countess Lydia Andreevna Kamenskaya, an aristocrat and a descendant of Count Mikhail Fedotovich Kamensky, a prominent Russian general in the Napoleonic Wars. [13] [18] Pyotr Mironov served as a colonel in the Imperial Russian Army and fought in the 1904 Russo-Japanese War. He became a diplomat and was negotiating an arms deal in Britain when he and his family were stranded by the Russian Revolution in 1917. [19] [20] He settled in England and became a London cab driver to support his family. [21]

Vasily Mironoff also played the viola with the London Philharmonic Orchestra before World War II. [16] He was an ambulance driver during the war, and served in the East End of London during the Blitz. [22] He and Kathleen Rogers married in Hammersmith in 1938, and at some point before 1951 he anglicised his first name to Basil. [23] Shortly after Helen's birth, her father left the orchestra and returned to driving a cab to support the family. He later worked as a driving-test examiner, then became a civil servant with the Ministry of Transport. [12] [16] In 1951, he changed the family name to Mirren by deed poll. [23] Mirren considers her upbringing to have been "very anti-monarchist". [24] She was the second of three children; she has an older sister Katherine ("Kate"; born 1942) and had a younger brother Peter Basil (1947–2002). [25] Her paternal cousin was Tania Mallet, a model and Bond girl. [26] Mirren was brought up in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. [27]

Mirren attended Hamlet Court primary school in Westcliff-on-Sea, where she had the lead role in a school production of Hansel and Gretel , [28] [29] and St Bernard's High School for Girls in Southend-on-Sea, where she also acted in school productions. She subsequently attended a teaching college, the New College of Speech and Drama in London, "housed within Anna Pavlova's old home, Ivy House" on North End Road in Golders Green. At the age of eighteen, she passed the audition for the National Youth Theatre (NYT); and at twenty, she played Cleopatra in the NYT production of Antony and Cleopatra at the Old Vic, a role which she says "launched my career" and led to her signing with agent Al Parker. [30] [31]

Theatre career

Early years

As a result of her work for the National Youth Theatre, Mirren was invited to join the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). While with the RSC, she played Castiza in Trevor Nunn's 1966 staging of The Revenger's Tragedy , Diana in All's Well That Ends Well (1967), Cressida in Troilus and Cressida (1968), Rosalind [32] in As You Like It (1968), Julia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1970), Tatiana in Gorky's Enemies at the Aldwych (1971), and the title role in Miss Julie at The Other Place (1971). She also appeared in four productions, directed by Braham Murray for Century Theatre at the University Theatre in Manchester, between 1965 and 1967. [33]

In 1970, the director and producer John Goldschmidt made a documentary film, Doing Her Own Thing, about Mirren during her time with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Made for ATV, it was shown on the ITV network in the UK. In 1972 and 1973, Mirren worked with Peter Brook's International Centre for Theatre Research and joined the group's tour in North Africa and the US, during which they created The Conference of the Birds . She then rejoined the RSC, playing Lady Macbeth at Stratford in 1974 and at the Aldwych Theatre in 1975.

Sally Beauman reported, in her 1982 history of the RSC, that Mirren—while appearing in Nunn's Macbeth (1974), and in a letter to The Guardian newspaper—had sharply criticised both the National Theatre and the RSC for their lavish production expenditure, declaring it "unnecessary and destructive to the art of the Theatre", and adding, "The realms of truth, emotion and imagination reached for in acting a great play have become more and more remote, often totally unreachable across an abyss of costume and technicalities..." This started a big debate, and led to a question in parliament. There were no discernible repercussions for this rebuke of the RSC. [34] [35]

West End and RSC

At the West End's Royal Court Theatre in September 1975, she played the role of a rock star named Maggie in Teeth 'n' Smiles , a musical play by David Hare; she reprised the role the following year in a revival of the play at Wyndham's Theatre in May 1976.

Mirren at the opening of the Metropolitan Opera in 2008 Helen Mirren at Met Opera.jpg
Mirren at the opening of the Metropolitan Opera in 2008

Beginning in November 1975, Mirren played in West End repertory with the Lyric Theatre Company as Nina in The Seagull and Ella in Ben Travers's new farce The Bed Before Yesterday ("Mirren is stirringly voluptuous as the Harlowesque good-time girl": Michael Billington, The Guardian). At the RSC in Stratford in 1977, and at the Aldwych the following year, she played a steely Queen Margaret in Terry Hands' production of the three parts of Henry VI , while 1979 saw her 'bursting with grace', and winning acclaim for her performance as Isabella in Peter Gill's production of Measure for Measure at Riverside Studios.

In 1981, she returned to the Royal Court for the London premiere of Brian Friel's Faith Healer . That same year she also won acclaim for her performance in the title role of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi , a production of Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre which was later transferred to The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, London. Reviewing her portrayal for The Sunday Telegraph , Francis King wrote: "Miss Mirren never leaves it in doubt that even in her absences, this ardent, beautiful woman is the most important character of the story." In her performance as Moll Cutpurse in The Roaring Girl —at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in January 1983, and at the Barbican Theatre in April 1983—she was described as having "swaggered through the action with radiant singularity of purpose, filling in areas of light and shade that even Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker omitted." Michael Coveney, Financial Times , April 1983. [36]

At the beginning of 1989, Mirren co-starred with Bob Peck at the Young Vic in the London premiere of the Arthur Miller double-bill, Two Way Mirror, performances which prompted Miller to remark: "What is so good about English actors is that they are not afraid of the open expression of large emotions. British actors like to speak. In London, there's a much more open-hearted kind of exchange between stage and audience" (interview by Sheridan Morley: The Times 11 January 1989). [37] In Elegy for a Lady she played the svelte proprietress of a classy boutique, while as the blonde hooker in Some Kind of Love Story she was "clad in a Freudian slip and shifting easily from waif-like vulnerability to sexual aggression, giving the role a breathy Monroesque quality". [38]

