By Lady Williamson
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Dame Judith Olivia Dench CH DBE FRSA (born 9 December 1934) 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 eight Olivier Awards.
Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she performed in several of Shakespeare’s plays, in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. Although most of Dench’s work during this period was in theatre, she also branched into film work and won a BAFTA Award as Most Promising Newcomer. In 1968, she drew excellent reviews for her leading role of Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret. Over the next two decades Dench established herself as one of the most significant British theatre performers, working for the National Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
She received critical acclaim for her work on television during this period, in the ITV comedy series A Fine Romance (1981–1984) and the BBC1 romantic series As Time Goes By (1992–2005), in both of which she held starring roles. Her film appearances were infrequent and included supporting roles in major films, such as James Ivory‘s A Room with a View (1985), before she rose to international fame as M in GoldenEye (1995), a role she went on to play in eight James Bond films, until her final cameo appearance in Spectre (2015).
An eight-time Academy Award nominee, Dench won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love (1998); her other Oscar-nominated roles are for Mrs Brown (1997), Chocolat (2000), Iris (2001), Mrs Henderson Presents (2005), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Philomena (2013), and Belfast (2021). She is also the recipient of several honorary awards, including the BAFTA Fellowship Award, the Society of London Theatre Special Award, and the British Film Institute Fellowship Award.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Question of the Day
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Born
- Clarence Birdseye (businessman) –
- Jean de Brunhoff (author of Babar books) –
- Kirk Douglas (actor) –
- Redd Foxx (actor) –
- Dame Judi Dench (actress) –
- Beau Bridges (actor) –
- John Malkovich (actor) –
- Donnie Osmond (entertainer) –
- Jesse Metcalfe (actor) –
- Simon Helberg (actor) –
Died
- Paul Simon (5-term Democratic congressman and 2-term senator from Illinois who ran unsuccessfully for presidential nomination in 1988) –
- Georgia Gibbs (singer) –
- Gene Barry (actor) –
Events
- Robert Cushman gave first known sermon in the United States, in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts–
- Noah Webster established The American Minerva, NY’s first daily newspaper–
- Canada’s first coin club, Numismatic Society of Montreal, formed–
- Lincoln letter sold for $748,000–
- First Heisman Trophy awarded to Jay Berwanger–
- Quebec adopted a new coat of arms–
- British troops opened their first major offensive in North Africa during World War II–
- Bob Waterfield became the first professional football player to kick 5 field goals in one game–
- Public debut of the computer mouse, in San Francisco–
- Marguerite d’Youville became first Canadian-born saint–
- Twin polar bear cubs were born at the Hellabrunn Zoo, Munich, Germany–
Weather
- It was 61 degrees F in Boston at 1:00 A.M.–
COURTESY www.almanac.com