On 15 February 2013, at the West End's Gielgud Theatre she began a turn as Elizabeth II in the World Premiere of Peter Morgan's The Audience . [39] The show was directed by Stephen Daldry. In April she was named best actress at the Olivier Awards for her role. [40]

Broadway debut

A further stage breakthrough came in 1994, in an Yvonne Arnaud Theatre production bound for the West End, when Bill Bryden cast her as Natalya Petrovna in Ivan Turgenev's A Month in the Country . Her co-stars were John Hurt as her aimless lover Rakitin and Joseph Fiennes in only his second professional stage appearance as the cocksure young tutor Belyaev. [41]

Prior to 2015, Mirren had twice been nominated for Broadway's Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play: in 1995 for her Broadway debut in A Month in the Country [42] and then again in 2002 for The Dance of Death , co-starring with Sir Ian McKellen, their fraught rehearsal period coinciding with the terrorist attacks on New York on 11 September 2001. [29]

On 7 June 2015‚ Mirren won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play‚ for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Audience (a performance which also won her the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress). Her Tony Award win made her one of the few actors to achieve the US "Triple Crown of Acting", joining the ranks of acclaimed performers including Ingrid Bergman‚ Dame Maggie Smith, and Al Pacino. [43]

National Theatre

In 1998, Mirren played Cleopatra to Alan Rickman's Antony in Antony and Cleopatra at the National Theatre. The production received poor reviews; The Guardian called it "plodding spectacle rarely informed by powerful passion", while The Daily Telegraph said "the crucial sexual chemistry on which any great production ultimately depends is fatally absent". [44] In 2000 Nicholas Hytner, who had worked with Mirren on the film version of The Madness of King George , cast her as Lady Torrance in his revival of Tennessee Williams' Orpheus Descending at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Michael Billington, reviewing for The Guardian , described her performance as "an exemplary study of an immigrant woman who has acquired a patina of resilient toughness but who slowly acknowledges her sensuality." [45]

At the National Theatre in November 2003 she again won praise playing Christine Mannon ("defiantly cool, camp and skittish", Evening Standard ; "glows with mature sexual allure", Daily Telegraph ) in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra directed by Howard Davies. "This production was one of the best experiences of my professional life, The play was four and a half hours long, and I have never known that kind of response from an audience ... It was the serendipity of a beautifully cast play, with great design and direction, It will be hard to be in anything better." [29] She played the title role in Jean Racine's Phèdre at the National in 2009, in a production directed by Nicholas Hytner. The production was also staged at the Epidaurus amphitheatre on 11 and 12 July 2009.

Film career

Mirren has appeared in a large number of films throughout her career. Some of her earlier film appearances include roles in Herostratus (1967, Dir. Don Levy), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968), Age of Consent (1969), O Lucky Man! (1973), Caligula (1979), [46] [47] The Long Good Friday (1980)—co-starring with Bob Hoskins in what was her breakthrough film role, [48] Excalibur (1981), 2010 (1984), White Nights (1985), The Mosquito Coast (1986), Pascali's Island (1988) and When the Whales Came (1989). She appeared in The Madness of King George (1994), Some Mother's Son (1996), Painted Lady (1997) and The Prince of Egypt (1998). [49] In Peter Greenaway's colourful The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover , Mirren plays the wife opposite Michael Gambon. In Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), she plays sadistic history teacher Mrs. Eve Tingle. [49]

In 2007, she claimed that the director Michael Winner had treated her "like a piece of meat" at a casting call in 1964. [50] Asked about the incident, Winner told The Guardian : "I don't remember asking her to turn around but if I did I wasn't being serious. I was only doing what the [casting] agent asked me – and for this I get reviled! Helen's a lovely person, she's a great actor and I'm a huge fan, but her memory of that moment is a little flawed." [51]

Mirren continued her successful film career when she starred in Gosford Park (2001) with Maggie Smith and Calendar Girls (2003) with Julie Walters. Other more recent appearances include The Clearing (2004), Pride (2004), Raising Helen (2004), and Shadowboxer (2005). Mirren also provided the voice for the supercomputer "Deep Thought" in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). During her career, she has portrayed three British queens in different films and television series: Elizabeth I in the television series Elizabeth I (2005), Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006), and Charlotte in The Madness of King George (1994). She is the only actor to have portrayed both Queens Elizabeth on the screen. [48]

Mirren's title role of The Queen earned her numerous acting awards including a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award, among many others. During her acceptance speech at the Academy Award ceremony, she praised and thanked Elizabeth II and stated that she had maintained her dignity and weathered many storms during her reign. Mirren later appeared in supporting roles in the films National Treasure: Book of Secrets , Inkheart , State of Play , and The Last Station , for which she was nominated for an Oscar. [52]

2000–2009

Mirren at the 60th British Academy Film Awards in 2007, where she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress Helen Mirren at the Orange British Academy Film Awards.jpg
Mirren at the 60th British Academy Film Awards in 2007, where she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress

Mirren's first film of the 2000s was Joel Hershman's Greenfingers (2000), a comedy based on the true story about the prisoners of HMP Leyhill, a minimum-security prison, who won gardening awards. [53] Mirren portrayed a devoted plantswoman in the film, who coaches a team of prison gardeners, led by Clive Owen, to victory at a prestigious flower show. [54] The project received lukewarm reviews, which suggested that it added "nothing new to this already saturated genre" of British feel-good films. [55]

The same year, she began work on the mystery film The Pledge , Sean Penn's third directorial effort, in which she played a child psychologist. A critical success, [56] the ensemble film tanked at the box office. [57] Also that year, she filmed the American-Icelandic satirical drama No Such Thing opposite Sarah Polley. Directed by Hal Hartley, Mirren portrayed a soulless television producer in the film, who strives for sensationalistic stories. It was largely panned by critics. [58]

Her biggest critical and commercial success, released in 2001, became Robert Altman's all-star ensemble mystery film Gosford Park . A homage to writer Agatha Christie's whodunit style, the story follows a party of wealthy Britons and an American, and their servants, who gather for a shooting weekend at an English country house, resulting in an unexpected murder. It received multiple awards and nominations, including a second Academy Award nomination and first Screen Actors Guild Award win for Mirren's portrayal of the sternly devoted head servant Mrs. Wilson. [59] Mirren's last film that year was Fred Schepisi's dramedy film Last Orders opposite Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins. [49]

In 2003, Mirren starred in Nigel Cole's comedy Calendar Girls , inspired by the true story of a group of Yorkshire women who produced a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia Research under the auspices of the Women's Institutes. [60] Mirren initially was reluctant to join the project, dismissing it as another middling British picture, [61] but rethought her decision upon learning of the casting of co-star Julie Walters. [61] The film was generally well received by critics, and grossed $96 million worldwide. [62] In addition, the picture earned Satellite, Golden Globe, and European Film Award nominations for Mirren. [63] Her other film that year was the Showtime television film The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone opposite Olivier Martinez, and Anne Bancroft, based on the 1950 novel of the same title by Tennessee Williams.

2010–2014

In 2010, Mirren appeared in five films. In Love Ranch , directed by her husband Taylor Hackford, she portrayed Sally Conforte, one half of a married couple who opened the first legal brothel in the US, the Mustang Ranch in Storey County, Nevada. [64] Mirren starred in the principal role of Prospera, the duchess of Milan, in Julie Taymor's The Tempest . This was based on the play of the same name by Shakespeare; Taymor changed the original character's gender to cast Mirren as her lead. [65] While the actor garnered strong reviews for her portrayal, the film itself was largely panned by critics. [66]

Mirren at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con Helen Mirren by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Mirren at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con

Mirren played a gutsy tea-shop owner who tries to save one of her young employees from marrying a teenage killer in Rowan Joffé's Brighton Rock , a crime film loosely based on Graham Greene's 1938 novel. [67] The film noir premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2010, [68] where it received mixed reviews. [69] Mirren's biggest critical and commercial success of the year was Robert Schwentke's ensemble action comedy Red , based on Warren Ellis's graphic novel, in which she portrayed Victoria, an ex-MI6 assassin. [70] Mirren was initially hesitant to sign on due to film's graphic violence, but changed her mind upon learning of Bruce Willis's involvement. [71] Released to positive reviews, it grossed $186.5 million worldwide. [72] Also in 2010, the actor lent her voice to Zack Snyder's computer-animated fantasy film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole , voicing antagonist Nyra, a leader of a group of owls. The film grossed $140.1 million on an $80 million budget. [73]

Mirren's next film was the comedy film Arthur , a remake of the 1981 film of the same name, starring Russell Brand in the lead role. Arthur received generally negative reviews from critics, who declared it an "irritating, unnecessary remake". [74] In preparation for her role as a retired Israeli Mossad agent in the film The Debt , Mirren reportedly immersed herself in studies of Hebrew language, Jewish history, and Holocaust writing, including the life of Simon Wiesenthal, while in Israel in 2009 for the filming of some of the movie's scenes. The film is a remake of a 2007 Israeli film of the same name. [75]

In 2012, Mirren played Alfred Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville in the 2012 biopic Hitchcock , directed by Sacha Gervasi and based on Stephen Rebello's non-fiction book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho . The film centres on the pair's relationship during the making of Psycho , a controversial horror film that became one of the most acclaimed and influential works in the filmmaker's career. It became a moderate arthouse success and garnered a lukewarm critical response from critics, who felt that it suffered from "tonal inconsistency and a lack of truly insightful retrospection." [76] Mirren was universally praised, however, with Roger Ebert noting that the film depended most on her portrayal, which he found to be "warm and effective". [77] Her other film that year was The Door , a claustrophobic drama film directed by István Szabó, based on the Hungarian novel of the same name. Set at the height of communist rule in 1960s Hungary, the story of the adaptation centres on the abrasive influence that a mysterious housekeeper wields over her employer and successful novelist, played Martina Gedeck. Mirren found the role "difficult to play" and cited doing it as "one of the hardest things [she has] ever done". [78]

Mirren receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013 HelenMirrenHWOFJan2013.jpg
Mirren receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013

The following year, Mirren replaced Bette Midler in David Mamet's biographical television film Phil Spector about the American musician. [79] The HBO film focuses on the relationship between Spector and his defence attorney Linda Kenney Baden, played by Mirren, during the first of his two murder trials for the death in 2003 of Lana Clarkson in his California mansion. Spector received largely mixed to positive reviews from critics, particularly for Mirren and co-star Al Pacino's performances, and was nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards, also winning Mirren a Screen Actors Guild Award at the 20th awards ceremony. The film drew criticism both from Clarkson's family and friends, who charged that the suicide defence was given more merit than it deserved, and from Spector's wife, who argued that Spector was portrayed as a "foul-mouthed megalomaniac" and a "minotaur". [80] Also in 2013, Mirren voiced the character of Dean Abigail Hardscrabble in Pixar's computer-animated comedy film Monsters University , which grossed $743 million against its estimated budget of $200 million, [81] and reprised her role in the sequel film Red 2 . [82] The action comedy received a mixed reviews from film critics, who called it a "lackadaisical sequel", [83] but became another commercial success, making over $140 million worldwide. [84]

Mirren's only film of 2014 was the comedy-drama The Hundred-Foot Journey opposite the Indian actor Om Puri. Directed by Lasse Hallström and produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, the film is based on Richard C. Morais's 2010 novel with the same name and tells the story of a feud between two adjacent restaurants in a French town. Mirren garnered largely positive reviews for her performance of a snobby restaurateur, a role which she accepted as she was keen to play a French character, reflecting her "pathetic attempt at being a French actress." [85] The film earned her another Golden Globe nomination and became a modest commercial success, grossing $88.9 million worldwide. [86]

2015–present

Mirren attending the premiere of The Leisure Seeker at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival The Leisure Seeker 06 (36402080733).jpg
Mirren attending the premiere of The Leisure Seeker at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2015, Mirren reunited with her former assistant Simon Curtis on Woman in Gold , co-starring Ryan Reynolds. [85] The film was based on the true story of Jewish refugee Maria Altmann who, together with her young lawyer Randy Schoenberg, fought the Austrian government to be reunited with Gustav Klimt's painting of her aunt, the famous Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I . [87] The film received mixed reviews from critics, although Mirren and Reynold's performances were widely praised. [88] A commercial success, Woman in Gold became one of the highest-grossing specialty films of the year. [89] The same year, Mirren appeared in Gavin Hood's thriller Eye in the Sky (2015), in which she played as a military intelligence officer who leads a secret drone mission to capture a terrorist group living in Nairobi, Kenya. [90] Mirren's last film that year was Jay Roach's biographical drama Trumbo , co-starring Bryan Cranston and Diane Lane. The actor played Hedda Hopper, the famous actor and gossip columnist, in the film, which received generally positive reviews from critics and garnered her a 14th Golden Globe nomination. [91]

Mirren's only film of 2016 was Collateral Beauty , directed by David Frankel. Co-Starring Will Smith, Keira Knightley, and Kate Winslet, the ensemble drama follows a man who copes with his daughter's death by writing letters to time, death, and love. The film earned largely negative reviews from critics, who called it "well-meaning but fundamentally flawed." [92] [93] In 2017, Mirren narrated Cries from Syria , a documentary film about the Syrian Civil War, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky. [94] Also that year, she made an uncredited cameo appearance in F. Gary Gray's The Fate of the Furious , the eighth instalment in the Fast & Furious franchise, playing Magdalene, the mother of Owen and Deckard Shaw. [95] Mirren had a larger role in director Paolo Virzì's English-language debut The Leisure Seeker , based on the 2009 novel of the same name. On set, she was reunited with Donald Sutherland with whom she had not worked again since Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990), [96] portraying a terminally ill couple who escape from their retirement home and take one last cross-country adventure in a vintage van. [97] At the 75th awards ceremony, Mirren received her 15th Golden Globe nomination. [98]

In 2018, Mirren portrayed heiress Sarah Winchester in the supernatural horror film Winchester , directed by The Spierig Brothers. [99] In the same year, she starred as Mother Ginger in Disney's adaptation of The Nutcracker , titled The Nutcracker and the Four Realms , directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston. [100] In 2019, she appeared in the ensemble film Berlin, I Love You , the French crime thriller film Anna , directed and written by Luc Besson, and co-starred in the Fast and the Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw . [101] In March 2021, she was cast as the villain Hespera in the superhero film Shazam! Fury of the Gods . [102]

Mirren portrayed Golda Meir, prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974, in a 2023 biopic entitled Golda . Reviewing the film in Variety , Owen Gleiberman wrote that "Mirren makes her terse, decisive, and ferociously alive." [103] She also appeared in the 2022 music video for Kendrick Lamar's "Count Me Out" as a therapist. [104]

Television career

Prime Suspect

Mirren is known for her role as detective Jane Tennison in the widely viewed Prime Suspect , a multiple award-winning television drama series that was noted for its high quality and popularity. Her portrayal of Tennison won her three consecutive British Academy Television Awards for Best Actress between 1992 and 1994 (making her one of four actors to have received three consecutive BAFTA TV Awards for a role, alongside Robbie Coltrane, Julie Walters and Michael Gambon). [105] Primarily due to Prime Suspect, in 2006 Mirren came 29th on ITV's poll of TV's 50 Greatest Stars voted by the British public. [106]

Other roles

Mirren's other television performances include Cousin Bette (1971); As You Like It (1979); Blue Remembered Hills (1979); The Twilight Zone episode "Dead Woman's Shoes" (1985); The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999), where her performance won her an Emmy; Door to Door (2002); and The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003). In 1976, she appeared with Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates and Malcolm McDowell in a production of Harold Pinter's The Collection as part of the Laurence Olivier Presents series. She also played Queen Elizabeth I in 2005, in the television serial Elizabeth I , for Channel 4 and HBO, for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Mirren won another Emmy Award on 16 September 2007 for her role in Prime Suspect: The Final Act on PBS in the same category as in 2006. Mirren hosted Saturday Night Live on 9 April 2011. [107] In 2022, she portrayed Cara Dutton in the Yellowstone spinoff 1923 , which also featured Harrison Ford and Timothy Dalton.

Personal life

Waxwork of Mirren at Madame Tussauds, London Helen Mirren figure at Madame Tussauds London.jpg
Waxwork of Mirren at Madame Tussauds, London

Mirren lived with Northern Irish actor Liam Neeson during the early 1980s; they met while working on Excalibur (1981). When interviewed by James Lipton for Inside the Actors Studio , Neeson said Mirren was instrumental in his getting an agent.

Mirren began dating American director Taylor Hackford in 1986. They were married on 31 December 1997, Hackford's 53rd birthday, at the Ardersier Parish Church near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. [108] They met on the set of White Nights (1985). It is her first marriage and his third. (He has two children from his previous marriages.) She has no children herself, and has stated that she has "no maternal instinct whatsoever". [109]

Mirren's autobiography, In the Frame: My Life in Words and Pictures, was published in the UK by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in September 2007. Reviewing for The Stage , John Thaxter wrote: "Sumptuously illustrated, at first sight it looks like another of those photo albums of the stars. But between the pictures there are almost 200 pages of densely printed text, an unusually frank story of her private and professional life, mainly in the theatre, the words clearly Mirren's own, delivered with forthright candour." [110]

In 1990, Mirren said in an interview that she was an atheist. [111] In the August 2011 issue of Esquire , she said, "I am quite spiritual. I believed in fairies when I was a child. I still do sort of believe in the fairies. And the leprechauns. But I don't believe in God." [112]

In a 2008 interview with GQ , Mirren revealed she was date raped as a student, and had often taken cocaine at parties in her twenties and until the 1980s. [113] [114] She stopped using it after reading that Klaus Barbie made a living from cocaine dealing. [113] [114] [115] [116]

On 11 May 2010, Mirren attended the unveiling of her waxwork at Madame Tussauds in London. In 2012, she was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork—The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover—to celebrate the British cultural figures of his life that he most admired. [117] [118] In 2010, she was named Sexiest Woman Alive by Esquire, and in a 2011 photo shoot for the magazine, she stripped down and covered up with the Union Jack. [119]

In 2013, Mirren was announced as one of several new models for Marks & Spencer's "Womanism" campaign. Subtitled "Britain's leading ladies", the campaign featured Mirren alongside British women from various fields, including pop singer Ellie Goulding, double Olympic gold medal-winning boxer Nicola Adams, and writer Monica Ali. [120] In March 2013, The Guardian listed Mirren as one of the 50 Best-Dressed Over 50. [121]

She told the Radio Times , "I'm a naturist at heart. I love being on beaches where everyone is naked. Ugly people, beautiful people, old people, whatever. It's so unisexual and so liberating." [122] In 2004, she was named Naturist of the Year by British Naturism. She said: "Many thanks to British Naturism for this great honour. I do believe in naturism and am my happiest on a nude beach with people of all ages and races!" [123]

In 2006, Mirren stated that she was never a member of any political party. [124] Mirren became a U.S. citizen in 2017 and voted in her first U.S. election in 2020. [125] [126] She supported Patricia Ackerman in her campaign against Mark Amodei in Nevada's 2nd congressional district . [127] She has openly stated she supports Israel and is a Zionist: “I believe in Israel, in the existence of Israel, and I believe Israel has to go forward into the future, for the rest of eternity ... I believe in Israel because of the Holocaust.” [128]

In April 2021, she took part in the music video "La Vacinada" (meaning the vaccinated woman in broken Spanish language) of Italian comedian and singer Checco Zalone. [129] In the song and video, Zalone jokes about the fact that, in times of COVID-19 pandemic, it is safer to have an affair with someone who has already been vaccinated against the virus, and as the elderly get vaccinated first, an older partner (played by Mirren in the video) is now the best choice. [130]

Acting credits

Awards and honours

Among her major competitive awards, Mirren has won one Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, five Emmy Awards, and one Tony Award. Her numerous honorary awards include the BAFTA Fellowship from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Gala Tribute presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. [131]

In the Queen's 2003 Birthday Honours, Mirren was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to drama, with investiture taking place at Buckingham Palace in December. [7] [8] In January 2009, Mirren was named on The Times' list of the top 10 British actresses of all time. The list included Julie Andrews, Helena Bonham Carter, Judi Dench and Audrey Hepburn. [132]

Bibliography

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Redgrave</span> British actress (born 1937)

Dame Vanessa Redgrave is an English actress. Throughout her career spanning over six decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and an Olivier Award, making her one of the few performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting. She has also received various honorary awards, including the BAFTA Fellowship Award, the Golden Lion Honorary Award, and an induction into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maggie Smith</span> English actress (born 1934)

Dame Margaret Natalie Smith is an English actress. Known for her wit in comedic roles, she has had an extensive career on stage and screen over seven decades and is one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actresses. She has received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award, making her one of the few performers to earn the Triple Crown of Acting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judi Dench</span> English actress (born 1934)

Dame Judith Olivia Dench is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage. Dench has garnered various accolades throughout a career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy Television Awards, six British Academy Film Awards and seven Olivier Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Walters</span> English actress (b. 1950)

Dame Julia Mary Walters, known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Olivier Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Plowright</span> British actress (born 1929)

Joan Ann Plowright, Baroness Olivier,, professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English retired actress whose career spanned over six decades. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award and has been nominated for an Academy Award, an Emmy and two BAFTA Awards. She was the second of only four actresses to have won two Golden Globes in the same year. She won the Laurence Olivier Award for Actress of the Year in a New Play in 1978 for Filumena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth McGovern</span> American actress (born 1961)

Elizabeth Lee McGovern is an American-British actress. She has received many awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, three Golden Globe Award nominations, and one Academy Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Piper</span> English actress and former singer and songwriter

Billie Paul Piper is an English actress and former singer. She initially gained recognition as a singer after releasing her debut single "Because We Want To" at age 15, which made her the youngest female singer to enter the UK Singles Chart at number one; her follow-up single "Girlfriend" also entered at number one. In 1998, Piper released her debut studio album, Honey to the B, which was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Her second studio album, Walk of Life, was released in 2000 and spawned her third number-one single, "Day & Night". In 2003, Piper announced that she had ended her music career to focus on acting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Ashcroft</span> English actress (1907–1991)

Dame Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft, known professionally as Peggy Ashcroft, was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years.

Alex Michael Jennings is an English actor of the stage and screen, who worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. For his work on the London stage, Jennings received three Olivier Awards, winning for Too Clever by Half (1988), Peer Gynt (1996), and My Fair Lady (2003). He is the only performer to have won Olivier awards in the drama, musical, and comedy categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet McTeer</span> English actress (born 1961)

Janet McTeer is an English actress. She began her career training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before earning acclaim for playing diverse roles on stage and screen in both period pieces and modern dramas. She has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award, a Olivier Award, a Golden Globe Award and nominations for two Academy Award and Primetime Emmy Award. In 2008 she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Colman</span> English actress (born 1974)

Sarah Caroline Sinclair, known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, two Emmy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Reilly</span> English actress (born 1977)

Jessica Kelly Siobhán Reilly is an English actress. She first appeared on screen in 1995 on the series The Biz. Her other television work includes starring roles in the British crime drama Above Suspicion (2009–2012), the American psychological medical drama Black Box (2014), the American anthology crime drama True Detective (2015) and the historical fantasy drama Britannia (2018). Since 2018, she has played Beth Dutton on the Paramount Network neo-Western drama series Yellowstone, opposite Kevin Costner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen McCrory</span> British actress (1968–2021)

Helen Elizabeth McCrory was an English actress. After studying at the Drama Centre London, she made her stage debut in The Importance of Being Earnest in 1990. Other stage roles include playing Lady Macbeth in Macbeth at Shakespeare's Globe, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Rosalind in As You Like It in the West End, and Medea in the eponymous play in the Royal National Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne-Marie Duff</span> British actress

Anne-Marie Duff is an English actress and narrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriet Walter</span> British actress (born 1950)

Dame Harriet Mary Walter is a British actress. She has performed on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and received an Olivier Award, and nominations for a Tony Award, five Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011, Walter was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Tyzack</span> British actress (1931–2011)

Margaret Maud Tyzack was an English actress. Her television roles included The Forsyte Saga (1967) I, Claudius (1976), and George Lucas's Young Indiana Jones (1992–1993). She won the 1970 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the BBC serial The First Churchills, and the 1990 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Lettice and Lovage, opposite Maggie Smith. She also won two Olivier Awards—in 1981 as Actress of the Year in a Revival and in 2009 as Best Actress in a Play. Her film appearances included 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Prick Up Your Ears (1987) and Match Point (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Negga</span> Irish actress (born 1981)

Ruth Negga is an Irish actress known for her roles in the AMC television series Preacher (2016–2019) and the film Loving (2016). For her portrayal of Mildred Loving in the latter, Negga received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. For her Broadway debut as Lady Macbeth in a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth in 2022, she earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.

<i>The Queen</i> (2006 film) 2006 biographical drama film by Stephen Frears

The Queen is a 2006 drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Peter Morgan. The film depicts the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997. The Royal Family regards Diana's death as a private affair and thus not to be treated as an official royal death, in contrast with the views of Prime Minister Tony Blair and Diana's ex-husband, Prince Charles, who favour the general public's desire for an official expression of grief. Matters are further complicated by the media, royal protocol regarding Diana's official status, and wider issues about republicanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Morgan</span> British film writer and playwright

Peter Julian Robin Morgan, is a British screenwriter and playwright. He has written for theatre, films and television, often writing about historical events or figures such as Queen Elizabeth II, whom he has covered extensively in all major media. He has received a number of accolades including five BAFTA Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, a Tony Award and a Laurence Olivier Award. In February 2017, Morgan was awarded a British Film Institute Fellowship.

<i>The Audience</i> (2013 play) Play written by Peter Morgan

The Audience is a play by the British playwright and screenwriter Peter Morgan. The play centres on weekly meetings, called audiences, between Queen Elizabeth II and her prime ministers. It premiered in the West End in 2013, at the Gielgud Theatre. A Broadway production opened in 2015, also starring Mirren. A West End revival played in London in 2015 starring Kristin Scott Thomas in the lead role.

References

  1. McArdle, Tommy (22 November 2022). "Helen Mirren Says She and Ex Liam Neeson 'Loved Each Other' But 'Were Not Meant to Be Together'" . Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  2. Guglielmi, Jodi (19 January 2018). "Liam Neeson Recalls First Falling for Former Flame Helen Mirren: 'I Was Smitten'" . Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  3. Saperstein, Pat (15 April 2022). "Rio Hackford, Club Owner and Actor, Dies at 52". Variety . Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  4. Hunt, Stacey Wilson (7 December 2010). "Hollywood's Great Dame: Helen Mirren". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  5. "Helen Mirren". Emmy Award . Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  6. "Why Helen Mirren, at 75, remains the queen of acting". Deutsche Welle . Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  7. 1 2 "No. 56963". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2003. p. 7.
  8. 1 2 "Dame Helen centre stage at palace". BBC News . 5 December 2003. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012.
  9. "Helen Mirren Gets Hollywood Walk of Fame Star". Sky News . 4 January 2013. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  10. "Dame Helen Mirren – BAFTA Fellow in 2014". BAFTA. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  11. Grater, Tom (18 November 2021). "Helen Mirren To Receive SAG Life Achievement Award". Deadline. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Helen Mirren Biography: Actor (1945–)". Biography.com . FYI/A&E Networks . Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  13. 1 2 Lahr, John (2 October 2006). "Command Performance: The reign of Helen Mirren". The New Yorker . Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  14. "England & Wales births 1837–2006 Transcription" . Findmypast . Retrieved 6 June 2016. Her birth was registered in the Hammersmith registration district
  15. Norman, Neil (10 March 2013). "'Whenever I see the Queen, I think, "Oh ... there I am"': The right royal progress of Helen Mirren" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "Helen Mirren". Nation's Memorybank. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  17. Mirren 2011, p. 34.
  18. James, Susan E. (28 September 2006). "Behind the Scene:God Save The Queen". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  19. Jacobs, Julia (21 October 2019). "Helen Mirren Plays Catherine II in the Years That Made Her 'the Great'". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. "Pyotr Vasilievich Mironov Collection: The Russian Government Committee in London (1914–1939)". University College London School of Slavonic and East European Studies Library. 11 September 2009. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  21. "Helen Mirren's in the prime of life". Evening Standard . London. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  22. Mirren 2011, p. 22.
  23. 1 2 "No. 39356". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 October 1951. p. 5331.
  24. Finn, Natalie (26 February 2007). "Helen Mirren, British Royal Tea?". E! News . Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  25. Nepales, Ruben V. (7 February 2016). "Helen Mirren fondly remembers late costar Alan Rickman". Philippine Daily Inquirer . Manila. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  26. "Goldfinger actress dies aged 77". BBC News. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  27. Piccalo, Gina (7 February 2011). "Helen Mirren interview" . The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  28. Mirren 2011, pp. 47–48.
  29. 1 2 3 Mirren, Helen (25 March 2008). In the Frame: My Life in Words and Pictures . London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN   978-1-41656-760-8.
  30. "Fame Academy: Where Daniel Craig, Helen Mirren and Colin Firth learned to act" . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  31. Waterman, Ivan (2003). Helen Mirren: The Biography . London: Metro Books. pp.  18–22, 26–29. ISBN   1843580535.
  32. "Helen Mirren – Biography". TalkTalk . Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  33. Murray, Braham (2007). The Worst It Can Be Is a Disaster. London: Methuen Drama. ISBN   978-0-7136-8490-2.
  34. Billington, Michael (23 July 2020). "Helen Mirren at 75: wild costumes, blazing performances – and a spell as a rock banshee". The Guardian. London.
  35. Beauman, Sally (1982). The Royal Shakespeare Company: A History of Ten Decades . Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19212-209-4.
  36. Ward, Philip (25 October 2019). Becoming Helen Mirren. Troubador Publishing Ltd. ISBN   978-1-8385-9714-6.
  37. Bigsby, Christopher (2011). Arthur Miller: 1962–2005. Hachette UK.
  38. Billington, Michael (25 January 1989). "The Coutours of Passion". The Guardian. London. p. 46. Retrieved 22 October 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  39. "The Audience". Hit The Theatre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  40. "Helen Mirren crowned queen of the stage". 3 News . 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  41. Thaxter, John (4 March 1994). "A Month in the Country". Richmond & Twickenham Times . Instead of a bored Natalya fretting the summer away in dull frocks, Mirren, dazzlingly gowned, is a woman almost wilfully allowing her heart's desire for her son's young tutor to rule her head and wreak domestic havoc....Creamy shoulders bared, she feels free to launch into a gloriously enchanted, dreamily comic self-confession of love.
  42. Canby, Vincent (26 April 1995). "Theater Review; Turgenev's Inquiry Into Calamitous Love". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 October 2019. Miss Mirren's performance is bigger and more animated than the one she gave last year in an entirely different London production.
  43. "7 reasons to love Helen Mirren on her 70th birthday". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  44. Lister, David (23 October 1998). "A case of hype and fall as Rickman and Mirren are put to the sword" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  45. "Southern discomfort". The Guardian. London. 28 June 2000. p. 46. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  46. Miller, Julie (19 November 2015). "Helen Mirren Reveals The One Nude Scene She Didn't Mind Filming". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  47. McNiece, Mia (19 November 2015). "Helen Mirren Reveals Her Favorite Nude Scenes Were for Caligula: 'Everyone Was Naked'". People. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  48. 1 2 "Dame Helen Mirren to receive Bafta fellowship". BBC News. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  49. 1 2 3 "All Helen Mirren's 61 movies". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  50. Walker, Tim (3 May 2013). "David Cameron keeps his distance from film director Michael Winner" . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  51. "Susan Sarandon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Charlize Theron & More Casting Couch Horror Stories". The Daily Beast. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  52. "Nominees & Winners for the 82nd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 24 August 2012. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  53. Deitz, Paula (16 July 1998). "Free to Grow Bluebells in England". The New York Times. p. 13. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  54. Ramsey, Nancy (22 July 2001). "Film; Never Too Tough to Be Softened Up by a Flower". The New York Times. p. 22. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  55. "Greenfingers (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  56. "The Pledge (2001)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  57. "US directors laud Cannes audiences". BBC News. 15 May 2001. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  58. "No Such Thing (2001)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  59. Mathews, Jack (11 March 2002). "'Gosford Park' Big Winner". New York Daily News. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  60. Neal, Rome (24 December 2003). "Helen Mirren's Calendar Girls". CBS News . Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  61. 1 2 Movie Connections. "2009 – Movie Connections – Calendar Girls (2/4)". YouTube . Archived from the original on 4 May 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  62. "Calendar Girls (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  63. "Awards for Calendar Girls". IMDb . Retrieved 14 February 2008.
  64. Brown, Lane (6 April 2010). "Helen Mirren's Brothel Movie to Open". New York . Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  65. "Mirren 'to star in Tempest film'". BBC News. 8 October 2008. Archived from the original on 11 January 2009.
  66. "The Tempest (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  67. Walters, Ben (2 June 2015). "Helen Mirren: Interview". Time Out . Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  68. Orange, Michelle (13 September 2010). "At TIFF: Brighton Rock Extends the Graham Greene Adaptation Curse". Movieline . Archived from the original on 16 September 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  69. Holden, Stephen (25 August 2011). "A Meek Rose Amid the Mods and Rockers in an English Resort Town" . The New York Times. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  70. Fischer, Russ (4 November 2009). "Casting Notes: Alan Cumming in Burlesque; Mirren Does Espionage; Dempsey Steals Laughs; Weaver and Shawkat Hit Cedar Rapids". /Film . Archived from the original on 22 January 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  71. Levy, Emanuel (15 October 2010). "Majestic Mirren". Financial Times . London. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  72. "RED (2010)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  73. "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  74. "Arthur (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  75. "Mirren Learning Hebrew For Movie Role". ContactMusic.com . 27 February 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  76. "Hitchcock (2012)". Metacritic . Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  77. Ebert, Roger (20 November 2012). "Hitchcock". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  78. Hawker, Philippa (19 July 2012). "Mirren steps through a new door". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  79. Grove, Lloyd (22 March 2013). "Phil Spector's Jersey Girl Lawyer: Meet the Real Linda Kenney Baden". The Daily Beast . Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  80. Gupta, Prachi (15 March 2013). "Friends of Lana Clarkson protest HBO film "Phil Spector"". Salon . Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  81. "Monsters University (2013)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  82. Warner, Kara (29 March 2011). "Helen Mirren Says She's Ready For 'Red' Sequel: 'Just Get Me The Script'". MTV News . Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  83. Gilchrist, Todd (15 July 2013). "'Red 2' Review: Bruce Willis Sequel Dies Hard, Lands With Dull Thud". The Wrap . Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  84. "Red 2 (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  85. 1 2 Roberts, Sheila (31 July 2014). "Helen Mirren Talks 'The Hundred-Foot Journey', Working with Om Puri, What She Looks For in Choosing Projects, 'Trumbo', and More". Collider . Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  86. "The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  87. Valentine, Colin (14 July 2015). "Gustav Klimt Painted Much More Than 'The Woman In Gold'". HuffPost Arts & Culture. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  88. "Woman in Gold (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  89. Erbland, Kate (29 December 2015). "The 20 Highest Grossing Indies of 2015 (A Running List)". Indiewire. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  90. Sneider, Jeff (16 May 2014). "Aaron Paul, Helen Mirren Join Colin Firth in Thriller 'Eye in the Sky'". The Wrap. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  91. "Trumbo (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  92. D'Alessandro, Anthony (18 December 2016). "How Critics' "Schoolyard Assault" On 'Collateral Beauty' Turned Ugly For Will Smith Pic". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  93. Jackson, Danielle (13 December 2016). "Collateral Beauty reviews: Will Smith movie slammed by critics". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  94. Lang, Brent (10 January 2017). "HBO Nabs 'Cries From Syria' Documentary Ahead of Sundance". Variety . Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  95. Wakeman, Gregory (14 March 2017). "How Helen Mirren Ended Up In The Fate Of The Furious, According To Vin Diesel". CinemaBlend. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  96. Vivarelli, Nick; Keslassy, Elsa (12 May 2016). "Cannes: Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland to Topline Paolo Virzì's 'The Leisure Seeker'". Variety. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  97. Jaafar, Ali (12 May 2016). "Helen Mirren & Donald Sutherland Team For 'The Leisure Seeker' – Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  98. Rubin, Rebecca (11 December 2017). "Golden Globe Nominations: Complete List". Variety. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  99. Fleming, Mike Jr. (14 May 2016). "Helen Mirren Takes Aim At Playing Firearm Heiress In Hot Cannes Package 'Winchester'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  100. Kroll, Justin (25 August 2016). "Helen Mirren Joins Disney's 'The Nutcracker'". Variety. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  101. Keslassy, Elsa; Kroll, Justin (9 October 2017). "Luc Besson Sets Next Film 'Anna' With Helen Mirren, Luke Evans". Variety. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  102. Kroll, Justin (23 March 2021). "'Shazam: Fury Of The Gods': Helen Mirren To Play Villain Hespera In Sequel". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  103. Gleiberman, Owen (20 February 2023). "Golda' Review: Helen Mirren Channels Golda Meir in a Tense Dramatization of the Yom Kippur War". Variety. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  104. Kendrick Lamar – Count Me Out , retrieved 22 December 2022
  105. "Dame Helen Mirren: 10 things you need to know about the Oscar nominated actress". Daily Mirror . London. 18 February 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  106. "ITV to salute '50 greatest stars'". BBC News . 3 July 2006. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  107. Tucker, Ken (10 April 2011). "'Saturday Night Live' recap: Helen Mirren transcended a laugh-lite 'SNL'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  108. "Dame Helen Mirren fights sewage plant plan in quiet fishing village where she got married" . The Daily Telegraph. London. 30 May 2016. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  109. "Mirren: 'I Have No Maternal Instinct'". Contactmusic.com. 26 February 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  110. Thaxter, John (1 November 2007). "In the Frame: My Life in Words and Pictures". The Stage.
  111. Garfield, Simon (25 November 1990). "The Sunday Review Pages: Helen Mirren interview". The Independent. London. p. 27. Sometimes I feel like a farmer during a war, someone who doesn't know very much about it and carries on digging, hoping for rain. But just the last few days I've had this terrible feeling of... doom. It's a, er, biblical, kind of Old Testament feeling. I'm an atheist, but I was suddenly thinking of those stories of the flood and punishment. Because we've become unbelievably greedy and destructive.
  112. Fussman, Cal (7 July 2011). "Helen Mirren: What I've Learned". Esquire . Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  113. 1 2 "Dame Helen Mirren in date-rape revelation". CNN . 1 September 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
  114. 1 2 Taylor, Jerome (1 September 2008). "Mirren talks of her date-rapes, then provokes furore with views on sex attackers" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
  115. "Dame Helen in cocaine admission". BBC News. 1 September 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  116. Simpson, Aislinn (31 August 2008). "'The Queen' actress Dame Helen Mirren reveals former love of cocaine". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 1 September 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  117. Davies, Caroline (2 April 2012). "New faces on Sgt Pepper album cover for artist Peter Blake's 80th birthday". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  118. "Sir Peter Blake's new Beatles' Sgt Pepper's album cover". BBC News. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  119. "Helen Mirren shows off her patriotism in Esquire photo shoot". Yahoo! . 15 July 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  120. Cochrane, Lauren (19 August 2013). "Marks & Spencer's new ad: what does it mean?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  121. Cartner-Morley, Jess (29 March 2013). "The 50 best-dressed over 50s". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  122. "Celebrity nudists: the stars who like to let it all hang out". Radio Times. London. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  123. "Dame Helen Mirren named 'Naturist of the Year'" (Press release). British Naturism. 8 January 2012. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  124. "Helen Mirren: Her crowning achievement". The Independent. 18 August 2006. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022. I've never been a member of Labour, or any political party for that matter, but in 1997 I wanted to get rid of the Conservatives; wanted to get rid of that appalling lot.
  125. "Oscar winner, Tahoe resident Helen Mirren casts 1st American vote". Tahoe Daily Tribune. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  126. Hildebrand, Kurt (17 October 2020). "'The Queen' casts her ballot in Minden". The Record-Courier . Gardnerville, Nevada. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  127. Jackson, Hugh (22 October 2020). "Helen Mirren for governor". Nevada Current. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  128. "Helen Mirren: Israel must exist 'for eternity' because of the Holocaust". The Times of Israel . 28 August 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  129. "Checco Zalone pokes fun at Helen Mirren's age in viral video" . The Times. London. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  130. Squires, Nick (30 April 2021). "'The Telegraph' recap: Helen Mirren joins Italy's best known comic in light-hearted sketch to promote Covid-19 vaccine" . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  131. "45th Chaplin Award Gala Will Honor Helen Mirren", Film Society of Lincoln Center, 14 October 2017, retrieved 5 November 2017
  132. Christopher, James (12 January 2009). "The best British film actresses of all time" . The Times. London. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

Further reading